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10 Tips to Stop Bathroom Smells!

Updated on September 28, 2020
DreamerMeg profile image

DreamerMeg has looked after her own place for over 50 years now and has learned a few things about cleaning and organization in that time!

Wish Your Bathroom Were Outdoors

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Does your bathroom smell?

I don't mean just after someone having gone in and used it, I mean, does your bathroom smell when you open the door after a while? Sometimes the smell can indicate a major problem but usually, the smell is something that can be dealt with easily. Here are quick and easy tips you can use to deal with or track down the source of the smell and get rid of it.

Bathroom

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Deodorizing Sprays Can Help Eliminate Some Types Of Bathroom Smells

It's a fact that not every home or apartment is equipped to handle all the different types of bathroom smells. Some people have certain allergies, or their skin can be sensitive to some of the odors. Fortunately, it's relatively simple to take steps to minimize these unwanted smells in your home. Without going into all the scientific details, a quick assessment shows that there are actually two types of bathroom deodorizing: Level I: immediate (or emergency) and Level II: atmospheric (or long term). Deodorizing, however, is a little different than cleaning. While you can use some sort of a spray bottle to get rid of smelly smells, this may not be sufficient for the task at hand. Consider using a product called deodorizing spray. This product is designed to eliminate these odors. Bathroom deodorizing sprays are typically safe and do not have any side effects associated with them. On the other hand, if you are allergic to natural scents, then you may want to check to make sure that you do not have a reaction to a particular type of spray that you are considering using. Deodorizing sprays are generally very inexpensive, but not all of them will be right for your needs. Before you purchase any deodorizing spray, be sure to know what your options are. Deodorizing sprays should not be confused with antibacterial products. Antibacterial products work on keeping the bathroom environment smelling fresh and clean. Deodorizing sprays work to get rid of the "wet" smell in your bathroom and can be used to combat the problem of smelly bathroom areas. Before you purchase any type of deodorizing spray, be sure that you know how to use it properly and in the manner that is right for your bathroom. It is not advisable to try to use a deodorizing spray on a large area like the sink or the toilet in a small bathroom. For most small bathrooms, it may be best to purchase a smaller size. Spray the product in the bathroom to keep the room from being overwhelmed by the smell. Using it in the shower or tub and rinsing it off before leaving the bathroom is also recommended. The type of deodorizer that you choose should match the type of odor in your bathroom.

Track It Down

There can be several sources of a smell in a bathroom and spraying a deodorizer may not always be the way to go. It can help if you know roughly where the smell is coming from. Does it appear to be coming from the toilet area? From the sink or wash hand basin? The shower? The bath? Use your nose and see if you can find the approximate location of the smell.

Smells from the toilet area

This is the most obvious source of smells in the bathroom, especially if daily cleaning is not always a priority.

1. TOILET

The toilet itself can be the source of several smells. If it seems like the smell is coming from there, first get some toilet paper and fold it up into a pad. Now squirt some bathroom cleanser on it and wipe off the top and rim of the toilet basin. Put the toilet paper in the bowl and flush the toilet. Now, squirt some toilet cleanser in the bowl and ESPECIALLY up under the rim. Allow this to sit for a few minutes then use your toilet brush to scrub around the toilet bowl and ESPECIALLY up under the rim. Flush the toilet. If you don't (yet) have a toilet brush, let the toilet cleanser liquid sit a while longer before flushing the toilet. If you don't have any children or pets that use the bathroom, you could use bleach and let it sit overnight. But be very careful with using this dangerous substance.

Especially in the summer or hot weather, just using the toilet brush to give the toilet bowl a quick rub, maybe using your preferred toilet cleaner or even a quick squirt of a (cheap) shampoo or shower gel morning and evening can help keep any smells down. This only needs to take 20 seconds or even less.

It could even be your toilet brush that is causing a smell, if it isn't being used regularly! If your toilet brush is sitting in a container, check that there isn't any smelly water sitting in the bottom of the container. A few drops of disinfectant in the toilet brush holder will cure any problem there; but the best way to keep your toilet brush and container smelling healthy and sweet is to use the toilet brush regularly (so it gets rinsed off) and to empty the container each time you remove the brush from it.

2. FLOOR AROUND THE TOILET

Sometimes it can be the floor around the toilet that can be the source of the smell, especially if any users tend to "miss" the toilet bowl with their aim. Nothing beats good old soap and water here. Use your preferred bucket and cloth and washing solution. (Use plastic / rubber gloves to protect your hands if necessary.) If necessary, extend the washing process up around the outside of the toilet bowl. Dry the area with an old soft dry cloth.


The Bath Or Shower May Cause A Smell

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SHOWER and BATH

3. Surprisingly, the shower and the bath can be the source of smells. It's hard to believe, when you think of them being constantly used and washed down, however, I learned this some years ago when using the sports showers in work. There were two shower stalls but one tended to get used more than the other because it had a better shower head. One summer, I could smell something not very pleasant from the lesser used shower. Because it wasn't being used, the water in the trap below the shower had probably evaporated, allowing smells from the waste water pipe to seep into the shower room. A quick blast of water from the shower into the drain cured that one.

Sometimes, it's handy to drip a few drops of disinfectant down the outlets from a shower or bath, especially where the outfall for the water is quite shallow. It helps to stop the build up of bacteria that can create smells.

Wash Hand Basin / Sink

4. The sink can also be the source of smells in the bathroom. In this case, it's often the overflow area that can get mould growing in it that causes a smell. Best cure for this is a few drops of disinfectant dripped down the overflow section.

Other Areas

Other sources of smells that you might want to check out before getting your bathroom floor ripped up are:
5. Wastebin / garbage bin - has that been emptied recently? Try washing it and using a plastic bin liner to make it easy to dispose of bathroom waste / garbage.

6. Shower curtain / screen. Check to see if there is any mould on your shower curtain or bathroom screen. If so, wash or clean and try to keep fresh air moving in your bathroom to inhibit any regrowth. You may also want to check your towels and face cloths. Especially in summer, when the heating may not be on to dry these off, towels and face cloths may stay damp, especially in little-used bathrooms and then they may start to smell mouldy.

7. Floor. Wash the floor, especially round the toilet area, and dry. Check the floor underneath the soil outlet from the toilet, to make sure that there is no leak from the toilet pan.

8. Curtains. How long have your curtains been up? Could they be the source of the smell? Have them cleaned or washed.

9. Fan / ventilator. Have you a fan/ ventilator in your bathroom? Could something have got stuck in it and died? Try cleaning the area.

10. Behind the panels. If all else has failed, you may have to get a little more technical here and try checking behind the bath panels. Many panelled baths can have the panels lifted off without too much difficulty. Check underneath the bath to see if there have been any leaks that could be causing problems.

Have you had smells in your bathroom?

Have you had to track down the source of a smell in your bathroom?

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