Choosing products for bladder and bowel control(view report contents)
Tips for dealing with smells and stains
You may be worried about smells if you leak from your bladder or bowel. In fact other people are unlikely to notice this as much as you think. These tips should help reduce the risk.
- Mop up spilt urine immediately with kitchen paper, wash the area with a mild detergent or disinfectant and rinse with a drop of white vinegar in the final rinsing water. Dry the area quickly - a hairdryer can help.
- Solid matter should be removed immediately and flushed down the lavatory. Stains on chairs and carpets can be gently scrubbed with a biological powder or liquid. Persistent stains may need professional cleaning.
- Deodorising air sprays, gels, carpet powder and drops are sold in most supermarkets and chemists.
- Put wet and soiled pads, clothes and bedding into an airtight container promptly to stop smells escaping into the air.
- Washing and drying between your legs each time you change your pad or appliance helps to keep you free from stale smells.
- For certain conditions your doctor or nurse may prescribe specialised deodorants for bladder and bowel appliances.
- Avoid using strong perfumes - they just disguise smells for a short time.
Lainie and Vera get good advice
Lainie has Rett Syndrome. She and her mother Vera have searched for suitable pads - small ones that fit are not absorbent enough, but large, more absorbent ones are too bulky. Lainie has now found a pad which fits inside her pants. Vera says ‘We’ve had an enormous amount of help from the continence advisor’.
Report contents
About
this report
Incontinence:
what does it mean?
Symptoms,
causes and treatments
Getting
help
Tips
for dealing with smells and stains
Products
and tips on choosing them
Alternatives
to the lavatory
Protecting
beds and chairs
Protecting
yourself
Specialist
products
How
your bladder and bowels work
Helpful
organisations
