So My hospital has banned disposable wipes...

Maybe I'm just ignorant, and this may be an ongoing trend; however, it seems pretty skinflint-ish. They blamed the decision on the fact that B&G had to remove the wipes (which are not flushable) from the system a small #of times. I may be ignorant of plumbing systems but running a snake thru the system occasionally doesn't seem to warrant this sort of change.

The biggest issue I have is that I work in a satellite building, far enough away where we do not have access to central supply or housekeeping. It has a lot of incontinence issues.

They implemented this change without first having another system of peri-care in place. There are no separate hand towels for BM, there is no designated Washer for BM soiled linen, there is no wash basin to get the excess BM off the FACE TOWELS that we are forced to use to cleans peoples hinders. I asked if the building could just buy some flushable wipes until we get something setup and received a "ugh... I'm not sure" with no follow up so residents are forced to use the same towels on their face and butts.

There is no bleach to use in the buildings consumer-grade washing machine due to multicolor hand towels.

This seems really gross to me, anyone else or am I just a poop/face-averse weirdo
(frankly I've just been using 3 paper-towels from the dispenser in the bathrooms, wetting/ringing it out and using the peri-cleanser we have) Last edit by Thunda on May 23, '12 : Reason: Speeling :-p
I would buy my own baby wipes at a discount store, along with someplastic baggies if necessary. Keep them handy, use them, bag upthe dirty wipes, throw them in the trash. A little extra expense foryou, especially if you have to buy baggies... but sounds better thanusing paper towels or using the hand towels if those aren't beingbleached/disinfected.

Hell, I'd use toilet paper or the paper towels.Pretty sad state of affairs where a nurse should have to buy wipes and baggies and I wouldn't do it.

So I take it that management has never heard of C-Diff? No bleach?!?!?

I am unsure exactly what the standards for washing stuff is, but it would seem that this is not it. WHy do you have multicolored hand towels?Your institution may be interested in reading some research on the contaminants in bath basins.

the paper towel solution i mentioned is as close to the wipes as I can get, they're damp, and have the cleansing foam on it so it's not abbraisive

Just wait until family and pts start seeing the poopy-stained towels and washclothes!!! Nothing gets them unstained - looks like they've never been washed. (And they retain a musty smell!) Even using the facility's industrial strength acid bleach! Wonder what they'll remember when they do those satisfaction surveys? Maybe a little bird should start singing...And just FYI - wipes plugging the toilets is a MAJOR MAJOR maintenance problem. Esp on 11-7 when there's no housekeeping around and there's a deluge in the hall that you can part like Moses and the Red Sea! And perpetual flooding ruins flooring. So no, it's not just about being cheap. I'm sure there are biodegradable/flushable wipes out there, but they must be super $$$.

Memo to infection control department is needed STAT with signatures from all the concerned staff. That should get someone's attention.

Quote from NRSKarenRNMemo to infection control department is needed STAT with signatures from all the concerned staff. That should get someone's attention.

What type of facilty do you work in???We have hospital laundry that just plain heats and bleaches everything out of existance.Could you use diaper pails? No, I'm serious. I used to soak my children's nappies in a bucket with a water and vinegar solution, drain it down the toilet, flop the lot in the washer and do a hot wash. Very little stained and there was no odour in the house.We had somebody drop a towel down a hopper. Don't even start me on the flood, the disaster it caused was beyond any snake.

We don't have disposable wipes at our facility. We use washcloths. I'm not sure if they are bleached but they are white (and don't ever have stains on them).

Quote from MulanHell, I'd use toilet paper or the paper towels.Pretty sad state of affairs where a nurse should have to buy wipes and baggies and I wouldn't do it.

Quote from Fiona59What type of facilty do you work in???