Sewer Smell in Bathroom? DIY Solutions
Is your bathroom emitting a strong odor? The foul smell could be coming from your drain.
The bathroom is one of the most tranquil and relaxing spaces in a home. Therefore, it needs to maintain top-notch hygiene. But a bathroom that smells like a sewer is far from being relaxing and peaceful. Besides, the sewer-like smell in the house can be harmful to your health.
Mold, grease, food and soap particles, and germs are some reasons that can make a bathroom smell. It is safe to deal with the smell now before it gets worse.
There are some proven methods that you can try to get rid of foul smells in your drain. This article highlights the causes of the smell and the best solutions for getting rid of the smell.
Snake the Drain to Solve Sewer Backlog
Often you’ll experience sewer odor in your bathroom due to sewer blockage. Snaking the drain or replacing the old trap is one of the quickest ways to resolve sewer backups.
But this might be challenging if you have a U-shaped pipe beneath your house or apartment toilet. In this case, you need to seek professional assistance.
However, you can solve the sewer smell if your bathroom doesn’t have U-shaped pipes. You need to ensure that you keep any hair out of the drains. Then you can pour plenty of hot water down each drain after every use and allow it to flow gently.
Another effective solution is to pour boiling white vinegar down the bathroom drains. Old, rusted, and clogged pipes can leak sewer gas into the bathroom every time water flows through them, resulting in a rotten egg stench.
Also, another possible cause of a smelly bathroom is if the vents are too close to the bathrooms. You can seek a sewer examination. This will help you identify further drain pipe problems that you can address for a fresh breath.
Also, seek help from relevant authorities if you smell sewage outside that isn’t near your bathroom. There is an excellent possibility that the stench will influence other people in the neighboring. You need to prioritize the elimination of sewer smell and ensuing sewer gases.
Dehumidify to Get Rid of the Mold and Mildew Growth
Check your bathroom for any presence of mold and mildew growth. Mold and mildew can contribute to the sewer smell in the house.
So if this has been an issue in your house for some time, you need to address it now. Look out for toilet flange troubles, filthy surfaces, leaks under sinks, and poor ventilation. Often, these are some of the potential sources of mildew growth and should be treated before they worsen.
Mold growth can be a pain, especially in humid areas like your bathroom. So having a clawfoot tub can help you to a great extent. Here the bathtub stays elevated. This ensures ample airflow restricting any sort of mold or mildew from thriving.
You can start by disinfecting the surfaces to get rid of the molds. Then wash and change your shower curtains, towels, and other linens regularly. This process needs to be regular to kill the mold or mildew smell.
Besides, you will kill the smell and the spores as well. Moreover, you can inspect your shower caulk and get rid of any mold that may be growing.
Also, check out any wooden furniture in your bathroom, like the clothing hangers. Ensure you regularly clean them and remove any porous materials from the sink-toilet combinations.
Moreover, ensure that your bathroom has enough ventilation to maintain freshness. A container of hydrogen sulfide could work magic if you aren’t sure what’s generating it. Often bathrooms are breeding areas for germs. Using ammonia or bleach regularly can kill the beneficial bacteria.
An advantage of using hydrogen sulfide is that it only kills harmful bacteria. Moreover, you’ll not experience any unpleasant odors after disinfecting with it.
Here is a simple process on how to mix and use the solution. First, combine three parts water and one part hydrogen sulfide. But this depends on the mess; if it’s huge, you may need to add more solutions for it to work. Then sprinkle the solution on the surfaces that the odor comes from the strongest.
After drying the bathroom, replace the porous materials like towels or shower curtains. To experience the sulfide magic, spray the air freshener when wet.
Regularly Vent Your Pipes to Unclog Them
Most people don’t give plumbing issues much thought. Clogged drain pipes and plumbing vents might contribute to the sewer gas odor in your bathroom. You need to check any plumbing issues if your bathroom has a smell.
So if you’re asking, why does my bathroom smell like sewage? Then you shouldn’t ignore your plumbing system. Here are a few techniques that you can use to get rid of the washroom smell:
- To ensure the pipes don’t clog, ensure you vent them regularly.
- You must ensure that you pour hot water down after every use to maintain cleanliness. Also, ensure no hair is in the drains as they contribute to clogging.
- Another effective strategy is the use of boiling white vinegar in bathtubs. This will help to clear out any unwanted soap scum.
But you may seek a more permanent solution if the smell in your bathroom doesn’t seem to disappear. You can request a professional to help you construct a new pipe system from the street.
Use Household Solutions to Clear Foul Smell From the Toilet
A sewer smell is an unpleasant experience that you wouldn’t want to experience after visiting the bathroom. The smell may sometimes be felt when the sewage is backing up into the toilet or sink.
Sometimes it may be something different, like a decomposing animal in the crawlspace. You can try some of the following suggestions to clean your toilet bowl:
Mix vinegar and baking soda, then boil it for about 20 minutes.
Then pour the mixture down the drain. Another alternative is placing the cotton balls in the liquid before placing them in spaces emitting a foul smell.
Moreover, sprinkling coffee grinds along sewer drain pipes can help with the smell.
If the smell spreads over the house, you can use scented candles around the house.
Another vital aspect to consider when freshening your bathroom is a garbage disposal. You need to dispose of your garbage if it emits a sewage-like smell. Besides, it’s an indication that the clog needs to be fixed.
Here is a way you can unclog the garbage disposal:
- Mix bleach and vinegar to clean your tub or sink
- You can also place the baking soda on the drain traps
- Additionally, you can use boiling water to unclog the drains
- You can inspect if there are any leaks or other issues with the main home plumbing.
Often you will experience a sewer gas smell when something is wrong in the neighborhood. A dehumidifier can work well to reduce humidity around and inside your house. Besides you can also use a plumbing snake to clear drains of soap scum, hair, and other debris.
Doing this will help reduce the nasty smell from spreading inside your house. Also, it would be best not to ignore the shower drain. This is also another source that can contribute to rotten egg odor.
Replace the Broken Seal on the Toilet
Seals help to connect the toilet to the drain. But broken or cracked seals will allow sewer gas smell in the house. And once the seals around the toilet start to leak water, it will encourage a sewage smell in the house. This is because the bacteria will start growing, producing an unpleasant odor.
If you notice the wax ring is missing or broken, you should replace it. But in case you feel removing the entire toilet can be complex, you can hire an expert.
Caulking is another critical solution that ensures the toilet’s base is linked to the floor. Most people might argue that this may be unnecessary, while others believe it is essential.
But expect a sewer smell in the house if there is a separation between the toilet and the floor with a lack of caulk.
So when using a caulk, ensure you leave a small allowance in the front and back sections of the toilet base. This is essential for drainage purposes and makes it easy when cleaning the floor or if a water leak occurs.
Refresh the Dry or Replace Missing P Trap to Get Rid of the Sewer Gas Smell
A missing or dry P-trap can contribute to a sewer-like smell in the bathroom. A P-trap is a U-shaped pipe found under the sink. One of the common contributors to a dry P-trap is when water evaporates from the shower.
You can refresh the P-trap by allowing a substantial amount of water to run threw for a few minutes. But ensure the P-trap is clean. A dirty P-trap will not hold water, encouraging the hydrogen sulfide fumes to escape.
Once you notice the P-trap is missing, you should replace it. This is an easy solution that you may not need an expert to help you do it.
Key Takeaway
You don’t want to encourage any form of the sewer smell in the house. Besides the unpleasant smell, the sewer gas smell is harmful to your health. So ensure you investigate the problem as soon as you notice it.
And since your bathroom is a private space, identifying the source or cause of the sewer smell can be challenging. Everyone is keen on maintaining their reputation, so you’ll want to find a solution before other people can notice it.
The good news is that you can use the above options to help you resolve the issue.