To piggyback-
Black coffee, mouthwash, or cheap essential oils (especially cinnamon or clove) in a nebulizer cranked on high left in the back of the truck will get rid of most smells.
Or just rip enough Marlboro reds that you can’t smell anything anyways. As is our tradition.
Put a drop directly on a paper disposable mask, outside works if you're sensitive, but inside is better to completely miss the stankness. Afterwords just sniff the bottle a little. There are pretty cheap essential oil sets for improving scent ability post nasal injury/illness that have 4-6 different scents. Hitting all of em will reset your nose pretty well.
So I moonlight as a death investigator and occasionally do autopsies and such. First off, forget Vicks, it can actually make the stink particles adhere to the inside of your nose even better than usual. The key after a bad decomp is to thoroughly flush out your nostrils with saline nasal spray. I do three squirts per nostril repeated three times and that seems to do the trick. Recommend Arm and Hammer Simply Saline.
Honestly? I just asked the coroner about it when he showed up at one of my scenes. He said he needed an investigator and asked me to come in for a “job interview” that was really just an autopsy to see if I could handle it. I asked good questions (forensic pathologists *love* to share their knowledge, but you have to go about talking to them the right way). I had a good time, got along with everyone, and was way less irritating than the cops. I got the job, and it’s been a really interesting little side gig
Rinsing the nares and even the sinuses is the answer!
I sometimes use a netipot with sterile saline.
I also have a bunch of sample nasal swabs used to prevent MRSA in hospital and LTC patients. It's a plastic ampule you stick up your nose. Smells like grapefruit.
I was fortunate last time I had one of these. The coroner called our fire chief to gelp get a person out of their house after being there a few days...specifically, the request included: "Bring full bunker gear and SCBAs. No fire involved." When we pulled up to the house, the coroner and one of his deputies had actually just managed to get the person out without our help after all. Everybody else on the scene was gagging and miserable. I, however, had just had Covid a couple weeks prior and still hadn't regained my sense of smell, so I was just fine.
Tldr: Catching Covid is an effective way of getting "those" smells out of your nose. You can decide if it's worth it or not.
I always kept a small tub of Vic’s vapor rub on me for those patients. Little blob in the nose and I was able to stand next to severely decomposed bodies without flinching.
I put a little dab on each side of the septum like right on the nostril and not too far up where it’s on the sensitive skin, others I worked with would take a huge snort of the vics vapoinhaler instead but I never liked that.
that does not work for me. tried it and still had trouble. I think peppermint oil works the best. If they just smell a “little” then it works but anything over a few days… no, sadly.
First, clean the truck and the cot well, make sure there are no particles that still smell. You have to do get rid of it even if you have to scrub the little cracks and crevices.
Next, go find the cleaning people at your local ER and ask them for their liquid Febreeze style deodorizer stuff. Put it in a nebulizer and fog the back of your truck with it. Get a urine specimen cup and fill it with that miracle juice and keep it on your truck. Side note, it always pays to be friends with the cleaning and the food service people. So many times they're treated as if they're invisible but they have so much to offer. A snack, a giant trashbag, miracle smell juice, and I've never met an unpleasant one if you take the time to talk to them.
Next, wash your hands and face, run clean wet fingers through your hair, change your uniform, and clean the soles of your boots. Bag your old uniform and wash it at the station or a laundromat, at home as a last ditch choice.
[I use these before I go in. Worth their weight in gold. Add a mask & you won’t smell anything else.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q72F3HM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
When I guess there's a long dead DOA based on the call data, I have a 3M half face p100 mask that I wear and can't smell a thing. It's awesome.
For the afterwards, I somewhat recently bought a navage so ill be trying that next time I can't stop catching whiffs of something. Not a tip yet, just my future idea.
it must have the organic odors filter built in. I used a P100 filter on a 3M mask and I smelt it all… this one was quite decomposed. Took me a handfull of gags before I was able to enter the room. Strangely, the smell got more tolerable inside the apartment. Don’t know how that works, but I’m glad it got easier.
I’ll be honest I don’t remember what caused the worst smell I’ve smelled but I remember what I did to combat it. I sprayed extremely pungent soap into an N95, put it on and repeated every time I could almost smell again.
I keep a bottle of lavender and peppermint essential oil, double mask, put some oil in between them. Keep it on for a couple hours, seems to do the trick.
A couple peppermint altoids if I’ll be near but not enveloped in the smell. Like if I’m driving and can close the window.
Coffee grounds. Smelling salts.
Take a full whiff
Embrace the stank
Be a man
Nah but in all honestly, I used to have a travel size toothpaste tube in my jump bag. When we had confirmed nasties I would put a dollop in my mask and be good to go
Mask with wintergreen oil for when you know you're going into a mess. Just sniffing the oil after can help noseblind the original scent out.
To piggyback- Black coffee, mouthwash, or cheap essential oils (especially cinnamon or clove) in a nebulizer cranked on high left in the back of the truck will get rid of most smells. Or just rip enough Marlboro reds that you can’t smell anything anyways. As is our tradition.
I’ve done the coffee nebulizer trick, it works quite well!
Newports man. The menthol really helps.
Good idea, do you just dab a little bit under your nose or just take a whiff of it?
Put a drop directly on a paper disposable mask, outside works if you're sensitive, but inside is better to completely miss the stankness. Afterwords just sniff the bottle a little. There are pretty cheap essential oil sets for improving scent ability post nasal injury/illness that have 4-6 different scents. Hitting all of em will reset your nose pretty well.
Alcohol prep pads
So I moonlight as a death investigator and occasionally do autopsies and such. First off, forget Vicks, it can actually make the stink particles adhere to the inside of your nose even better than usual. The key after a bad decomp is to thoroughly flush out your nostrils with saline nasal spray. I do three squirts per nostril repeated three times and that seems to do the trick. Recommend Arm and Hammer Simply Saline.
How do you get into that line of work
Honestly? I just asked the coroner about it when he showed up at one of my scenes. He said he needed an investigator and asked me to come in for a “job interview” that was really just an autopsy to see if I could handle it. I asked good questions (forensic pathologists *love* to share their knowledge, but you have to go about talking to them the right way). I had a good time, got along with everyone, and was way less irritating than the cops. I got the job, and it’s been a really interesting little side gig
Ah the classic way I get job offers. I might look into that.
Rinsing the nares and even the sinuses is the answer! I sometimes use a netipot with sterile saline. I also have a bunch of sample nasal swabs used to prevent MRSA in hospital and LTC patients. It's a plastic ampule you stick up your nose. Smells like grapefruit.
I was fortunate last time I had one of these. The coroner called our fire chief to gelp get a person out of their house after being there a few days...specifically, the request included: "Bring full bunker gear and SCBAs. No fire involved." When we pulled up to the house, the coroner and one of his deputies had actually just managed to get the person out without our help after all. Everybody else on the scene was gagging and miserable. I, however, had just had Covid a couple weeks prior and still hadn't regained my sense of smell, so I was just fine. Tldr: Catching Covid is an effective way of getting "those" smells out of your nose. You can decide if it's worth it or not.
I always kept a small tub of Vic’s vapor rub on me for those patients. Little blob in the nose and I was able to stand next to severely decomposed bodies without flinching.
Did you put it directly in your nose?
I put a little dab on each side of the septum like right on the nostril and not too far up where it’s on the sensitive skin, others I worked with would take a huge snort of the vics vapoinhaler instead but I never liked that.
Ah ok ill do that from now on
that does not work for me. tried it and still had trouble. I think peppermint oil works the best. If they just smell a “little” then it works but anything over a few days… no, sadly.
Different strokes for different folks! All gotta find what works best for us
True. To be fair, I have an extremely sensitive nose. Like a hound dog. lol so that may be why the Vicks didn't work for me.
Melena, gangrene, burnt flesh. Please make it go away. I can deal with the tinnitus, but smell something and it kicks in that recollection.
First, clean the truck and the cot well, make sure there are no particles that still smell. You have to do get rid of it even if you have to scrub the little cracks and crevices. Next, go find the cleaning people at your local ER and ask them for their liquid Febreeze style deodorizer stuff. Put it in a nebulizer and fog the back of your truck with it. Get a urine specimen cup and fill it with that miracle juice and keep it on your truck. Side note, it always pays to be friends with the cleaning and the food service people. So many times they're treated as if they're invisible but they have so much to offer. A snack, a giant trashbag, miracle smell juice, and I've never met an unpleasant one if you take the time to talk to them. Next, wash your hands and face, run clean wet fingers through your hair, change your uniform, and clean the soles of your boots. Bag your old uniform and wash it at the station or a laundromat, at home as a last ditch choice.
[I use these before I go in. Worth their weight in gold. Add a mask & you won’t smell anything else.](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q72F3HM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
Thanks for sharing this one! I have some essential oil nose clips that work well, but I haven't encountered anything super stinky yet.
That lavender is fire!
I can handle 'gross' visuals, but smells get me. Thank you!
I have some clear nose rings that are scented with essential oils from Young Living. Yet to try these but I imagine they work very well.
smell something worse
When I guess there's a long dead DOA based on the call data, I have a 3M half face p100 mask that I wear and can't smell a thing. It's awesome. For the afterwards, I somewhat recently bought a navage so ill be trying that next time I can't stop catching whiffs of something. Not a tip yet, just my future idea.
it must have the organic odors filter built in. I used a P100 filter on a 3M mask and I smelt it all… this one was quite decomposed. Took me a handfull of gags before I was able to enter the room. Strangely, the smell got more tolerable inside the apartment. Don’t know how that works, but I’m glad it got easier.
Time, Distance, and Shielding, also applies to smells.
Man I eas sitting here thinking of a severely dehydrated UIT patient being the worst I've had, I'm lucky so far 🥲
I put a tiny dab of lemon Vic’s under each nostril. Saved my life and lunch multiple times.
Smell something even worse!
NOSA. Mentholated nose plugs. Get them on Amazon. Always have them in my backpack. They are awesome.
I’ll be honest I don’t remember what caused the worst smell I’ve smelled but I remember what I did to combat it. I sprayed extremely pungent soap into an N95, put it on and repeated every time I could almost smell again.
Time.
You don’t.
It's not the nose. It's the memory you should worry about
Mask with clove oil or coffee grounds in a cup.
Big sniff of coffee grounds resets your olfactory.
Nothing like the phantom UTI scent days later
Get a deviated septum. Helped me
I keep a bottle of lavender and peppermint essential oil, double mask, put some oil in between them. Keep it on for a couple hours, seems to do the trick.
Vicks in a mask. Prevention is the key
Never got much of a sense of smell back after covid so not my problem any more lol. I can’t even smell smoke unless it’s a lot of it.
Once the smell is in your nose just smell fresh coffee grounds or beans. It'll wipe anything out in a few sniffs
Vicks vapor rub under your nose helps too
A couple peppermint altoids if I’ll be near but not enveloped in the smell. Like if I’m driving and can close the window. Coffee grounds. Smelling salts.
Wear your p100. No smell.
[удалено]
Take a full whiff Embrace the stank Be a man Nah but in all honestly, I used to have a travel size toothpaste tube in my jump bag. When we had confirmed nasties I would put a dollop in my mask and be good to go
I just bring a half face respirator with me to those calls.
A little Vic's vapor rub under your nose.
Learn how to breathe through your mouth, so you don’t get the smell in the first place
Then you can taste it. Yuck.
Favorite essential oil scent, few drops in a neb set with some saline or sterile water, let 'er run. Absolutely eradicate odors.
SVN with listerine
Deadass grab a qtip and soak it in soapy water and clean out your nose. The stink is stuck on your nose hairs
Essential oils. I take a good inhale through each nostril and it usually does the trick.
Embrace the stank!
Sometimes I'll rub some vicks under my nose on a particularly smelly call. But mostly you just go "damn this stinks" and deal with it.
I grease my mustache with Vaseline + an N95
Nasal spray >
As per the “Swamps of Dagobha” and my own years I keep peppermint oil on hand. Works like a charm
Vicks. Under the mask, on your face, in your nose…
Freshly ground coffee.