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Keep in mind Dad now 104 will spray the entire contents like a two year old and I am supersensitive to scents. NO ONE say Febreeze, thanks in advance. Anyone try this microban stuff? Mom's latest stunt is to not wear ANY kind of pants...from undies outward and so I guess the good news is there is no soiled clothing if she loses it, but with her poor hygiene...there is a developing aroma. We're working on getting hospice but someone with MD after their name has to sign off and her MD's have not seen her in 2-3 years as she has been stable and in physically good health.

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If the smell is coming from human waste, I recommend using straight vinegar. You can spray this on the mess, actually saturate it and when it dries the odor will be gone.

You can also make room sprays usings vodka, dries quicker than water, and essential oils like citrus and rosemary to kill the bacteria.

Look in the pet section for unscented pet odor sprays, they absorb the odor and are not highly perfumed.

Best of luck, this is a deal breaker situation for many.
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I too can't stand Febreeze.

I just looked it up and there are many types of room deodorizers. Even solid ones.
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An air purifier can help, as can the solid room deodorizer jars sold at Walmart
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I've never used sprays but my father had some experience with horrible smells when he had to return home from his winter RV park and leave his trailer behind.   The park owner turned off the electricity, and everything in the frig and freezer deteriorated, and smelled quite badly.

He didn't use sprays (when he returned to bring the trailer home for good), but he did set out newspapers plus containers of coffee and baking soda.    They worked extremely well to eliminate the smell of rotted food.

There are plants that are air cleaners/purifiers as well.  

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/air-purifying-house-plants-184825984.html (based on NASA experience)

and another recommendation based on NASA experience:

https://www.healthline.com/health/air-purifying-plants

BTW, I would NEVER use Febreeze either; the reviews I've read address the toxicity of the chemicals it contains (and the same for dryer sheets).
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gdaughter Jun 2021
bless you...I've had good luck with baking soda in my car...one time dad did me a favor (NOT) and had some body work done on mine and the moron who did it stashed his cigar in my ashtray which had never been used! I scrubbed the whole interior from top to bottom before the discovery,and then filled the ashtray with baking soda and left some containers out in the car as well....just worried then god forbid I'd be pulled over and the cops would see a white powder LOL.
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My daughter keeps a room air purifier in the baby's room--by the diaper genie. It really does a good job of scrubbing the air. There is really no scent at all. I think you have to change charcoal filters occasionally.

Other than cleaning the offendeing surfaces, you are just masking one smell with another until you have layers of stank.

Vinegar works really well--esp once the vinegar has dissapated. I use bleach, straight (in a well ventilated room!) and let it soak in the grout and then wash the whole room down.

If it's a PERSON who smells--just encourage them to shower more frequently and esp get the undercarriage done. Even if they don't shower, there are many large 'wipes' they can use for that. Should be used EVERY time they use the bathroom and NOT FLUSHED. A separate garbage that goes out each day could be put in the bathroom.

Now the weather is warmer, when I visit mom I insist on opening windows for the duration of my visit. That helps, and if she'd leave them open all day, or at least most of it, she'd have a much fresher smelling place.

Mother prefers the 'timed' air fresheners that spritz out a noxious scent every 10 minutes. She has 600 sf and 5(!) of these going 24/7. They're horrible.

BTW--your mom refuses to wear appropriate underwear IS a cause to see the doc. No elder should go 2-3 years w/o a simply physical.
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gdaughter Jun 2021
this is why we have hospice in the works. She is in otherwise good health and there was no essential need. The hassle factor with dementia getting her out is greater than the need at times. Totally agree about the stench from the alleged air fresheners. Toxic on top of it from what I've read. Dad believes the commercials.
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Not a fan of Febreeze but husband loves. I've become a big fan of vinegar due to cooking and trash odors but rest of family hates. For other areas of the home or even travel, I've found a spray from Walgreens called HomeBright that I love. So for now I've retired Glade.

Still on the hunt for a good air clearer. The last sets were for allergies but you still can see dust on some furniture.
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There is a product called Zero Odor, which I got on Amazon - you can search for it there, that I have had very good results with. I have the same issues as you with sprays and plugins, but this stuff has caused me no problems. Zero Odor eliminates smells quite well.
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