My mom is incontinent and wears diapers. She moved in last year, and though we clean the rooms that she lives and spends time in, recently, a good friend who came for a visit, whispered to me that my home smelled like 'urine'. I was VERY grateful that she told me, as living in the same house all the time, one doesn't always notice it. I clean with a disinfectant, and leave the windows open, but there's not much of a breeze, so there's not much I know what to do now. And I don't know what to do for the rest of the house, since I think I got a little immune to the duller, less noticeable smell outside of her rooms. What do you all do to get rid of the house smell?
Also have your mom checked for a UTI and/or kidney damage by her doctor. Urine from a UTI can be very strong odor and also smell "off". People with kidney damage actually do not do a good job of excreting nitrogenous waste in their urine, They tend to place the waste into their skin which makes them smell like urine.
I have experienced the urine odors while caring for MIL.
As others have mentioned, OdorBan is wonderful. And you can find many enzymatic cleaners in the pet aisle, or in janitor supply.
My personal favorite is Resolves Urine Destroyer. It works on BM accidents, too. I spray down her clothes at night before dropping then in the hamper. I also spray down and/or dump it (if necessary) on any bedding that has accidents on it.
I have soaked carpets before and after shampooing. It works on upholstery, as well.
In the laundry, I sometimes add a small amount to the fabric softener compartment.
My nose is very sensitive, and I can't stand perfume in the air fresheners, etc. Anything that actually destroys the odors is a plus.
I also use and extra overnight pad inside moms depends (it’s like like a large maxi pad - I use the basic Walgreens brand - I think they are called Certainty overnight pads) for additional absorbency.
We have a separate trash small trash can for her depends and take it out for every change (I also use Walmart’s brand mint smell trash bags for her barrel.
If her urine smells that potent I would also consider testing for infection - or dehydration. Infected urine is usually very strong clear smell.
1. Mother's personal hygiene: does she need more support with washing and dressing now? Are the Depends she's using the appropriate ones for her needs?
2. Check that all is well with her waterworks - if the urine smells as strongly as all that there may be something wrong, such as a background infection or that she isn't drinking enough.
And after that, I wouldn't worry about it beyond normal cleaning and ventilation. If a friend confides in you again, once you've taken the necessary steps, smile sweetly and thank her for her good intentions. Yes, you may have gone a bit "nose-blind" as they say; but then again some people are very pernickety about anything that isn't roses. She probably warns people about wet dogs, too.
Vinegar also can be used to cut the odor on items. Here is where I chime in and warn people: don't mix vinegar with bleach. We get plenty of warning about not mixing chemicals, but who thinks of vinegar as a chemical? I was using it to cut the odor in training pants. With hard well water, I decided to add a little bleach to help whiten them too. Ooops... The combination creates chlorine gas!
It is easy enough to slowly become acclimated and not notice the smell. One way might be do the checking of various areas after spending some time away from the home. It might take some close up inspection (sniffing) to locate the source. Often when looking for my mother's hearing aid, I'd notice the smell in her carpet (MC.) We had plenty of charges for "deep cleaning" of the carpet!
Using the disposable pads on the bed and places she generally sits can help prevent additional absorption. I was buying these for mom's bed, but the nurse suggested getting the washable ones. I was able to find a 2pk and over time it might help save some money - of course they need to be washed too, so the savings may be lost there! For chairs that have removable cushion covers, you may need to replace the foam, but carefully wrapping the foam with a large trash bag will prevent it soaking in - you still have to wash the cover, but not replace the foam again (it will likely make crinkly noises, so... warn visitors?
Definitely storing the used briefs and pads outside can help, but when I do kitty clean up, I always put the paper towels in a sealable bag too. Nothing goes in my regular trash can but trash. Any food scraps or wet items I keep in separate bags, so my trash bin doesn't stink! Veg scraps are stored outside in buckets, for composting. When ready to do a trash run, the zip bags go into the regular trash bag and then all goes in the large trash bag, so my car won't stink either!
You have lots of good suggestions here. Hope you find some that work.
Love & Light, Kelly💜
My GF recommended bowls of vinegar around Moms room. I chose just one, in her bathroom up where she could not reach it. I started to smell a difference within a hour, a day the smell seemed to be gone. So I left it another day. I have a very sensitive smeller. And so does my daughter and she never complained about smells.
I used Huggie wipes to clean Mom. They are thicker and bigger than the woman ones. I had a couple of those flannel covered rubber protectors you use on baby mattresses. I used them on Moms chair. Then washed them. There are water proof mattress protectors. I would check Moms mattress. The covering can be washed. There are videos on how to get the stains out. You will need to do this early in the day for the mattress to dry. I have used a hairdryer to speed up the process. If you find that the mattress seems OK, I just saw a video where baking soda is sprinkled all over the bed and then vacuumed off to freshen it.
Properly and thoroughly cleaning the person is also important in avoiding the urine odor.
It may be time for more direct supervision in the bathroom.
I was very glad when they put the catheter in at rehab because her nursing home was short staffed. It is impossible not to have an accident when the aides can’t get to the room quick enough.
Catheters certainly simplify this issue if it is applicable for the patient.
The major cause of odor in my mother's Memory Care Assisted Living room is due to wet briefs staying in the garbage too long. The CGs empty the trash 6x a day which isn't always enough. I feel that a wet brief needs to leave the bathroom immediately which can happen at home more readily than in an ALF.
When you spray in the bathroom(s) spray at the base of the toilet sometimes the seal is not tight and liquid can get between the toilet base and the flooring. Check to see if yours it sealed well. If not it might be worth caulking but if the gap is large enough and enough time has gone by removing the toilet and cleaning and resealing might be a better option.
Rinse/clean the garbage cans used to dispose of briefs (not a fan of the word "diaper" unless we are talking about infants) and wipes. Spray with an odor neutralizer like OdorBan, Fresh Wave or Clorox has Urine Remover that also works.
Check any furniture she sits on. Often leaks go unnoticed. Also if her room is carpeted I would check that and possibly consider removing carpet.
And do a double check of all her clothing make sure it is all odor free.
Or a combination of the above.
Dealing with those issues is the 1st thing to do.
Then cleaning everything that she has sat on and leaked with an enzyme destroying cleaner. I prefer vinegar to anything else, saturate the items, let it dry and odors are gone.
If you don't deal with what is causing the smell, you will just be covering it up and you will become nose blind even worse.
Best of luck, this is a difficult situation to be sure.
Another thing that you could try is burning scented candles or spraying a disinfectant like Lysol.