Why Does My Bathroom Stink Even After I Clean It?

The bathroom you just cleaned still has a stench coming out of it. This confuses you about the source of the stinky smell.

You might be asking, why does my bathroom stink even after I clean it?

The most common reason for a smelly bathroom is having evaporated P-traps. A clogged-up shower or toilet drain can also emit this unpleasant smell. If the shower steam has no way of ventilating out of the bathroom, it can get smelly soon.

That’s not all! There is more to this problem than you think there is. Luckily, we got them all covered for you! Why not read this guide to get rid of your bathroom stink?

Let’s begin-

Reason Behind Stinking Bathroom Despite Cleaning

Even after you thoroughly clean your bathroom, there are some spots that can easily be overlooked. Those missed spots can be the source of dreadful smell if left unmaintained for long.

We’ve collected all the possible reasons your bathroom might stink even after cleaning. Check out if you’ve cleaned the mentioned parts of your bathroom. 

No Air Ventilation

Showering produces a lot of steam in the bathroom. A poor ventilation system will trap the steam inside the shower. The ambient moisture from the steam can produce bad smells.

Solution

Check if the fan in your vent is properly fanning out the air from your bathroom. Most people tend to fan the bathroom after taking a shower. You should run the fan while showering and keep fanning for a while after showering.

If you don’t have fans to vent out air, keep your bathroom window open. It won’t let stench to store up in the room.

Clogged Shower And Toilet Drain

You might notice your shower drain collecting more water than it actually drains. All the soap, shampoo, and other bathroom products along with hair can clog up your drain. This clogged assortment of chemical products will combine and create a foul smell. 

The same can happen to your toilet. High mineral water, worn-out pipes, toilet paper, and other foreign objects can clog up the toilet. These products remain stuck in the pipes, emitting foul smells.

Solution

It’s relatively easier to unclog the shower drains. Remove the drain cover and pull out the debris while wearing rubber gloves. Use a plastic bag to keep the debris in it, and dispose of it. 

Fixing the clogging up of the toilet is trickier. We don’t recommend fixing the toilet yourself unless you are an experienced plumber. Take professional help to clean up your toilet drain. That’ll take care of the strong stench in your bathroom.

Dried Up P-trap

If you’ve spare bathrooms in your house, it’s more likely to face such problems. P-trap is a design engineered to stop sewer gases from entering your bathroom through your toilet. It’s a bend in the pipe that stores water in it. This water blocks the sewer gases from entering your bathroom. 

However, if the toilet is not used frequently enough, the water stored in it can evaporate. Evaporated P-trap can’t block the sewer smell from the pipe anymore and can stink your bathroom.

Solution

All you need to do to fix this problem is to flush the toilet several times. Flushing the toilet will restore some water in the P-trap and block the bad smell. 

Dirty Toilet Tank

You might think that thoroughly cleaning the toilet bowl will do a good enough job. But not cleaning your toilet tank can emit those bad odors as well. 

Solution

Toilet tanks can collect urine odors and sewage gases. These odors, besides growing mold, can produce terrible smells. To clean your toilet tank, use white vinegar to scrub the interior of the tank. Flush the tank several times after letting the vinegar sit on the tank for a while. That’ll get rid of the odor.

In the case of an RV, using toilet bowl cleaner might help get rid of the odour.

Unwashed Bathroom Rug

When cleaning toilets, we usually don’t include bathroom rugs in the cleaning process. This can yet be another major factor behind the bad smell.

Bathroom rugs tend to grow molds and bacteria from regular usage. Its absorbent qualities make it soak up moisture from the water residue and steams. This absorbed water over time can grow a bad, pungent smell. Not only that, but it also soaks up urine drops, adding up to the smell.

Solution

Most bathroom rugs out there are machine washable. But some might require a different method of washing to keep the materials intact. Carefully read the instruction tag that comes with the rug. Follow the washing instructions provided in the tag and wash your rugs. 

These are the best solutions that can give your bathroom a healthy and long lasting time!

Tips To Keep Your Bathroom Smelling Great

Now that you got rid of the smelling problem, it’s time to make it smell good. You can try following these few methods to do so-

Ventilate The Bathroom Daily

A well-ventilated bathroom won’t have smells trapped in it. So it’s very important to regularly ventilate your bathroom for at least an hour or two.

Add Detergent To The Toilet Tank

Using aromatic detergent in the toilet tank can make your bathroom smell good. Add a little detergent with an aromatic fragrance to the toilet tank water. Once you flush the toilet, it’ll release a pleasant fragrance in your bathroom.

This trick can effectively eliminate bad smells and also lingers in the air for a while.

Place Aromatic Soap

Want to create a space with a pleasant aroma and fragrance? Scented soaps can be a great option for you! These soaps will make your bathroom sink a pleasant space to hover around. Choose the smell and color that best suits the appearance of your bathroom. 

Have a hard time figuring out which aromatic soap to buy? We recommend you to take a look at this list of top-selling scented soaps in the market-

They are cheap and come in a variety of colors and scents.

Use Lemon For Bad Smells

The citric acid from the lemon can be a useful item to eradicate bad smells. It leaves a pleasant aroma and will last for a long time. 

Apply lemon on the bathroom surface by rubbing it after you are done cleaning the bathroom. 

And that is everything you need to make your bathroom a pleasant space for your house! 

FAQs-Why Does My Bathroom Stink Even After I Clean It

Question: Can I pour bleach down the drain?

Answer: Never pour bleach with cleaning agents down the drain. Bleach produces toxic gasses when it comes in contact with cleaning fluids. Bleach can also do the same if mixed with vinegar. So it’s not wise to pour bleach down the drain. 

Question: Is it safe to pour boiling water down the drain?

Answer: Only pour boiling water down the drain if there is no clog in the drain. A clogged up drain can trap the boiling water in the pipe. Trapped boiling water can melt the PVC pipes and the seals of the pipe, causing damage.

Question: Is a sewage smell in a bathroom dangerous?

Answer: Sewage smell coming out is not as harmful as you might think. Toxic hydrogen gas released from sewage can cause organ damage and respiration problems. However, the odors coming out of the drain are too little to cause any significant problem.

Final Words

Hope we answered your question- Why does my bathroom stink even after I clean it? Make sure to clean your bathroom once every two weeks. Flush the toilets that are mostly unused once in a while.

With that said, I hope this guide helped you get rid of the stink from your bathroom. Have a great day!