In your home, the bathroom is one of those areas that is most prone to catching unpleasant odors. It is the place you go to take baths, wash your hands, and do your business, so it is no surprise that it is prone to bad smells.
Maybe you have already tried a bunch of different air fresheners in your bathroom. However, these only seem to mask the smell, but never quite get rid of them.
As with everything else in life, band-aid solutions will not ease your worries. To make sure you say bye to these smells, you should find and solve the problem at its source. This guide is here to help you find the culprits for your bathroom’s bad smells and how to permanently make them go away.
Four Sources of Unpleasant Odors in Your Bathroom
Bring this checklist to your bathroom and see if the odd smells can be attributed to any of these reasons. Determining the problem is the first step before solving it, after all.
1. Your bathroom has little to no ventilation
Bathrooms are humid places, so you need to help release the moisture with open windows and exhausts. If a bathroom is not well ventilated, the condensation encourages the growth of icky mold.
While most mold is not harmful, prolonged exposure can lead to allergic reactions such as skin irritation and respiratory issues. To make sure that these do not become a problem, it is good to have experts perform air mold testing not just in your bathroom but other parts of your home, too. Mold can grow anywhere in the house, not just in the bathroom.
While testing and treatment for mold is beneficial in solving your problems, good habits and care practices are also needed to make sure that they stay away. Use anti-mold cleaners on your bathroom walls, floors, and even ceilings. Should you need to repaint anything, use paint that fights condensation.
2. You haven’t cleaned your bathroom.
Sometimes, the source of the stink is very simple. Your bathroom may really just be asking for a good clean. If you don’t clean your bathroom at least once a week, then it is bound to build up odors in there somehow.
Clean your bathroom thoroughly and pay attention to pain points that could be the main sources of odor. Since your toilet bowl can be one of the dirtiest places in your bathroom, you should clean it the proper way.
Your bidet, showers, and faucets can also build up calcium deposits with time. As a monthly deep clean activity, submerge the heads into a plastic bag filled with vinegar for around two to four hours before brushing whatever is left with a toothbrush. Then let warm water run for a bit to remove the smell of vinegar.
3. You need to change your bath mats and curtains
There are times when the smells are not the fault of your fixtures. Damp towels, bath mats, and shower curtains can grow bacteria that make your bathroom smell bad.
If you leave towels in the bathroom, hang them to dry and spread them out for good airflow. Do the same with your shower curtain after every use. Your bath mats should also be washed every week to avoid germ buildup.
When washing towels, make sure not to mix them in with clothes to avoid the transfer of bacteria. By washing them apart from other laundry, you also have an easier time adjusting wash settings to make sure you keep your towels in great shape for a longer time.
4. You have clogged pipes
Be mindful of what you flush down your toilet or empty into your bathroom sinks. Greasy products such as oils and creams don’t easily go down your drains. These can clog your pipes and be the cause of bad odors.
To clear your drains, first check if clumps of hair are causing the blockage and remove them as needed using a small hook that fits inside your drains. For other issues that are a little deeper into your pipes, you can also use a drain snake.
A simple homemade solution is a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. First pour hot water into the drain, and then pour your mixture to dissolve whatever is causing the clogging.
When you think of all these issues, they can easily be avoided if you just maintain good sanitary practices for your bathroom. Regular washing and cleaning, paired with a monthly deep clean keeps bacteria from thriving in the various sections of your bathroom. A clean bathroom means bye-bye to foul smells.
