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A commode is a valuable piece of medical equipment to rent for a family member who may not be able to get to the bathroom quickly. Someone with mobility issues or who is spending much of his or her time in bed after surgery, for example, will need a way to relieve himself or herself without walking to the bathroom, and a commode positioned nearby can be the answer. One potential issue that you may encounter is strong odors coming from the commode that may bother the user and other members of the family. Here are some simple ways to keep this smell under control.
Change It After Each Use
While you might be able to get a couple uses of the commode if your family member has only urinated in it, you want to clean it out promptly if a bowel movement has occurred. This isn't an enviable job, of course, but the good news in doing so is that it will remove the smell in the room almost immediately. You may wish to open a window or use some air freshener in the room if the commode has been left dirty for a prolonged period of time. For example, if your family member moved his or her bowels overnight, the area could smell by morning.
Fill The Tub With Water
Many people use their commode dry; in other words, they go to the bathroom directly in the plastic tub that hangs below the seat. There's nothing necessarily wrong with this approach, but you'll find bowel movements that aren't surrounded by water smell considerably stronger than those that are. This is why you might smell a dog's feces in the yard even if you're several feet away. If you fill the tub partway up with water, the person's bowel movement will be surrounded by the water and thus not release as much of a smell.
Keep A Deodorizer Nearby
Empower the person to improve the smell after he or she moves his or her bowels by leaving an aerosol spray near the commode. Unless your family member is highly infirm, he or she should be able to release a few sprays of a pleasant fragrance after using the commode. This is to the patient's benefit, too, as he or she will likely be lying down near the commode after using it. These strategies are each simple, but can be highly effective to keep the room smelling better.
Contact a company, like Lincoln Mobility, for more help.