apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

All joking aside---lighting a match is an easy, cheap way to "burn up" an odor. Most so-called "air-fresheners" just add more particulates to the air. A burning match actually burns up those gas-encased odor-causing molecules. Simple science. Really!

There are some odor-neutralizing sprays that actually bond to the odor molecules, but you cannot buy these products in the grocery store. You must get them from a janitorial-sanitation products company.

I often use this as a quick cleaning op. I get the Murphy's oil soap and do the wood floor, clean the toilet, or just spray some 7th generation cleaner in the toilet or sink, or clean the counter. Quick, keeps residue from building up. Love the Flylady's shiny sink philosophy. Bathroom odors are a pet peeve of mine. Living with three guys in my family, I do a lot of quick touch ups. No offense to the cleanies of the male population!

Oh, and I do use the ventilator fan too. And candles if we're having company. Natural scented ones. I'm allergic to so many chemicals and perfumes, I stick to natural vanilla and cinnamon.

Love the mask, Lord Vader. I have the same one. It gave me a chuckle.

Light matches. It's the fastest way to cover up the odor. Lighting a candle can help, but it takes longer. I hate sprays; they are usually gross smelling so it's just adding another bad smell to the room.

Like Cara, I use homemade air freshener made with cheap vodka (thanks, Aristocrat!) and essential oils. Also a killer ventilation fan.

I'd much rather smell people smells. Even natural air fresheners just make the room smell like whatever was already smelly plus whatever smelliness is added. Yuck.

People smell. Just deal with it.

Strike a match!

Does anyone have suggestions for getting the "damp" smell out of a bathroom?

I live in Hong Kong where it's really humid, and I try to ventilate my bathroom as much as possible, but there's definitely always this distinct dampness smell.

Matches, definitely. Air fresheners are a joke and a waste of money. They just add another layer of funk to a funky situation.

Engill, you might try something like Damp-Rid ( I think that's the name of it). But make sure you pull your shower curtain across the tub so it's opened up all the way so the curtain can dry out. As dumb as that sounds, it has helped in past situations. And if you don't have access to the damp-rid stuff, baking soda works as well, just leave a bowl of it out like you would in your fridge. Good luck!

As my bathroom lacks a ceiling fan, I find opening the window for a few minutes does the trick.

My husband, who is half Japanese, introduced me to the magic of One Drop - it really does seem to *prevent* smell dramatically. It smells slightly like lemongrass. We don't have either a fan or a window in our WC AND it's right off the kitchen, so it's necessary!

I grew up using matches, which work until you drop them in.

We either go with our ventilation fan or air fresheners. Matches are out of the question since they have sulfur to them and I'm allergic. If we plan to have company, I just try to place some kind of candle in there to burn (the one currently is sun dried raspberry smelling).

Matches, all the way. We use the big kitchen ones, kept inside a cute decorative tin on a shelf above the commode.

I used to hate air sprays too until I discovered the citrus ones which really do their job well without creating an odor you merely start to associate with the odor you're masking. I can only find the good ones at health food stores, though, since mass markets don't seem to carry ones that work as well. I am afraid that I am slowly coating the bathroom tiles though. Also the reason I haven't tried those drops - I would assume they give your toilet bowl quite a coating of gunk.

So, using matches, the room smells of burnt matches instead of natural human odour?

My office mates are very attached to their air freshener sprays. I frequently have to hold a towel over my nose and mouth if I step into the office restroom because they use so much air freshener that I can actually taste the stuff in the air. ugh. I wish they'd just use matches.

I find I'm more irritated by the smell of sulfur after a match than I was beforehand.

smell begone (citrus) works great. you can only smell a light, citrus smell afterward.

Air fresheners are putting even more unnecessary oils and chemicals into your lungs -- nasty. They are going to find out the health implications eventually...

I prefer ventilation. Clean air and sunlight.

Well air fresheners do put unnecessary stuff into the air that you do wind up breathing but so do matches.