Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 797
Unpleasant smells
6/27/2020 at 12:11 PM
I work at Maple Leaf FEK, so pigs that are still on hoof. Although we wear medical masks, the smell does permeate them. I find that vapour rub or peppermint oil (mixed with a little Vasaline under the nose helps a ton. Peppermint oil by itself evaporates fairly quickly.) The Eucalyptus in vapour rub, or the peppermint oil not only gives a pleasant smell to inhale, it also opens up your air passages so it is easier to breathe more fully through the mask. Added bonus, if you are prone to headaches, it also reduces the likelihood of getting one.
Masks themselves will also hold smells. So be sure to have a few masks on hand so you can have a spare when washing you mask. If you work in an unpleasant smelling environment, and are using reusable masks, get 4 masks and change them out every few hours. (Keep them in a ziplock bag to prevent smell and viral contamination. Wash with tide pod sport (kills heavy smells). Or Dawn dish soap (blue) if you are doing them by hand. If throwing through the dryer, get unscented dryer sheets as the scented dryer sheets can add additional scents that can be annoying/irritating to the sinuses and lungs after awhile.
Edited by AndreaD., 2020-06-27 12:12:54