Causes and methods of eliminating odor from the toilet

Toilet fresheners are cool, because they smell different, they have a bright design, and people love reading their ingredients so much that soon it will be included in the list of required reading. One problem is that if the smell in the room is constant, and not just after your visit, then their effect will last about two hours at most, and then you will have to hold your nose again. Therefore, here I can suggest, as doctors say, to fight precisely the source of the “disease”, and not its symptoms.

Causes of unpleasant odor from the toilet

You shouldn’t immediately develop a complex because of your uncleanliness. Although insufficient quantity and quality of cleaning may be the reason, it is far from the only one.

Reference! It's not just about cleaning the toilet. If the walls and/or floors are covered with ceramic tiles, a lot of unpleasant-smelling “surprises” in the form of mold can accumulate between the seams. So don't forget to wipe them down too.

An unpleasant odor may indicate another, more serious problem - a blockage.

The next reason is a water supply leak, due to which puddles of water can accumulate behind the toilet after each flush. As they stagnate, they give the room a damp smell.So if you are not attracted by the atmosphere of old medieval castles, it is better to solve this problem.

The reason may be poor ventilation.

And finally, something may be wrong with the sewerage system or the connection system to it. There may be many nuances here, which I will talk about a little later.

Troubleshooting installation errors

As silly as it may sound, sniff the toilet after installing your new toilet. The installer may have made a mistake with the level of the outlet pipe, placing it higher than necessary. Point this out to the careless worker (even if that worker is you), have him re-read the instructions and move the pipe lower.

If a corrugated pipe is used, then the error may also be either its incorrect location or excessive stretching. In some cases, you will have to reinstall the corrugation or replace it with a new one, and if the toilet is located too far from the sewer, sometimes you may even need to move it closer so that the stretched pipe does not allow the smell to pass through.

If there is a problem with the water seal

There should always be water in the siphon, and this is not so that you feel its splash at the most concentrated moment, but to create a so-called water seal. This is a kind of water “plug” standing between the fetid sewer and your sensitive nose. If it completely covers the hole, then your sense of smell is not in danger.

Incomplete closing of the hole with water can occur, again, due to improper installation of the pipe, and we already know what to do in these cases. Less often, it may be a defect in the toilet itself, and then you will have to, reluctantly, replace it with a new one.

It also happens: the owner goes away somewhere for a long time, and when he returns, he discovers that his apartment does not smell like roses. What is the reason? Banal evaporation of water. Its level becomes lower, and the air from the sewer, easily passing over it, is free.

In such cases, I do this: before leaving, I close the toilet lid, and after returning, without opening it, I flush the water. You can use it immediately after the tank is full. If residual odors remain, an ordinary air freshener can easily cope with them.

Reference! There is another method that I have not tried, but many say that it helps: before leaving, pour vegetable oil into the toilet. In theory, this should work because it doesn't evaporate, which means it will do a good job of keeping odor at bay.

Repairing leaks

They can be either in connecting the water supply to the tank, or, again, in our favorite sewer system. Most often the reason is insufficiently tight pipe joints. If there was an error in calculating the diameters, you will have to buy a new one; if not, reinstall it with more sealant.

And again we return to the corrugation. Being too tightly stretched, it can not only let in the smell, but also, over time, become covered with cracks through which its unpleasant contents will leak. Here, too, only its complete replacement will help.

How to clear a clog

It would seem like a banal and fairly common problem, but you also need to be able to get rid of it.

Well-known chemicals such as Tiret, Mole or Mister Muscle will help against small blockages. The main thing is to follow the instructions and make sure that they do not get on your skin.For a large-scale tragedy, you will need a plunger, and in the worst case, a special cable for cleaning. In the latter option, I highly recommend not to act on your own, but to seek the help of a plumber.

Simple measures will help prevent blockages: once a month, pour a bucket of hot water into the toilet. This may be enough, but you can mix it with a glass of caustic soda to increase efficiency.

If there are problems with ventilation

The most common reason is a simple lack of cleaning. A lot of dust gets into the ventilation, as a result of which it becomes clogged and performs its functions worse (we will leave cases when it becomes clogged with spies sneaking through it for Hollywood films). Therefore, when cleaning, do not forget about it too.

The best way to check if the system is working is to hold a lit match to it. If the flame deviates towards ventilation, then everything is in order. If not, you will have to call a specialist.

In general, if funds allow, I always suggest performing a complete reinstallation of the ventilation system, replacing the standard one with a forced one, with a check valve. And no matter how much you want to save money, it is better to choose not those that are turned on and off by the owner (practice shows that in 90% of cases they are constantly forgotten), but those “tied” to the light switch. You go into the toilet, there’s a click and the ventilation turns on, when you go out there’s a click and it turns off. Very comfortably.

Toilet hygiene and odor removal products

And again we return to cleaning. Even if all systems are in perfect condition, you still have to clean, and this needs to be done regularly. Fortunately, there are now many tools for this.

If you have a shared bathroom, moisture absorbers will help combat the musty smell of dampness. The cutest and most affordable product is banal silica gel, which can be placed in decorative boxes or vases. The only problem with it is that it needs to be kept away from children and animals, since the balls contain toxic substances inside.

A safer option are indoor plants such as ferns and lilies. They not only “draw in” excess moisture, but also absorb unpleasant odors.

Returning to air fresheners, I will say that there are a huge number of varieties, so you don’t have to stop at just one banal aerosol. There are automatic systems for spraying aroma liquid, tablets attached to the bowl from the inside, special capsules placed inside the tank, and much more.

So the path to joy for your nose is just two steps away. First eliminate the cause, and then just keep it clean!