How To Make Your Bathroom Smell Amazing: 9 Easy Methods

Most homeowners agree that the bathroom (as well as the kitchen) is the most important room in any house—a place of solitude that allows you to decompress after having a stressful day at work, or to relax in the tub when you feel overwhelmed.

So, you can imagine how disappointed you’d feel when you get hit by a bad odor the minute you walk into one!

If you’d like to get rid of that odor and make your bathroom smell amazing, here’s a list of options you could explore.

The 9 Methods on How To Make Your Bathroom Smell Amazing

1. Give The Bathroom a Thorough Cleaning

The truth of the matter is, if your bathroom is smelly, you probably haven’t cleaned it in a minute. Bad odor is not something that develops overnight. It’s usually caused by bacteria, and we all know those organisms only take refuge in places that have “optimal” living conditions.

Thorough cleaning means it has to be given a good scrub down from the top to bottom. This will definitely take several hours, so prepare to invest some time. You’ll also need several cleaning products, including glass cleaner, floor cleaner, tub cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, and sink cleaner.

2. Install a Diffuser

A “diffuser” is any device that’s been designed to release scents into the air at predetermined intervals. It may do so through ultrasonic features, compressed air, or heat. Such devices are typically small because the bathroom is a tiny space that can quickly look cluttered should you decide to store large, bulky stuff in there.

Diffusers are often filled with essential oils. The oils are a combination of different chemical compounds that have been extracted from a variety of plant species, to give off the species’ scent or “essence.” We believe that every bathroom needs a diffuser, seeing as the scents have the ability to stimulate areas of the limbic system.

The limbic system is that part of your brain that’s responsible for interpreting emotions, storing long-term memory, and controlling physiological functions such as blood pressure and breathing.

3. Ventilate Your Bathroom

If the bathroom doesn’t have proper ventilation, it’s likely to harbor some bad odors.

For example, make sure that all your bathroom windows are open every single time you decide to take a steamy bath or use the toilet. That opening will allow the gas or moist air to exit the space, and be replaced by a fresh one that doesn’t support the growth of mold or mildew.

If your bathroom doesn’t have a window, then simply leave the bathroom door open. Just make sure all the other house windows are open as well, or you’ll end up increasing the overall humidity in other rooms. If that method isn’t as effective as you’d have liked, you may need to install an exhaust fan.

This will likely solve all your problems, and then some. The only issue is that because they normally demand makeup air to push the bathroom’s damp air out, you’ll also have to install a door that has an undercut.

4. Empty Your Laundry Basket

Words that best describe dirty laundry are “neck-twisting,” “eye-watering,” and “nose-pinching.” And you’ll definitely agree with us if you’ve ever tried to check if the piece of clothing that you wore once, can be worn a second time.

That acrid odor won’t fill the room after a day or two, but if we’re talking about several days, that’s a different story. Though you won’t be able to see any of them with your naked eye, several microorganisms will be hard at work, trying to quickly break down the skin cells and sweat molecules that you left behind. The odor is the byproduct of that process, and it’s in the form of a volatile organic compound (VOC)¹.

Assuming you can’t find time to wash your laundry, keep them fresh using a scented dryer sheet. Alternatively, you could place some laundry fragrance boosters at the bottom of the laundry basket, to mask the smell and keep them fresh.

Side Note: Do not buy the boosters if you have a toddler running around the house trying to eat everything they find as it’s highly toxic.

5. Frequently Wash Your Towels & Don’t Leave Them Damp

It’s easy to assume that the toilet bowl is the source of all that pungent smell—if you haven’t checked your towels. Our unwritten rule is, you’re supposed to wash all your towels after every three to four uses. Depending on how many times you shower, that translates to at least twice a week.

The whole purpose of showering is to remove all the germs, grime, and dirt from our bodies. But what we tend to forget is that the process of rubbing the towel against wet skin AFTER showering also helps us eliminate the dead layers of skin.

After the first use, place the towel on the rod to dry. If you don’t have one, that should be your next DIY project. Air drying will prevent it from becoming smelly, as the moisture will be gone.

6. Frequently Apply Odor Absorbents

Baking soda has always been our number one pick when it comes to natural odor absorbents currently being sold on the market. And the best part is, as a paste, you can also use it as a bathroom scrub.

If you’re planning to apply it as an absorbent, place some of it into an open box (decanting into a jar is also acceptable) and leave it out in the open for 2 to 3 months. But if you’re looking to only use it as a scrub, mix a quarter cup with a tablespoon of any liquid detergent, and then add a few scoops of vinegar. That will ensure the paste has a thick consistency.

The other natural absorbent is lemon. In addition to neutralizing the bad odors, it will leave behind a hypnotizing scent that will compel you to go back to using it, again and again. It’s also known to be a powerful cleaner, due to its acidic nature. Just rub it all over the bathroom surfaces once you’re done cleaning, and it will take care of the rest.

7. Add a Scented Detergent to The Toilet Tank

There are so many ways you can make the bathroom water smell extra fresh and revitalizing. For example, have you ever tried adding some scented detergent to the toilet tank? Anytime someone flushes, the scent of the water coming out masks any lingering odor that would have been left behind.

8. Use Fragrant Soaps

It’s okay to do something good and pleasurable for yourself every once in a while, as this will safeguard your mental health in the long run. And treating yourself to something nice could mean buying that pricey fragrant soap that you’ve always wanted to try. It will make your showers pleasurable, and leave the bathroom smelling nice for a long, long time. Or go for bath bombs or scented bubble baths if that’s what normally helps you to decompress.

9. Take Advantage of Herbs

Herbs like cilantro, mint, basil, and parsley are the best replacement for essential oils, as they can be grown in a small container or allotment plot. All these species have a strong natural scent that can combat any stinky bathroom smell. The scent is usually contained in the oils secreted by the glandular hairs, typically found on their leaf’s surface.

Conclusion

It’s estimated that the average person spends more than 2 years of his/her life in the bathroom. In a year, they clock more than 180 hours, which translates to an average of 30 minutes daily. If this doesn’t motivate you to make sure that your bathroom’s ready to offer a spa-like retreat anytime someone gets in, we don’t know what will.

Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock