It may not seem like a severe problem, especially if you have small children who sometimes forget they are at the toilet. But do not be fooled; once this pee thing happens, you can notice a pungent stench that fills up the entire bathroom! The worst thing is that you probably don’t know where it goes after it’s flushed down the toilet. No matter how many cleaning solutions, cloths, and sprays you use to attempt to remove it, the problem persists.
What Causes the Odor?
One of the most prevalent problems homeowners confront is a urine odor in the bathroom. The smell might be coming from the floor, the toilet, or the drain. The stench of pee in the restroom is unpleasant and humiliating.
The odor might be overpowering, rendering your bathroom useless. Many individuals are bothered by the smell of urine; urine odor is generated by several things, including nutrition, microorganisms, and hormones.
The following are the most typical reasons for urine odor in the bathroom:
Inadequate ventilation. The bathroom should be well ventilated so that any foul odors can escape through an exhaust fan or open window. If you don’t have a fan, try opening a window when you shower or take a bath.
Not flushing the toilet. Flushing doesn’t just remove waste from the toilet bowl — it helps keep the toilet smelling fresh and clean by eliminating smells left behind after each use. If you’re not flushing often enough (or at all), your toilet will start to smell over time and become more difficult to clean effectively!
Using too much toilet paper. Using too much toilet paper can cause a buildup of residue within your drain line, which may lead to clogs and eventually cause a foul smell coming from your plumbing system and water leaks near your pipes where they connect with other parts of your house like walls or floors).
Using a bad-smelling soap or cleaning product. Urine contains ammonia, which makes it smell not good. If you clean with a cleaning agent with an unpleasant odor, it will only add to the problem. When you clean your toilet bowl, it’s best to use natural products like baking soda, vinegar, or lemons.
Using a dirty toilet brush or plunger. If you don’t clean your toilet correctly after using it, bacteria and germs can build up in its nooks and crannies and cause odors over time. You should always use hot water when cleaning your toilet bowl because this helps kill off any germs lingering around there. Also, use an enzymatic cleaner if possible because it will help neutralize any lingering odors from solid waste matter and urine stains left behind in the bowl itself!
How Do I Get Rid of the Odor?
The bathroom is one of the essential rooms in your home, and it also tends to be the dirtiest. After all, it’s where we go to do our business (literally).
But the bathroom doesn’t have to be smelly. There are some easy ways to keep your bathroom from smelling like pee. The only surefire way to eliminate the smell is to remove the source of the odor. Try these tips to get rid of the pee smell around the toilet:
Clean the Area Well
The first step in removing urine stains and odors is to clean the affected area with a solution of water and white vinegar. Spray or sponge this solution onto the stain, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then wipe up with a clean cloth. Rinse the area with clear water and dry with a towel or let dry naturally.
To ensure that you have removed all traces of the stain and odor, repeat this procedure once more. It would be best to clean your pet’s bedding often since pets tend to return to spots they have eliminated before.
Spray with Vinegar and Water Solution
Vinegar is a natural deodorizer, so it will help eliminate urine odors in the toilet bowl. The vinegar will help break down any urine crystals present in the toilet bowl. It will also kill off any bacteria that may be causing the odor.
If you have hard water, try using white distilled vinegar as it doesn’t have any minerals to react with the calcium deposits in your water supply.
Fill the bowl with warm water and add 1 cup of vinegar to the water. Let it stand for 15 minutes, then flush. Repeat if needed.
Vinegar is safe on most surfaces, including porcelain toilets, but don’t use it on plastic or painted fixtures.
Make a Scrubbing Paste and Clean it Under the Toilet Rim
Clean under the rim with a cleaning solution or scrubbing paste. You can find these at any hardware store or grocery store near the bleach and other disinfectants in the cleaning aisle. Make sure to clean the entire area under the rim so that no matter where someone pees next time, they won’t be spreading bacteria back onto their shoes when they leave.
Put Down a Thick Layer of Baking Soda
After cleaning under your rim, try adding baking soda and vinegar to your toilet bowl cleaner or disinfectant before putting it on top of your bowl instead of underneath it. Every time someone uses their commode, they’ll be spreading air freshener around their bathroom instead of urine smells.
Sprinkle baking soda around the base of the toilet and under it. If possible, let it sit for 12 hours or longer, then vacuum it up. Please do not use any other cleaning products in this area until after you have cleaned it with baking soda and water. Cleaning products may react with baking soda and result in an even more pungent odor.
Scrub with a Toilet Brush
Clean the bowl thoroughly with a toilet cleaner or bleach solution made with one part bleach to nine parts water (1:9) and let stand for 30 minutes before flushing twice, allowing 30 minutes between flushes. This will kill germs and mildew that cause odors in your toilet tank and bowl, but if you have hard water deposits that cannot be removed by this method. Consider using citric acid instead of bleach, which may not be as effective against hard water deposits as bleach is because citric acid does not contain chlorine atoms which act as disinfectants.
Conclusion
So there you have it, everything you could want to know about getting rid of that awful odor in your bathroom. Even though that urine smell can be pretty unpleasant, the good news is it doesn’t have to be permanent. By keeping these causes and solutions in mind, you’ll be able to get rid of that stench once and for all without endangering yourself or your family.
Amos Christen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Drexel University — Philadelphia, PA. Since 2003, Amos has worked with top interior design professionals in this area, including architects and interior/graphic/lighting designers. As a skilled interior designer, Amos Christen is highly versed in fine arts and crafts and uses that to supplement his main area of expertise. He often publishes articles related to home décor on several websites, including Sprucetoilets.com, Sprucebathroom.com, and Mybesuitedhome.com. He also contributes to leading interior design magazines.