My first recommendation

I often get asked, how do I make my facility smell nice? As we. know, with age comes all sorts of stuff, including accidents that may be not so pleasant. Clean up is always step number one, but after a while even a really good cleaning can leave lingering odors. My first recommendation for those in long-term care facilities, is eliminate where odors can get trapped. Think flooring first. How many of us can vacuum every day and get a bin full each time? Carpets are known for trapping dirt and odors and after time it gets harder and harder to keep up. Consider going with a flooring option that is easy and quick to clean should anything spill. There are so many options for flooring these days that looks amazing and are long lasting too. In my own personal home, I recently got rid of carpet that has been in since my home was built back in 2007. Let me tell you, the difference in my cleaning experience is night and day, and I feel like I'm breathing easier too! I got my flooring from a little gem of a store located in LA, check out their link here: https://www.expoflooringexpress.com/

They also have a location in NorCal where I actually picked up my order so I wouldn't have to drive with a ton of material across the state, here's their website: https://www.republicfloor.com/

I went with an SPC flooring option, it looks like wood and I can't help but smile every time i look at my beautiful floors. Plus side - they are easy to install yourself! Just takes time and patience and a few Aleve to help that back pain.

Ok, ok, we're not all going to replace floors, what is an easy option when you have a tour coming tomorrow and you want to give your facility a nice warm welcoming smell when the tour walks in? Spraying air fresheners might not last (not to mention that we also should be avoiding aerosol sprays) and having candles lit is not an option because we cant have open flame lighting. Check out wax melt warmers!

A quick google search will reveal some inexpensive options and honestly, probably any of these would do the trick. Look for one that is electric, so you can plug it in and turn it on and off as you please. Check this one out: https://amzn.to/3FaHzTq

Avoid the ones that use a candle as in facilities we need follow our regulations and don't want to take any risk of having open flame. You can find a wide variety of scents for the wax melts too, here's one that I currently have in my wax melt warmer at home for that cozy fall vibe: https://amzn.to/3ZLx7v5

Scrolling through Amazon, I stumbled upon these little liners which I thought were a cool idea. Getting that melted wax out of your warmer is sometimes a bit of a pain. You could probably try to use a cupcake liner too, but get the slightly better quality ones, I attempted to use the Reynolds brand one since I had those in my cupboard and all I smelled was burned paper. Ugh!

https://amzn.to/3FaHqzh

Depending on your specific situation in your facility, you may want to go with an even safer option.

I liked having Scent Bursts in facilities with dementia residents as they often like sticking their hands in things and a melted wax may harm their delicate skin.

Scent Bursts are scented papers that you use just like a wax melt, but they get warm, not hot, so if your resident accidentally sticks their hand in there, they'll be A-OK! Just make sure they don't ingest them!

https://amzn.to/3LV8lmy

This is one of the many wax melt warmers I have at home. I use this almost daily because I just LOVE having a nice aroma in the room. I got this one specifically because it has a decently bright light to brighten up the room. Pictured next to it is my little jar of scent bursts that I for a LONG time ago at WalMart, and since then this scent (Mango Sorbet Limoncello) has been discontinued. However the scent has lasted and I occasionally use it still.

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