How to Get Rid of Feces Odor in a Care Facility

Accidents do happen; and when you discover them after the fact, you need to take action to make the environment as hygienic and odor-free as quickly as possible. Always encourage staff in a long-term care facility to be fastidious when caring for patients; encouraging proper self-care in the patient, if possible, will make the staff aware of these occurrences in a more timely manner.

Things You'll Need

• White vinegar
• Warm water
• Bucket
• Gloves
• Sponge
• Rubber sheets
• Bleach
• Fabric softener
• Room deodorizers (optional)

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Instructions

• 1

  Remove fecal material promptly, using sterile procedures to dispose of the remnants as well as diapering material. Clothing should be washed by itself in two rinse cycles if it is mildly soiled, using bleach if it's white cotton fabric. Use fabric softener or dispose of the item if the patient's skin is ulcerated or particularly sensitive.

• 2

  Contact the patient's primary care physician if the smell originates from the patient. Some gastrointestinal conditions are chronic and produce odor. Also, boils, abscesses and infected hemorrhoids can cause an unpleasant odor. A sigmoidoscopy or rectal exam can rule out these conditions.

• 3

  Create a base cleaning agent for initial surface cleaning. After removing as much of the material as possible following standard procedures in place for disposal, mix one part white vinegar with three parts warm water as a base cleaning agent. This will help neutralize the odor.

• 4

  Use rubber sheets on the patient's bed to facilitate cleaning and reduce odor. Rubber sheets can be cleaned with dishwashing liquid in a bucket. Scrub the sheeting thoroughly then take it outside and allow to air-dry. To clean bedding, dispose of as much of the solid material as possible using sterile procedures in place, then wash the sheets and pillowcases in a separate load in bleach with an additional rinse cycle; use fabric softener if the patient has sensitive skin. Make sure the bedding shows no sign of residual material or staining: if so, destroy it. If the bedding is salvageable, add a fabric softener dryer sheet when drying the items to eliminate any remaining bleach smell.

• 5

  Use a steam carpet cleaner on floor coverings to pick up all material embedded in the pile. For upholstery, after using the vinegar and water mixture, try spot cleaning with anti-bacterial cleaner then use the hand-held attachment on a steam carpet cleaner to pull out any residual material. If these methods don't alleviate the smell, call in professional cleaners or dispose of the items.

• 6

  Scrub and wash down the walls if the smell has become embedded in the room. First wash down the walls with the vinegar and water mixture; if the smell is not alleviated, use dishwashing detergent in a bucket of warm water, along with gloves and a sponge, and apply to the wall surface. Painting the walls would be the last resort.

• 7

  Mask the odor with plug-in room devices that generate a consistent smell. Putting fabric softener sheets in unobtrusive places, such as under the bed or in closets, is another option. Potpourri and lit, scented candles that are attended will hide or overpower the odor, but ideally you need to attack the smell and remove it from its source.