In my theme of detoxifying malodorous smells in the ED, I recently learned of a new way of masking odors. Imagine the stress on your olfactory nerves from the combined effects of urinary and fecal incontinence from a nursing home patient.
An ingenious nurse proposed nebulizing actual coffee within the room. Unfortunately, our ED was out of coffee at the moment.
Trick of the Trade
Nebulized orange juice
I only learned of this trick after walking into the patient’s very subtly foggy room. About 4 cc of orange juice had been nebulizing for a few minutes. The room smelled a little like a Jamba Juice (a smoothies/ juice shop). Quite pleasant actually. I was shocked to find that it masked the odors quite well. I just HAD to take a photo and share this great trick.
Addendum
This trick really is a more subtle de-odorizer approach. So it only works in an enclosed room, such as a patient’s room. You need time for the scent to build up. If your patient is in a common area or hallway, the scent gets too dispersed. You’re outta luck.