How To Get Rid Of The Sewer Smell From A Bathroom

While the bathroom is a place that is more susceptible to foul odors, if you’re like us you enjoy keeping a clean and fresh-smelling bathroom at all times. However, all of us slip up from time to time. Occasionally we let our restroom area get a little too messy from apathy or perhaps lack of preparation when we have guests over.

Some of you may have even walked into your bathroom only to discover that it has some sort of “sewage” smell to it. In a panic, you automatically sprint toward the Febreeze and begin spraying it around frantically as if using bug repellent in a hornet attack. Sadly all this manages to do is make the foul smell only slightly less intruding. This sewage smell could be any number of culprits in your bathroom. Fortunately, after identifying the problem, most of the solutions are rather easy fixes.

Refill The P-Trap Underneath Your “Lower Traffic” Sinks and Tubs

Many of you have probably noticed the “U-Shaped” piping that is underneath most of your bathroom sinks. The same type of trap is also commonly found underneath tubs as well. Lots of people assume they are just there to catch jewelry that may accidently fall down your drains. However, they are really there to keep sewer gas and rodents from getting up and out of your drain system. The water that sits at the bottom of the P-trap sometimes evaporates if the sink or tub is not frequently used. This allows the sewer gas to pass through the pipe and permeate into your bathroom. Fortunately the fix is simple. Just run water in both your sink and tub to refill the bottom of the P-trap. This should allow the odor to completely go away in a relatively short amount of time.

Clean The Overflow Sink Hole

If this doesn’t solve you sewage smelling problems, don’t let the sink off the hook just quite yet. Many times, smells can come from the “Overflow” holes in the sink. These are the holes or slits at the very top back of your sink. Slime can buildup in these holes causing your bathroom to release an unpleasant scent. To fix this, pour water with chlorine bleach down the overflow hole to give it a quick clean. Use an old toothbrush to scrub around and get rid of any excess slime on the edges if possible.

Call Your Local Plumber

If the problem still persists this means you most likely have a more serious plumbing issue. If the water in your toilet isn’t filling up all the way, a broken seal could be at play. As well, blocked vents or broken vent pipes could be forcing sewer gas into your bathroom because they have no clean escape to deposit it. All these problems could be hard to trace and would probably require the assistance of a professional. Don’t risk damaging your plumbing and give Terry’s Plumbing service a call immediately if these quick tips don’t appear to be doing the trick to alleviate the odors in your bathroom.