How do you keep you bathroom fresh?

[anomaly13]

I clean my bathroom once a week, keeping it picked up the rest of the time. Never had this problem before but it never stays smelling fresh/clean beyond 2 or 3 days after cleaning. We don't do candles, dh lost everything in a house fire, started from a candle, with no insurance a year before we met. I keep the window open as much as possible but it is getting a little bit cold for that to continue all day/night. Also the door is closed at all times to keep the little ones out, although after showers we keep both the door and window open for awhile to let it dry out as we do not have a fan in the bathroom.

Looking for something natural, cheap, homemade if possible, and safe as we have 2 little ones with a 3rd on the way.

[mom0810]

What is it smelling like? I clean our bathrooms once a week or less... and they don't smell and I have two boys.

Are you talking mildew? Or something else?

Maybe a quick wipe with vinegar and water, not a real cleaning but just a swipe.

Or else, how about potpourri? Just a thought. I know that if you keep vinegar in a bowl on the counter it is supposed to keep odors away.

[Malva]

Leaving the door open at all times would probably solve your problem.

How about putting a gate in the doorway?

[StrawberryFields]

Probably a bum answer since you don't like having the window open, but i keep the window open. I know it is winter and getting colder, and we are in WI so it is definitely chilly. But without a fan I have not found a better way to keep our little bathroom aired out. Since the door is closed during the day here too (to keep the kids out) that helps at least with not having the heat from the house sucked out the open window. Also, I don't know if your window does this or not but we can either push our window up to open the bottom, or pull it down to open the top. I always pull it down so there isn't a breeze down where anyone can feel it. And I always open it first thing in the morning so that the showers are vented out right away WHILE they are being taken. I think that makes a big difference over the days where dh sneaks his shower in before I have a chance to open the window.

Good luck finding something that works for you!!

[JD5351]

I have mini reed diffusers in my bathroom. Or some potpourri as a PP said.

I wipe my sinks down every day to avoid buildup, that usually keeps it pretty fresh.

[Mama~Love]

Subbing, as I need ideas! Neither of our bathrooms have windows, and it's hard to find ways to keeping them smelling good.

[1jooj]

I have an absolutely gorgeous lemongrass soap on the sink. The kind that's too wonderful to use. But we use it. And every time anyone washes their hands, the bathroom smells wonderful.

OK, but in complete honesty, I also clean the bathroom 2-3 times a week, mostly a quick and basic wipedown plus toilet scrubbing.

[bezark]

We have a reed diffuser on the back of the toilet, and I make sure to wipe down the outside of the toilet every few days. I don't think DH was every potty trained correctly and refuses to sit down so it can't get pretty stinky fast.

[mommaof3boz]

yep the reed diffusers are awesome. you could also make your own with your own essential oils.

[dbsam]

Originally Posted by Malva

Leaving the door open at all times would probably solve your problem.

We've noticed an odor in our powder room lately. There is no window and the kids keep closing the door. Now that we leave it open it is much better.

[sammysmammy]

I just buy plant sprayer bottles for $1 and fill it with water and add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, lavender, peppermint, orange, clove..... any of those are wonderful for freshening up a room.Just make sure to shake the bottle a bit before each use, the essential oil will settle in the water so you have to kinda "mix" it up. Just spray a bit in the air, or around the baseboards...wherever

[RiverSky]

That was happening in one of our bathrooms and we discovered that the toilet had moved a little and the seal underneath is was a bit open, so you could smell stink from the sewer pipe. (something like that?) Perhaps you need a plumber to replace the seal?!? (I think it's an o-ring, obviously, plumbing is not my area of expertise)

It's gross though.

Another vote here for reed diffusers (particularly the ones from PartyLite, so fragrant and long-lasting, LOL) to help cover any residual odors.

[loon13]

You can try Damp Rid. That will help draw any excess moisture out of the room, without having to keep the window open. They are available at most stores. That may help with any lingering smells too.

http://www.damprid.com/

[3plus2isme]

I clean mine at least every other day so I haven't ran into the problem.

I'd try the diffuser.

[nathansmum]

If you have your door shut to the room because of your little ones, could you not have the window open even in cool weather? I have our window cracked open all year round (but shut it at night time) and we don't have a stink problem. If I have forgotten to open the window that day though it kind of seems a bit stale in there (even though we keep our bathroom door open all the time). Also, where you do you hang your wet towels after showering? Maybe if you removed them to dry elsewhere (unless you change them daily...we don't but it's not a problem).

I have started using lemon essential oil wiped over surfaces and it gives a lovely fresh fragrance that lingers (and I drip a few drops onto a bowl of pebbles that are in there for decorative purposes and occasionally drop a few drops into the toilet bowl).

[doubledutch]

i wonder if baking soda would also absorb some of the smell. if you don't want to leave out an open container of baking soda, you can get one of those freezer/fridge baking soda things and stick it onto the wall behind the toilet or some other inconspicuous spot.

i think it would also help to do a quick wipe down a couple of times during the week, in between your weekly cleaning.

[LZP]

I'd suggest giving the outside of the toilet bowl, the back/bottom where it screws into the floor, and the floor on either side and in front of the toilet a good cleaning. then you can do a quick wipe with EO/water in a sprayer and a rag 2-3x week on the floor - or better yet, ask a male member of the family, since they're the ones likely making the "mess."

my DH has terrible aim at night, to the point that i've started begging him to sit! But, when we first started living together, our bathroom (that didnt have windows) got a little well.. funky. i realized it was the residue on the floor. eww. so, once i started the weekly good cleaning and the 2x weekly swipe with a cleaner wipe or something, it went away!

he's lucky he's so good at catching bugs and spiders.

[Ola_]

Hmm, I clean the bathroom every 1-2 weeks (usually closer to 2 than to 1 ) and it doesn't smell. We usually run the fan after showers but haven't been lately because we're in the process of removing the wallpaper in there anyway, lol. We do keep the door open though (there's no window). I'd try that with a babygate if you can.

[noobmom]

I agree leaving the door open would probably help a lot. I have a friend who installed some screen doors inside her house where she didn't want the kids to go. It works pretty well.

I would definitely install an exhaust fan, if you can. They're not terribly expensive, but you have to be a bit handy (and daring) to get up on the roof and cut the hole. But really every bathroom, especially one with a shower in it, should have an exhaust. With the door closed and no exhaust I'm amazed if you don't get mildew and mold all the time.

[jillyofthevalley]

We have a windowless powder room on the main floor that always smells a bit stale. Not of urine or anything like that, just stale, even after it's been cleaned. I had a package of scented floating candles that I never use but smell wonderful, even unlit. I just tossed a couple of them into a little basket with the soaps and lotion and it seems to have done the trick. The bathroom now smells like the candles. Kind of the same idea as using potpourri or the reed diffusers.