Getting Rid of Your Bathroom Stinks and Sounds

It has happened to all of us at one time or another. We are invited to a party or meeting where everyone shares one bathroom, and suddenly we have to GO. We stink up the bathroom pretty badly and hate to open the door to let in the next unsuspecting person. So how do you get rid of the smell? What if the house is really quiet and you don't want others to hear you? There are some handy tricks that actually do work.

The first tip is to flush as you go. If you keep the toilet flushing, the stink won't have time to spread around as much. Don't worry about others wondering why you keep flushing. They will just think it's a bad toilet that won't flush the first time.

The second tip is to light a wooden match. My grandmother kept a large box of wooden matches on the back of the toilet. When you finish, flush, then light a match. Wave the match around the room to remove the smell and then blow it out (or drop into the toilet bowl and flush again.)

So there you are, and you've created a stink with no matches in sight? Look for a bathroom fan. If there is one, flip it on. It will help to pull the odor from the air. Also, turn on the cold water in the sink and let it run. For some reason, running water tends to neutralize the odors. If there is air freshener, spray that. If not, take a shampoo bottle and holding it upright, push lightly to poof the smell of the shampoo into the air.

If you want to spare your guests this embarrassing problem, then keep a candle lit in the bathroom while your guests are there. It will keep your bathroom odor free and save your guests a lot of angst. You can also keep some air freshener or Febreeze on hand. If you don't want to buy Febreeze, you can actually make a homemade version that works well. Mix 3 cups warm water, 3 TBS fabric softener, and 3 TBS rubbing alcohol. Put into a misting bottle and label the bottle. It makes a great Febreeze substitute with less chemicals.

Now what if you find yourself in a thin-walled bathroom in a quiet house, and you don't want others to listen to your bathroom break? Run water in the sink, place folded toilet paper into the bottom of the toilet before going, or flush often to create another sound to mask yours. If all else fails, hum or sing. You'd rather have someone comment on your singing when you come out of the bathroom than your other sounds!