Vicks Vapor Rub - under the nose.
We use Neutrolen every day and can testify to how good it is. We use it at scene directly on bodies as well as in the morgue to control ongoing smells. This is a true product that does not overstate its effects.
My own extensive use of Vicks will be familiar to anybody gripped by that scene in The Silence of the Lambs, where the investigators rub Vicks under their nostrils to quash the smell of a decomposing body.
Smelling salts are made of a chemical, usually ammonia, that has a very strong smell. When the smelling salts are put under the nose of someone who has fainted, the sharp smell causes them to wake up again.
Neutrolene is a chemical neutralizer that permanently removes all organic odors on contact.
Although we encounter thousands of odiferous chemicals every day, many foul-smelling in their own right, two compounds—the aptly named putrescine and cadaverine—are largely responsible for the smell of rotting flesh.
These chemicals include lactic acid, hypoxanthine, uric acid, ammonia, NADH and formic acid. This type of analysis can be used to help diagnose various different types of deaths such as: drowning, anaphylactic shock, hypothermia or any deaths related to alcohol or diabetes.
Put coffee grounds in the patient's room. Coffee grounds are powerful and absorb all sorts of smells. Essential oils such as lavender or peppermint: apply to the wrist and under the nose.
Wear mint-flavored Chapstick. Buy a can of Vicks VapoRub and a dab some under your nose.
Ozone generators create O3 molecules which are highly unstable. The extra O molecule oxidizes the bacteria, killing it and leaving pure, clean and odor free oxygen. Ozone generators are a necessary part of crime and trauma scene cleanup.
"You use Evian skin cream, and sometimes you wear L'Air du Temps, …but not today". These are words that Hannibal Lecter addresses to the FBI agent Clarice Starling in "The Silence of the Lambs" by Jonathan Demme (1991).
The lotion is skin cream aimed at keeping the skin, or making the skin, supple for the purposes of the flesh suit Buffalo Bill is sewing. He plans on killing and skinning “it” to add to the suit. The hose is just cold water, which can be very uncomfortable in a dirt pit.
The Horror Of Lecter's Escape
While he's being transferred to another prison far away from his mortal enemy Dr. Chilton, Hannibal launches his escape plan. He murders and mutilates the guards watching him, then wears one of their faces as a mask to trick the cops and paramedics.
Purge fluid is decomposition fluid that may exude from the oral and nasal passages as well as other body cavities (see the image below). Postmortem purge fluid exudes from the oral and nasal passages; no traumatic injuries were uncovered at autopsy.
A complete autopsy requires the removal of the skull using a skull saw, and subsequent removal of the brain.
Nonspecific findings may include indentations or 'pressure marks' on the skin related to bedding or clothing. Because the autopsy is usually negative, it is difficult to sort out overlayings from other forms of suffocation (including intentional suffocation) or SIDS. History and scene investigation are critical.
Researchers have found that when volunteers wore nose plugs, their sense of taste was less accurate and less intense than when they tasted the food without the nose plugs. Smell did appear to make a difference. However, nose plugs did not completely block all ability to taste.
Sinusitis, mouth infections, and certain foods, drinks, and lifestyle habits are usually behind bad smells in the nose. People can usually get rid of bad smells in the nose by using home remedies, trying OTC medications, and making lifestyle changes.
Depending on the length of exposure, a disposable respirator or dust mask with a layer of activated charcoal might be sufficient. The Moldex N95 2400 mask (which comes in a box of 10) is perfect if your exposure to the decaying flesh isn't terribly long, say less than an hour.
In addition to the smell of burning flesh, another notable smell, in some surgeries, is the smell of cutting through bone, which, apparently, also smells like burning hair. Beyond that, in many surgeries, there aren't any particularly strong smells. Blood has a metallic smell to it.
Say something like, “I'd like to talk to you about something that's awkward, and I hope I don't offend you. But I want you to be aware that you have a noticeable odor.” Take note that these words don't place blame or shame on the patient by calling it a “problem” or describing it as an “offensive” or even “bad” odor.
Many believe the distinct odor in nursing homes is urine, but it really it's something called nonenal. The good news is that the Japanese have created a product from natural persimmon that removed what American visitors to the homes of elderly relatives or nursing homes sometimes speak as “old person smell.”
24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose. 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. 8-10 days after death — the body turns from green to red as the blood decomposes and the organs in the abdomen accumulate gas.
Putrefaction (4-10 days after death) – Autolysis occurs and gases (odor) and discoloration starts. Black putrefaction (10-20 days after death) – exposed skin turns black, bloating collapses and fluids are released from the body.
The immediate seconds and minutes after death
Muscles including sphincters relax which means dying people may defecate or urinate.