Why is sawdust used to clean up vomit?

[Mixolydian]

I never understood this. Any janitors/custodians here that can shed some light on this concept? :hmm:

 

[Stone Rain]

I'm not a janitor, but just from thinking about it:

Many types of wood shavings have strong scents. Cleaning up vomit with them hides the smell.

Most varieties of sawdust absorb liquids very well (like a sponge).

 

[disappoint]

Absorbent would be my guess. Then again so is kitty litter.

 

[lxskllr]

A neat sawdust trick is sealing sheet pile used to dam water. You drive the sheet pile, and then to seal the joints, you drop sawdust in the water on the outside. It gets pulled into the joint, and then swells, and seals it to stop leaking.

 

[jimbob200521]

Very absorbent + very cheap + plentiful + good smell (depending on wood) = great vomit cleaner-upper

And I'm not a janitor, I'm a Director of Maintenance

 

[lxskllr]

And I'm not a janitor, I'm a Director of Maintenance

Looking through classified ads, it's disturbing how many positions use the term engineer for a mop operator. I'll think "that sounds like it might be interesting", open the ad, then F UUUU. There's no shame in janitorial work, but don't bullshit me by calling it engineering :^S

 

[Mixolydian]

Awesome! You guys really do know everything.

 

[her209]

If saw dust is used for the smell thing, why isn't it used to clean up poop then?

 

[lxskllr]

If saw dust is used for the smell thing, why isn't it used to clean up poop then?

It's not runny enough(usually/hopefully). Sawdust works as an absorbent, and an oder coverer. A pile of shit with sawdust on top isn't very useful.

 

[jimbob200521]

Looking through classified ads, it's disturbing how many positions use the term engineer for a mop operator. I'll think "that sounds like it might be interesting", open the ad, then F UUUU. There's no shame in janitorial work, but don't bullshit me by calling it engineering :^S

No bull shitting, that really is my title and I'm not ashamed of it. It's not my dream job but with the economy the way it is, when I was offered a promotion to a salary/management position with staff of my own and an office, I couldn't turn it down. Plus it's at a community for the retired so there's very rarely a situation where my staff has to clean up bodily fluids or anything of the sort, the CNA's usually handle that.

Although I'm not going to lie, there has been a vomit comet launched a time or two since I've been here but all we had to do with that was shampoo the area after the staff nurse cleaned up the bulk of it.

 

[jimbob200521]

It's not runny enough(usually/hopefully). Sawdust works as an absorbent, and an oder coverer. A pile of shit with sawdust on top isn't very useful.

haha funny that's brought up, when I was a kid my dad owned a home cabinetry business that supported us then and still supports my parents to this day. Anywho, he always had several dogs and an abundance of saw dust so you always knew when the dogs had an accident because you'd come home to a mini mountain of saw dust on a doggie pile. It really does hide (or rather absorb/hide) the odor.

 

[jimbob200521]

Other random saw dust fact: saw dust works as good mulch if you put it around the base of trees, keeps weeds down or even in the garden. My dad being the efficient waste not want not guy he is, my parents house always has trees with a sawdust base.

Edit: Also can be very flammable, explosively so sometimes. If you fill an air cannon with it and put a, oh I dunno, say a flare in with it, it'll make a big ol' flame ball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvPL7KC1DEA

 

[JulesMaximus]

It's not runny enough(usually/hopefully). Sawdust works as an absorbent, and an oder coverer. A pile of shit with sawdust on top isn't very useful.

It might make a good fire starter.

 

[lxskllr]

It might make a good fire starter.

How flammable is something like dog shit? I know cow shit is used in much of the world for fuel. Does that work well for any shit?

 

[ViRGE]

If saw dust is used for the smell thing, why isn't it used to clean up poop then?

They sometimes do. But as others have noted, it doesn't work all that well in that scenario.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/30/eco-toilet

 

[JulesMaximus]

How flammable is something like dog shit? I know cow shit is used in much of the world for fuel. Does that work well for any shit?

Honestly, I have no idea. Just seemed like a funny comment to post. :biggrin:

I doubt it is very flammable but would probably be about as useful as a fuel as cow crap I guess.

 

[lxskllr]

I doubt it is very flammable but would probably be about as useful as a fuel as cow crap I guess.

I could save up a year of kitty nuggets, and heat my house free in the winter :^D

 

[skyking]

A neat sawdust trick is sealing sheet pile used to dam water. You drive the sheet pile, and then to seal the joints, you drop sawdust in the water on the outside. It gets pulled into the joint, and then swells, and seals it to stop leaking.

cool, I had not seen that. we had driven plenty of sheet and the problem we had on the last job was at the bedrock on a dam job. We'd dump fines outside, but when the river rose high enough the pressure was too much.

 

[waggy]

Very absorbent + very cheap + plentiful + good smell (depending on wood) = great vomit cleaner-upper

And I'm not a janitor, I'm a Director of Maintenance

yeap.

my Grandpa actually taught me that. he kept a canasiter of it in the house for sick kids.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Hmm that's not a bad idea. It probably would help kill the smell. I usually use Febrese to clean and disinfect it but then I'm stuck with the smell of Febrese.

 

[Baked]

I smell fresh cut wood just by reading this thread. Amazing!