Dear Home-Ec 101,
I have this nasty smell in my bathroom. It is very hard for me to describe, but I’m OCD and it is driving me nuts. I think I have it pinpointed to the shower stall. I have totally scrubbed it however, I’m very anal about cleaning so it was already clean. I had my boyfriend look in the drain for hair clogs, but still no luck. I poured bleach down the drain and it still smells. It is so bad, I worry that everyone can smell it! I noticed it is very bad right after we shower, too. Do you have any idea what this is and how to get rid of it? We are very clean people, I dont get it. I’m totally freaking out, and I lay in bed at night obsessing over it, haha. Then I sniff it and think about it even more.
Please help me!
Signed,
Desperate in Dayton
Ivy says:
Man, I hate when you just cannot figure something out. I have some suggestions that might work. It sounds like you either have something really funky in your drain somewhere, or have mold behind the shower stall. If it’s a sewagey smell, it might be your drain. If it’s a rotting, moldy smell, my money’s on the mold.
If it’s a drain problem, first I would try flushing the drain with boiling water. Do NOT use boiling water if you have anything other than fiberglass with PVC piping. My next step would be sprinkling baking soda down the drain and then adding white vinegar. Allow it to fizz, it may break up an unseen clog, flush with water when finished. As last resort I would try Draino, in case something is stuck in the drain.
If all else fails, it may be mold or mildew, especially if you don’t have an exhaust fan or any other type of ventilation in your bathroom. In that case, I’d try a product called Damp Rid. I’ve not used it, but Heather and I have heard good things about it.
Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
Oh man, sounds like someone may have given this woman an upper-decker.
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