Despite regular cleaning, it sometimes happens that a bathroom or toilet stinks because odors can accumulate there. This can be very frustrating and embarrassing for any host. After thoroughly cleaning, many people find that the toilet bowl still smells like urine or sewage. A clean toilet that smells bad is actually very common. There are many reasons why this can happen, and many of the root causes of this problem are very easy to fix yourself. Here is some useful information and tips that can help you get rid of bad smells yourself. Follow the advice and apply simple hacks without having to call a professional plumber.
Why do unpleasant smells arise and what helps when a toilet stinks?
Persistent odors in the toilet are usually presentremaining urinebut there are some other reasons that you may never have thought of. There are usually 3 main causes that cause a toilet to stink - bacteria in the water, the siphon or a leak in the seal where the toilet bowl flows into the drain. Regardless of the design of a bathroom, this is still the space where odors can accumulate. Although family members get used to it, bathroom smells can be a bit embarrassing when you're hosting guests. Fortunately, there are several ways to make your bathroom or toilet smell more pleasant using your own resources.
Possible health risks
However, if your wet rooms smell like rotten eggs or sewage, or are still smelly even after cleaning, you may have a problem that can't be solved with fragrances. A sewer smell could be sewer gas that needs a simple or more extensive repair. Although the smell rarely puts you at risk, you should neutralize it quickly to minimize some health risks. These fumes, like hydrogen sulfide - the gas that smells like rotten eggs, is highly flammable and toxic - can also be dangerous to your health.
Depending on your sensitivity to these smells, you may experience symptoms such as headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, sleepiness, and even heart palpitations. Another important factor is minimizing damage. If sewage backs up in your home, you can expect some degree of damage to your basement or other areas of your home, along with any items in those areas that may be damaged or ruined. And that can be a pretty expensive problem.
Evaporated water in the tube siphon
So what could be the cause of this unbearable smell? You could have one of several problems. One cause of foul, sewage-like smells coming from your toilet is not enough water in your toilet's siphon. This is part of the pipe behind the toilet bowl. The tube trap is usually filled with water, but the water in it can evaporate if the toilet smells because it is not used frequently. So if you notice that a clean toilet in your home that you rarely use smells bad, try flushing it several times. This should fill the siphon with water again, which should quickly dissipate any unpleasant smell from evaporated water.
Toilet stinks because of a dirty cistern?
Even if you clean your toilet bowl thoroughly, it doesn't mean that the toilet tank is clean. Sometimes this can absorb the smell of urine and sewage and emit such odors even if the toilet bowl is clean. Fortunately, that isCleaning a dirty toilet cisternjust as easy as cleaning a dirty toilet bowl. All you need to do is pour a generous amount of white vinegar into the box and scrub the walls with a toilet brush as well as the vinegar. Let the home remedy for bad odors work for a few minutes and then flush your toilet several times to remove it from the cistern. The bad smell should disappear immediately.
Your toilet drain may have a slight clog even if it flushes normally. Even the smallest clog can cause your toilet to stink and give off an unpleasant odor. If you suspect that aclogged toilet draincould be the cause of your smelly toilet, use a drain snake to snake your toilet's drain. This makes it easy to remove minor blockages and unpleasant odors that are hidden there.
Leaking seal as a possible cause of odors
There is usually a wax seal under the toilet. This seal holds the bowl in place and prevents foul-smelling sewage gases from escaping. However, over time, this seal under the toilet bowl can become loose and foul-smelling sewer gas can escape into the air. However, if you find that it is leaking, you should not attempt to repair the seal yourself. Instead, call in a professional plumber as soon as possible. A plumbing professional should be able to replace the wax seal under your toilet, eliminating the unpleasant odors that arise from it without much effort. If you still want to try it yourself, you can also use silicone caulk to treat the loose part.
Use bleach against bacteria if the toilet stinks
Sometimes live bacteria from the sewer system can travel through the water into your toilet. To survive there, these tiny microorganisms tend to cling to the edge of the toilet bowl for dear life. When they start to multiply in this area, the bacteria can cause a foul odor that lingers even after you clean your toilet. Even in this case, it is quite easy to remove tiny microorganisms from the sewer. Pour several cups of bleach into your toilet's flush valve. This is located in the toilet cistern. Then just flush your toilet. The bleach you poured into the flush valve will come out around the edge of your toilet and run down the sides of the toilet bowl. This means you can effectively flush away any smelly microorganisms that have settled in your toilet bowl.
Further tips against bad smells in the bathroom or toilet
- air freshener orUse fragrances– Especially if the smell is strong, you can use other remedies. However, they are not the healthiest way to deal with bathroom odors, although there are some natural air fresheners. Keep a spray bottle nearby, but don't rely on it alone to reduce bathroom odors. Remember that only a short spray is required. There is no need to coat the walls and floor with air freshener. As an alternative to air fresheners, try a gel odor neutralizer. This doesn't spill and causes fewer problems for sensitive noses.
- Take caregood ventilation– All bathrooms need to be well ventilated and having fresh air circulating in the room can make a big difference in the smell. Additionally, maintaining good ventilation requires two steps. You should have a working exhaust fan and keep the door and windows open when you are not using the bathroom. Aworking and clean bathroom fantransports moisture and odors from the bathroom into the outside air. Both factors improve air quality by removing bad odors, along with moisture from bathing that could otherwise create a musty smell.
- Clean anddry towelsKeep in the bathroom or toilet – An often overlooked cause of bad bathroom odors is a dirty or damp towel. If towels don't dry quickly enough, they can suddenly smell musty due to foul-smelling and fast-growing bacteria and fungi. If you haven't washed your towels for a long time, this can speed up the growing process. So hang them up to dry after each use and wash them at least once a week. Use bleach or the hottest water you can to kill any germs that find their way into the fabrics.
