Why Does My Toilet Stink? Here Are the Most Common Answers to That

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Deborah Beams
Deborah Beams
Research Writer
Deborah is an incredibly talented journalist who's been working for numerous online magazines for over 8 years now. She's also our main research writer who can turn any bori read more
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Charles Eggleston
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Last updated: August 18, 2023
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The bathroom is one of the most frequently used places in the home. The state of your bathroom is often a reflection of how clean you and your home are. Therefore, if you encounter problems like smelling or stinking toilet Trusted Source Toilet - Wikipedia toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware used for the collection and/or disposal of human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. en.wikipedia.org , you need to address the issue as quickly as possible.

“Why does my toilet stink?” is one of the more frequent questions we have received recently. We have taken the time to consider why this might be the case. There are many reasons why your toilet might smell. And each one has a unique way of getting rid of the smell. When you know the underlying cause, it would be easier for you to eliminate any bad smells.

This post will consider some of the most popular causes and address how to eliminate the smell.

What smells can there be?

Why Does My Toilet Stink? Here Are the Most Common Answers to That

There are several smells that might be encountered. You might have your toilet smelling like sewage, urine, rotten eggs, and more. This section covers the more common odors and elimination methods.

Sewage

A toilet that smells like sewage is one of the common problems. Several things might cause this.

Causes

Numerous things can cause your toilet to smell like sewage. However, one of the major issues is a problem with the P-trap.

This P-trap is a U-shaped pipe designed to hold some water to prevent sewer gases from coming up from the toilet and into the air. If the P-trap is dry or has some other problem, then the gases from the sewer might escape your toilet.

Macerating toilets have a system that helps to reduce the occurrence of sewage smell.

How to deal

If there is a problem with the P-trap, which will cause the toilet to smell like sewage, you will most certainly require a plumber’s services. He will help you to change the P-trap or repair any issues that it might have.

Urine

This stink is one of the more common stinks experienced by homeowners. There are different causes, but three of these causes are the most frequent causatives.

Causes

There are three main causes. These are:

  • The toilet seat
  • The Floor
  • Under the Toilet Bowl

The toilet seat might be the main culprit for a toilet that smells like urine. It is pretty gross, and it is one of those problems you can deal with without calling a plumber’s services.

How to deal

 

Why Does My Toilet Stink? Here Are the Most Common Answers to That

Dealing with this problem will require that you tackle each of the causes.

If the issue is because of the toilet seat, you have to clean it yourself. It might be gross, but you don’t have a choice but to clean it. To get rid of this particular problem, unscrew the lid or seat. After removing it, then use a toilet cleaner or soap to clean it thoroughly. Reviews have revealed that the Scrubbing Bubbles toilet bowl cleaning starter kit comes with all you need to clean your toilet and remove any bad smells completely. Do this at least twice per year, and you might not have to worry about this problem anymore.

If the cause is the floor, then the solution is relatively easy. The smell is likely because of people peeing on the floor. Therefore, discourage this habit – especially if you have boys. Cleaning the toilet floor will also eliminate the smell. You can use the popular Clorox Toilet Wand cleaning system to help with cleaning and eliminating smells.

If you have cleaned the floor and the toilet seat but still have a urine smell, then you might have to look under the toilet bowl. The smell might be due to a leaking seal under the toilet bowl. If this is the problem, you can get a plumber to quickly look at it and help you make the required repairs.

Rotten eggs or sulfur

Another common stink is the stink of rotten eggs or sulfur. If this is what you experience, don’t fret since things can be done to get rid of the stink. Before we consider the solution, let’s first see what might be responsible for the smell.

Causes

Sulfur or rotten egg smell is usually a result of bacteria in the toilet Trusted Source Microbiological Hazards of Household Toilets: Droplet Production and the Fate of Residual Organisms Large numbers of bacteria and viruses when seeded into household toilets were shown to remain in the bowl after flushing, and even continual flushing could not remove a persistent fraction. This was found to be due to the adsorption of the organisms to the porcelain surfaces of the bowl, with gradual elution occurring after each flush. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov . Finding the exact cause of Sulphur smell can be difficult. That is why most plumbers recommend that you carry out a test to know where exactly the smell is coming from.

The test is pretty simple. First, fill a glass with water from the water that smells like Sulphur. Then fill another glass with water from another tap. Smell to determine whether the two smell like Sulphur. If both water glasses have a Sulphur smell, then the bacteria is likely in the water from all pipes in the home.

On the other hand, if the smell comes from just one glass of water, only one pipe is contaminated.

How to deal

Solving this problem is relatively easy. If it is just a pipe with the smell, you can solve it by replacing the drains. Another thing that can be done to deal with this is to apply a disinfectant to remove the smell.

More tips on how to get rid of toilet odors

Apart from the three causes we have considered, other things might be responsible. Some of these might be:

  • Clogged toilet drain
  • Clogged plumbing vent pipe
  • Damaged wax sealing ring
  • Overflow buildup

Before you call in the services of a plumber, try to locate the problem. This can save you money if you can handle the situation yourself.

The WoodBridge brand is very popular in toilets, and they promise toilets that do not stink – especially with their Smart toilet model. Smart toilets are especially great in keeping smells away.

Why Does My Toilet Stink? Here Are the Most Common Answers to That

Final thoughts

If you frequently face the problem of a stinking toilet, then you might consider switching to other toilets other than the conventional options. Some options like Smart toilets, macerating toilets, and pressure-assisted toilets have fewer problems with stink.

We have identified the popular causes of stink in the toilet and provided tips that can help you get rid of the smell. If you also wonder ‘Why does my toilet stink?’, this article will answer your questions.

References

1.
Toilet - Wikipedia
toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware used for the collection and/or disposal of human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not.
2.
Microbiological Hazards of Household Toilets: Droplet Production and the Fate of Residual Organisms
Large numbers of bacteria and viruses when seeded into household toilets were shown to remain in the bowl after flushing, and even continual flushing could not remove a persistent fraction. This was found to be due to the adsorption of the organisms to the porcelain surfaces of the bowl, with gradual elution occurring after each flush.
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