Smelly grout

13 years ago

I'm posting on this side because it's not an on-topic question. I've posted on cleaning and flooring, too, but no responses to my dire and urgent question.

I have been noticing a scent from the main bathroom. An unpleasant scent. It's not all the time, and it's not heinous, but I smell it, especially if the door has been shut (which is rare since this is the main bath). No matter how much I scrub in there, I can't get rid of it.

I asked the man at the plumbing store, and he suggested it might be the 'p' trap in the sink; gasses can get backed up in there. Well, it's not a sewer smell, it's urine. So, I mentioned to MIL and she said her DH's bathroom has that problem too...we've come to the conclusion it's an aim issue.

So I've scrubbed & disinfected the grout around the toilet area, now I want to seal it to prevent it from seeping in. But all the sealers seem to say they help protect from stains, but don't mention that they're waterproof. Should grout be waterproof? How can I get this clean once and for all? I tried Febreeze, but it's not working. Maybe a urine treatment? I'm soo open to suggestions!!

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Comments (7)

golddust
13 years ago
Bleach then seal it with grout sealer... Who in the heck decided tall men should stand and pee into a short toilet, anyway?
dilly_dally
13 years ago
This has been discussed on the Cleaning Forum. Many found good results by removing the tank and cleaning between the tank and the bowl unit. It seems that liquid can get trapped there and create a stench when dried. It may not be coming from your grout.
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Hi I have been reading for some time. I have a cleaning service and they all complain about the smell. I don't think that it works that well and it is way too $$$ for the end result. I agree with the liquid soap or the body wash as you will never have any soap scum. Hard water is a something else and is a problem unto itself. The grout in the 50's was great. You should see the $40,000 bathrooms which I clean and the grout is just falling out. The tiled shower floors are the worst and they have had to take down the ceilings in the floors below due to mold. I know that they have a pan below the tile but each family has 3 and 4 teenage boys that shower an hour at a time 2 and 3 times a day. They replace their water heaters every few years also. In my last home I had self cleaning glass in the showers. You just hosed it down and what ever the glass was treated with just sheeted and there was not a water drop to be seen. You did have to hose it down. I went back to try for this house and they were either out of business or had moved. I am still in contact with the buyers of my former home and they are still enchanted with the shower doors. I wish I had them here. Steve
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runninginplace
13 years ago
I was going to say the same thing Dilly did. Please try doing what she suggested--I had the same problem, it drove me crazy. When we finally cleaned between the tank and bowl presto, problem solved. My husband also used some clear silicone and sealed the area where the tank and bowl met. No more odor and it's been years now.

Ann
spring-meadow
13 years ago
You are correct, sealers help with staining but grout is supposed to breathe. Vapor transmission is part of how the tiling system works. I would think clorox would seep through the grout to kill the bacteria. Maybe try some Nature's Miracle too.

Before taking the toilet apart, try spraying a cleaning solution into the crack between the tank and bowl. Clorox Cleanup, say. Slip a flat paper towel in there and move it around to absorb the dissolved urine that's gotten back there. Just keep floating a clean paper towel between the two units to pull the fluid out. You'll see when the towel comes out clean. Do that under the base of the toilet too if there's an open space (not caulked). Stuff can seep under there too. Cover all bases, lol. It really helps when there's a lingering odor.

I will never understand, lol.
neetsiepie
Original Author
13 years ago
Hmmm, ok, I'll try these things. I used the steamer on that section, but maybe I'll try slipping a paper towel in there.

I talked to a woman at the pet store who said there was a pet odor product they sold and it got raves, so I might try that, too. I don't have this problem in our en suite...we have an elongated bowl that is ADA height in there. Maybe that is why, huh? ;>
spring-meadow
13 years ago
Maybe that's Nature's Miracle she was referring to. It's supposed to be 'the best' product out there for pet odors.

Above, I meant to clarify that, yes, the sealers don't waterproof the grout. (It needs to breathe. They're used for stain resistance.)
housewitch
13 years ago
I would highly recommend getting a small hand-held black light, available at most pet stores. A few waves of the black light over the surfaces in your darkened bathroom should show you exactly where the problem is - if it is indeed an aim issue. You can then use Nature's Miracle or one of the other enzyme cleaning products on the lit-up areas.

I do this in my young son's bathroom to make sure I'm getting everything clean. Small boys have terrible aim. And, sadly, I've sometimes found that the grown men who use our powder room during parties don't do much better.

Smelly grout

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golddust

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Smelly grout

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