Smelly Bathroom? No More—A Cleaning Pro Shares How to Keep It Smelling Fresh

by | Jan 30, 2025 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

By: Kate Van Pelt

Bathroom tray with toiletries and candles
 Tfilm / Getty Images

Bathrooms are among the most frequently used spaces in any home, so it’s no wonder that they host a variety of unpleasant smells. These odors are often exacerbated by high moisture levels from the sinks, showers, tubs, not to mention what gets flushed down our drains.

Fortunately, keeping a bathroom smelling fresh is easier than one might expect. Simple, expert-approved tips like adding a dehumidifier and deep-cleaning your drains can help you not only reduce musty smells in your bathroom, but they’ll also help you keep the space clean.

Meet the Expert

Cara Palmer is an organization and decluttering expert and the founder of the home organization publication Organize Every Room.

Add a Little Baking Soda

It’s easy to cover up unpleasant odors with your favorite air freshener or a good old-fashioned bowl of potpourri, but did you know you can also absorb the bad smells?

Baking soda is a common natural cleaner, because it effectively breaks down grime and grease, but it can also soak up and neutralize bad smells. That said, one easy way to tackle icky odors in your bathroom is by place a little bowl or dish of baking soda on a bathroom shelf or in a cabinet.

Use a Small Dehumidifier

Dehumidifier in bathroom
 MarioGuti / Getty Images

Thanks to sinks, showers, and bathtubs, bathrooms often have higher moisture levels than other areas of the home. Unfortunately, this can also create mold, mildew, and by extension musty, stinky odors. To address this common problem, consider adding a small dehumidifier to your bathroom.

“Excess moisture creates an environment for mold and mildew, often the hidden culprits behind persistent bathroom odors,” says Cara Palmer, founder of the home organization publication Organize Every Room. “I recommend placing it in a corner away from water sources and emptying it regularly.”

Incorporate Plants to Purify Air

Another great trick to help rid your bathroom of foul smells is to add a few houseplants. It may seem unusual, but research has shown that some plants are able to remove certain pollutants from the air and even transform them into nutrients. Some of the best air-purifying houseplants include spider plants, snake plants, peace lilies, and more.1

Clear Your Bathroom Drains

Bathroom drains encounter a lot of gunk and grime every single day. Consequently, if your bathroom smells bad, your drains may be the culprit.

Solving this problem is simpler than one might assume. In fact, Palmer says baking soda and vinegar are all that’s needed to clean your drains.

“Pour a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar down the drains, followed by hot water after 15 minutes,” she says. “This prevents the buildup of biofilm, that slimy layer of bacteria that can cause persistent unpleasant odors even in clean-looking bathrooms.”

Improve the Air Flow in Your Bathroom

Bathroom with beige tiles and window
 Image Source / Getty Images

Since high moisture levels can itensify stinky bathroom odors, addressing moisture can help reduce unpleasant smells.

If your bathroom has a window, open it up to ventilate the space when the weather permits or add a standing fan occasionally to help promote air flow. Personally, I like to run my bathroom fan often to air out the room. Little habits like these will help lower the moisture level in your bathroom and keep it smelling fresh.

Incorporate Charcoal Bags

Just as with baking soda, charcoal is another ingredient often used to absorb unpleasant odors. In fact, breathable bags of activated charcoal are one of Palmer’s go-to tools for banishing bad smells.

“They’re my secret weapon for managing bathroom odors naturally,” she says. “I place them strategically behind toilets and inside cabinets.”

According to Palmer, charcoal bags are also a cost-effective means of reducing odors in your bathroom, because you can reactivate them by setting them in direct sunlight once a month. If you keep up this habit, they should continue to absorb smells for up to two years.

Add Candles and Essential Oils

Woman using DIY air freshener spray
 Adene Sanchez / Getty Images

If you’re trying to introduce some pleasant aromas into your bathroom quickly, maybe for an overnight guest or a dinner party, there are plenty of quick tricks you can use.

Candles are a great option to add some fragrance and improve the general aesthetics in your bathroom. For my own bathroom, I prefer to use candles with fragrances found in nature, such as pine or juniper.

If you’d prefer something a little more discreet, consider essential oils. You can create your own DIY air freshener, or Palmer suggests placing a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus essential oils on the inside of your toilet paper roll.

Clean Regularly

Many of the foul odors found in a bathroom originate from mold and mildew growth, clogged drains, dirty toilet bowls, and more. Fortunately, all of these issues can be remedied with a simple and frequent cleaning routine.

Most experts suggest cleaning your bathroom on a weekly basis. Your weekly bathroom cleaning regimen shouldn’t take more than 15 to 20 minutes, but I recommend implementing some daily cleaning habits as well. For example, I try to wipe down my own bathroom sink and countertop and hang my damp towels to dry on a daily basis.

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