How do I keep the commode chair clean and sanitized?

mar126: Spot on! Rinse that puppy down!

I'm caring for my mother who is using a bedside commode. I think daily wiping the legs down will take care of your problem. I do not have the problem you are having, but I do have an odor issue or did rather. We decided to use cheap trash bags to line the pot every night. I keep a metal trash can with a lid outside my garage door just for disposal of these bags I use the very heavy contractor bags in that metal can and take it to the trash. I use the dollar bags from Walmart in the pot and they work perfectly. The odor was our problem. I found a product called Clorox hard surface sanitizing spray. It works and smells like bleach, but it does not remove color off of things. I spray the chair down with that and it removes the order immediately. I do this in between washing the pot out. It has been a lifesaver. We have carpet everywhere so I took a desk chair pad that was at her office desk and sat her pot on it. We have not had any problems yet. It's been a year. I hope this helps someone.

Sorry if this has been mentioned but just too much reading. I don't see why you have to move the commode Everytime someone else uses the toilet. The commode has a back bar. Take it off. THis way you can keep the toilet seat up or take it off because the commode has its own seat cover and it situates the commode better. For use with a toilet there is a splash guard you put where the bucket goes. This way everyone can use the commode and keeps splatters within the guard. Wipes are good but 1% bleach to 10 parts will kill all germs. If you want to experiment, cut the bottom out of the bucket, that's all a guard is. The bottom part of the legs can be replaced. I set this up for a friend and she loved it.

My Mom sometimes uses her commode in her bedroom during the night. Each morning I carry the pail to the bathroom. Empty it in the toilet, run water in it and empty it again in the toilet. I then have a spray bottle of bleach water which I thoroughly spray the entire pale and empty it in the toilet once again. I never have had a problem with odors from it or in her bedroom. Once a week I place the entire chair in the tub and spray with bleach water too. I keep a spray bottle in each of our bathrooms and spray the toilet and surrounding floor each day. This works the best for me. Hope this helps for you.

I use Clorox wipes, and also have gloves to deal with mom's potty needs. In the bowl to keep it from stinking too much, I put a little Pine Sol in with the water. Agree that clean enough is good enough, and this is off your topic, but my house is a mess too, there's not enough of me to go around. The Clorox wipes are good for when mom doesn't quite make it and some pee gets on the floor. Sorry for the TMI, but this is caregiving.

I saw on your other thread that others have suggested getting her on Medicaid and into assisted living and have to say I agree with spending down her assets.  Sometimes the facility will take all she has and then when that is exhausted, she goes on Medicaid.  When you are responsible for her, your life will change.  Expect physical and mental exhaustion, and if you do this, please please hire as much help as you can.  A lot of the time you have with her will  be with the endless chores like cleaning up for her, get her this, get her that.  They seem to get more demanding as they become more incapacitated, and often the caregiver's physical and mental health suffers.  I'm not saying don't, just know and respect your limits, and get help.

Maybe this will help: there is a product called "Crazy clean." i t comes out as a foam and melts all dirt and junk in a minute. ''Set the chair in the shower, spray it all over, go away for fifteen minutes, then turn shower on with door or curtain closed and let the water do the work.

Maybe?

Good luck!

Put it in a hot shower and let it run for 5 or 10 minutes. Best way I can think of!

My MIL's commode chair doubles as a shower chair, This way it gets a thorough cleaning and drying 1-2 times a week. Her nose is very sensitive to chemical smells so I use her no fragrance baby wipes to clean the toilet seat, top and bottom, then the floor because a lot of times, she starts to pee as she's pulling down her Depend. I also use the wipes to clean her legs and slippers. Yes, it's a mess and means I have to be either in the bathroom or right outside so I can make sure she is clean. I try to spray toilet seat again nightly with white vinegar then with hydrogen peroxide and dry. This way the vinegar smell is gone by the time she wakes.

If your mom will use the commode chair, bedside, with the bucket, it could spare the bathroom for you and your husband. There are Commode Liners that make cleanup very easy. The ones I bought for my husband's use were made by Medline. They aren't cheap but since you are working, it might be worth the money to save yourself the time and hassle.

I read all of the answers and don't think I saw this one. There is a device. I will call it a splatter guard that medical supply stores sell ( Medicare will pay for) that fits between the commode seat and the bucket below. It keeps the waste headed down to the bowl.
My mother used three commodes. One as a bedside for Lasix nights. This one had to be emptied each morning. She didn't use it during the day. It was washed and cleaned along with arm railings, seat etc with Clorox wipes or in the shower stall along with shower. Sprayed with Lysol and a small amount of water and a lavender cleaner was in the pot and in a small bottle near her bedside commode.
During the day she used an elevated toilet with grab bars on either side. She used a walker. She could turn around with her walked and sit on the toilet and then use the grab bars to help herself back up. She also took ongoing pt to keep her arms and legs strong. This commode was cleaned each day also but easier to do. As she got older she had a bedside commode seat (without pot) over the toilet. This had to be moved when others used the toilet. Clorox wipes were handy to move it and clean it.
The third commode chair she used as a shower chair. No bucket. It was easier for her to get up and down with the side arms than the traditional shower bench and she could use the shower wand. Of course if someone else is using the shower you would have to take the chair out after her shower. She had a bath aid who came three times a week. She would put the chair in and out of the shower and dry it off after use.
When my mom first started using her walker, she wanted to leave her commode chair near her recliner so she wouldn't have to walk as far. I rejected that idea as she needed the exercise and she didn't have someone to empty it during the day. She agreed that she needed the walking. It made the idea of wearing pads and then pull ups easier for her to accept because she didn't want to fall by rushing to the commode. Your mom in a wheelchair you don't have the problem of her falling on the way. But I really encourage you not to handicap her further by taking care of the cleaning that she can do for herself. All the stretching and bending and pulling necessary to keep clean is mostly beneficial exercise. Each person sharing a home needs to feel they are contributing. I too question your decision to move her into your home. I would suspect she has grown accustomed to others handling her needs and will have to adjust to not having those folks. I remember when my mom was in rehab I would say to myself. I am grateful someone else is mopping the floor. I an grateful someone else is changing the bed, is cleaning the bathroom, is cooking the meals, is distributing the meds, is doing the shopping, giving the bath, cleaning the pot, helping her dress. you get the drill. Of course I was busy making sure they did and was teased about my zealous use of handi wipes on every surface either of us touched.

Also, sort of off topic, keep a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the commode, just like the toilet has. When the "waste" falls, it will not stick to the sides and bottom of the bowl of the commode. You just dump the whole thing into the toilet and cleaning is kept to a minimum.
You can also spray or pour a couple of drops of essential oil (your favorite smell-I like lemongrass) and it will leave a nice presence in the room where the commode is kept.

Of course bleach is the best sanitizer but many times it erodes the metal and plastic surfaces over time. I would only use it occasionally. IF she was sharing the commode with someone else, I would definitely say a bleach solution should be used. But this is private home use and only she will be sitting on it.

'Bleach wipes' are really a disinfectant disposable cloth and have no actual bleach in them. Most use ammonium chloride for disinfecting, sufficient for what you would need them for. They are fairly inexpensive (Costco, Sam's), come in different scents and are disposable.

If you were to cover the legs, there is a chance that drops (or worse) would get trapped between the leg and the cover, creating an even bigger mess.
Check that your commode is made out of aluminum and can 'take a bath' in the shower once in awhile. The one I had, when my hubby was sick, looked liked aluminum (which doesn't rust) but when I took it apart to clean it, the inside of the leg was rusting. (?)
It takes me less than 5 minutes to empty and refill the potty chair bowl and wipe down the whole commode of my patient. You'll be a pro in no time.

P.S.-A lot of caregivers feel better cleaning other's intimate parts and furniture with gloves on. Some folks are allergic to latex or can become allergic after repeated exposure, so be sure to buy or order NON latex gloves like Nitrille.

A bit off topic but related. I just bought a new product by Lysol that is a sanitizer for in the washing machine with clothes.

I realize bleach does that but Rainman has some nice things I don't really want to use bleach on but the thought of just throwing a garment hit by human waste into the washer makes me a bit queasy- this product sanitized without bleach. At least that's what the label says. Lol!

As for the nursing facility, it's there job to clean everything. For at home, you just have to clean all of the toilet/commode and floor after mom uses it each time, if not that stuff builds up and it's nasty obviously. I would recommend cheap rubber backed rugs, put one on the floor in front of the toilet each day, to protect the floor from staining and odors that could be absorbed into the actual flooring, get a stack of these, use ones with rubber backing so mom doesn't slip on the floor. This way you can throw a rug in the wash each day or every other day, and just rotate them through. Keep a container of bleach wipes on hand in the bathroom for every one to clean up after themselves what they can. I also recommend a bleach spray, it's the best disinfectant, and can be sprayed in the crevices of a toilet/commode around the seat where nasty stuff collects, then wipe everything down with a wipe, clear to the floor. Sometimes if you can, you just have to take it outside or to a bath tub, and scrub the commode down good and spray it off or rinse it off, do this right after mom uses it once a week or every other week.

There is a paint that is used to dip tool handles in that forms a rubber coating - I wonder if all 4 legs are dipped then there will be no seam between the rubber foot & leg of commode to catch anything - maybe it could seal other areas as well? - if anyone tries this let us know

When I use vinegar I buy pickling vinegar as it double strength - we use for all sorts of things - my favourite is put it in a watering can & 'water' the weeds in front pathway then come back 3 days later to weep all the brown dried up 'bodies' away - so much easier on the knees & back - but then I crave French fries [here we sprinkle them with vinegar]

Bleach is the only thing I would trust and bleach is my go to for all kinds of sanitation. I've used it since my teens when I stayed at the group home and I still use it today. Bleach will always be my trusty sanitizer

We use Lysol disinfectant wipes after every use and add lavender fabloso to keep the smell down. And we use NorthShore max absorbency disposable underpads under the commode. They hold an unbelievable amt of liquid. In order to keep germs and bacteria at bay we wipe everything down after she gets up and do the same when she goes to bed that way it's a constant clean for everyone. I hope this helps it's just what we do and everyone does things differently. Just wanted to share.

My solution to splatters, of all kind, is to line the bottom of the plastic recepticle with toilet paper. Roll toilet paper around your hand one time, repeat two more times and bottom is covered. The cheapest toilet paper I can find so it is not a great money waster. This eliminates the splatter under the seat or any where else. Keep deluted bleach, in spray bottle, by toilet. Before I empty plastic recepticle I add some water to it for easy emptying. All goes down the toilet and then spray with the deluted bleach. Empty excess fluid into toilet and good to
go. Reline bottom, of plastic recepticle, with toilet paper again. Ready for next use. I find there is no need to wash every time plastic recepticle is used as the routine listed above does it all. Only when sides are contacted, usually by very loose stool, do I than disinfect with straight bleach. Have used this method for over a year and have found it is a great way to control alot of problems that arise from the use of a pottie chair. Hope this helps.

My mother has all the elder appliances. The toilet frame and shower chair get the worst. I clean them the normal way usually, knowing that the next day the toilet frame will smell like it was never cleaned. I don't like it, but I've learned to accept that having everything perfectly clean would have me running like a hamster in a wheel. I do a more thorough job when needed by putting the toilet frame in the shower and giving it a simple vinegar wash and then a rinse. The vinegar neutralizes the urine smell, dissolves any salts, and sanitizes.

My worst problem is really the shower chair that grows black mold on all the crevices. I soak the feet of the chair in cups of a dilute Clorox solution and use a bleach spray, e.g. Tilex or a Clorox solution to kill the mold elsewhere and rinse thoroughly. Still I have to scrub at the stain left behind. I don't do this often, since bleach can corrode the materials with repeat use.

Don't you wish there was an elder supply service that would trade out appliances once a month? It would be wonderful to get fresh ones, instead of having to deep clean them repeatedly. I've often wished they would make them so they were totally smooth, with no where to collect salts and grow fungi. I'm sure they could do that, but they don't.

My current solution might not work for you - but here goes:

We have a toilet surround in DH's bathroom. I use Lysol with Peroxide Toilet Bowl Cleaner (cheap enough @Walmart) and I just use some of the cleaned bowl water and a washcloth and just wipe the front of the bowl and the frame of the toilet surround at the same time. Ditto on the rim of the toilet and check the seat and back of commode at the same time.

It smells nice, takes just an extra minute or two and then the washrag goes into the laundry.

Just an added note - men "dribble" which is why the front of the commode gets soiled. So does the rug I keep in front of the commode. It too goes into the laundry and we're all "happy campers" after that.

I bought an inexpensive steamer from a consignment store to clean hard surfaces like this. It keeps kitchen and bath faucets and counters shiny without using chemicals. Made by Shark.

Sorry to say, but I think often clean and sanitized has to give way to clean enough. There is no way you are going to disassemble the commode chair or remove toilet risers (which are bolted on, after all) after every accident unless of course they are very infrequent. I've whined before that a lot of adaptive hardware lacks any insight into how it is actually used. Considering the exorbitant prices we have to pay for items you would expect someone could spend some time engineering in features that included ease of cleaning and actual comfort for the users.

A good way to really clean the commode chair is to move it to the shower, bathtub or back porch and spray it well with Clorox Cleanup. The bleach cleaner will get into all of the cervices. After it sits a few minutes, spray it with water or pour water over it. When a home care company brings used equipment, such as a wheel chair, I clean it with Clorox Cleanup since it's always a little grimy even though they say its been "sanitized". Nothing has ever been damaged and the flowers in the garden don't seem to mind getting a dose of bleach cleaner every now and then. In between cleanings, you can use wipes to get the spatters. Dealing with incontinence is a little time consuming, but staying on top of it will keep your house from smelling bad.

If it is the bottom of the commode you can get replacement bottoms. The adjustable portions can be removed and replaced or you could even remove them to soak and wash. (If this is the metal leg adjustable type)

If she is just using a commode to get the proper height you could do one of two things.
Replace the toilet with one that is a Tall, Elongated one that will make it easier for her and everyone for that matter. Just get a set of the arms that can be place on the toilet as well so that she can easily get up.
OR
You could get a riser for the toilet you have. It can be used by everyone but it could be removed if you do not wish to use it. And it can be removed for cleaning.

Now I have to ask....and this is totally off your subject....
Do you HAVE to move your Mom in with you?
I am sure if you have read many of the other posts her it is not easy. Going from a Daughter that visits her in her Assisted Living home to being a full time caregiver will be a HUGE change for her, you and your entire family. It will require a lot of time, effort, patience and all the minor problems will be magnified. And keep in mind she will need more care as time goes on.

Thanks Rainmom, I appreciate the delicacy of your words on this subject, good! My youngest brother has cognitive and physical disabilities and in early adult years when I was responsible for him, I wasted so much time trying to explain to him how bad it was for others when there were smells.

Later, when I got more involved in the detail myself, sorting out his drawers and putting labels on the front of each, I came to realize that he needed that basic organization, for any memory or comprehension approaches were beyond his ability. And he never did learn to leave his clothes in the dryer long enough to be fully dry, let alone notice when clothes needed changing.

But I later worked with elders, and got used to handling hygiene with them, bathing particularly, and that changed my ability to deal with my brother. I learned to address issues simply, directly and promptly, with cheer and matter of factness, either doing the care myself if they could not, or being there and handing them the facecloth. I learned to speak in terms of things THEY could feel, not the impact on others which they could not remember. Like, "we need to get all the soap off, you don't want to have any itching later, if we leave any." And just move through the process. Fact is, when someone is clean and you can count on that, your attitude towards them changes. So much better than resentments and hints.

Empty the commode bucket, then rinse it daily with hot water and a smidgeon of bleach, keeps everything fresh, and more promptly with after bowel use.  And use the wipes as Rainmom says.

And - just replace any over-worn equipment. The Councils on Aging have many pieces of healthcare equipment for free, when people don't need them any longer. All sterilized, in good condition, wheelchairs, rollators.

I think once you get involved and not shy about making sure the situation meets your standards, stating it upfront and doing what is needed, not keep expecting your mother to notice, you'll find life more cheerful - it's a pleasure to deal with a clean person, and a misery to keep noticing smells and feeling defeated.

By now, my brother is living in a nursing home, and they do all  the laundry and care, and if I take him out, his clothes and person are clean.  He has always taken pride in dressing, he just didn't have the awareness, memory or skills to handle cleanliness himself.   I have him stay in a hotel sometimes,  and there, I am glad to have my elder care experience,  to just check and if any difficulties, handle issues right away, with good cheer, move right in, not expect permission and understanding - I learned to pause if there's an objection, don't move too far away, then give my cheerful reason again and assume they will be glad, then move back into the task and do it well.  Without resentments, works well,

Thanks Rainmom! That's the route I'm thinking too --using Clorox wipes or similar. Just hoping that maybe --just maybe-- someone else out there has a more efficient plan. lol ALSO I forgot to mention, it might be great to invest in a "PEE-DAR." A little UV flashlight to help look for spots missed. I have one because I have cats and I read it works well for situations like ours too.

Someone else also recommended "Tap-A-Drop" to nullify smells. I bought a bottle to test it out too. Short of lighting matches and candles which could be hazardous and just masks bad smells, I hope this tip helps too.

At worst, there's an occasional diarrhea problem and that was usually due to a family member giving her food she shouldn't eat. By moving her in, I suppose I'll be able to cut that problem out right away.

Thanks!!!
Best of luck to us!!

I don't have a commode chair to deal with but I do have an adult son who is disabled - and a husband who is not as aware as I'd like.

Between the two of them I find myself complaining a lot that my toilet smells like a toilet.

The only solution I've found is continual cleaning. It's not as bad as it sounds. I have a jumbo canister of Clorox wipes on the back of the toilet and I wipe the back, sides and floor of and around the toilet after every use. I have successfully trained hubby to do the same.

It really only takes a minute and then when it's time for the regularly scheduled bathroom cleaning, the problem of stink and stains is minimal.

But I've thought a lot about this as well and would love to have a better way to keep my bathroom from looking and smelling like a bathroom at a highway rest stop.