Mom has no sense of smell and is a bit leaky. We've done a lot to control the situation but she still has a little leakage into her clothes. She sometimes doesn't realize she's got an odor in her slacks and puts them in her closet to wear another day. She's working hard to take the advice of the incontinence clinic and I'm satisfied with that - this is kind of a little thing and I'm not going to make a big deal out of it because she's trying - that's what counts to me.
However, her closet does kind of smell. Not as bad as it used to but it still does. Short-term, I sometimes sneak in there and sniff around for offending items that I can remove, but it embarrasses her so I only do it when I won't get caught. Also, I could probably convince her to let me put in something that absorbs odors or could spray in there with some odor-masking spray.
For the long-term, though, does anyone know if this will cause a problem? Will it get into the paint/drywall and just stay there? I'm also concerned that spraying in there will cause moisture problems in the drywall/paint, so I'm reluctant to use sprays in there.
Any advice?
Thanks for the other suggestions for subtle things I could stick in her closet. I've got a little flexibility in putting things in the closets without hurting her feelings. Our other closets are a bit dampish and I've been putting DampRids in them, so I could make the excuse that all the closets are a bit funky and need treatment, including hers. That way, she won't feel singled-out.
So, thanks for the suggestions of things like charcoal, Nature's Little Miracle, and other products.
By the way, I do use Febreze on the garbage cans. My cans are plastic, a mistake for the pads, I know, but the metal ones are so expensive and I just wash and Febreze the plastic ones, once in awhile. I've been hesitant to do that in the closets, though, as I don't want to ruin the drywall, so I think trying some of the things like charcoal might be a good start for me.
Coffee grounds and crumpled newspapers also help, but I really wouldn't want coffee grounds in a closet, and the newspapers would be so obvious that your mother might inquire why they're there.
Is she wearing Attends briefs? These are very much like panties, but the maximum absorbency will handle any leakage so it doesn't get on her clothing to begin with. They don't show under clothing.
Are you washing her bed clothes regularly? If she has a leakage problem, surely her bed clothes need laundering every day. Get a waterproof pad for underneath the fitted sheet so it doesn't get on the mattress.
Room spray in the closet isn't going to hurt anything, but it merely covers up the odor. The smell of urine is unlikely to permeate the walls/paint. They have some dry odor control that sits on the floor and neutralizes odor. Ace Hardware ought to have something like that. It's not specifically for urine, but it does work.