Yep, open a window.

Years ago, Suzieque, someone on GW said that those perfumy sprays meant to cover unpleasant scents smell like "someone sh** in the roses." I always remember that because it was so funny, and I agree!

We use Febreze Spring Renewal scent. I used to use matches but my husband doesn't like that. I'd be interested to use an unscented one. I've tried a bunch of different Febreze scents and the Spring Renewal scent is the only one that actually works and doesn't just smell like you sh** in the flowers...

Open a window.

I agree with those of you to say to simply open a window. Please know that we live in New England and opening a window isn't a good solution for the whole year round. Once we open them in about May, they stay open until about October. But ... it's the "closed windows" winter months that make me want to toss my cookies because of the vile "odor coverer", which, IMO ,simply adds a perfume to a bad smell.

Have I just been lucky? I've always had bathrooms with good exhaust fans vented to outside and bathroom windows that open with the strength of two fingers. Slightly open the window if feeling its necessary, set the fan timer on 5 minutes, close the door again on the way out. Nothing lingering to offend.

Windows and exhaust fans are not always a possibility. I have no windows in my 2 bathrooms on inside walls and an extremely poor ventilation system for the so called 'exhaust' fan (thank you whoever designed this condominium building 40 years ago). We occasionally use Poo Pourri and it really, really works. I do not like artificial fragrances, but there are occasions when people are here that it makes better sense than the "real" bathroom odor penetrating to the living and dining room. And I find that one squirt in the bowl does the trick and then its flushed down. Not as offensive to my nose.

In our neck of the woods, all baths are required to be vented. We have an air recirculation system which recaptures heat/cool in the exhausted air. We have a button on the wall we press and it runs the exhaust fan for 15 min and turns off automatically. Works like a champ.

Not everyone has a window in the toilet area of the bathroom! Many houses don't have exhaust fans either. This is an older house that doesn't have an exhaust fan. I don't like the scent spray either. The drops work with out making the room scented.

Exhaust fan.

Well, since my sh*t doesn't stink...

Just kidding, we use the exhaust fan. :)

None of my bathrooms have windows. I make my own candles and they work. I use a very heavily scented candle in SOs favorite bathroom,as he hides in there and smokes and he thinks i cant smell it. :/ Even unscented candles remove the odor, so you don't need to have a scented candle if you don't like fragrance.

Also, unscented febreeze works well and quickly.

I've never used anything or done anything, but would use the bathroom exhaust fan if necessary. DGS once mistook my atomizer bottle of Joy for an air freshener...phew!

For those that like matches try these.

I was given some of them a few years ago.

Potpourri Scented Incense Matches For a Quick Burst of Fragrance Set of 3 Match Books https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0182OM1NE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xwjNAbJ09DAJT

A good exhaust fan.

I have a question, do those poo pourri things have a fragrance?

For anyone interested there are recipes for diy poo pourri on line using essential oils.

another vote for the VIPOO spray before you go....lemony scent,and it really works!

I don't recall my parents or grandparents ever using a product. My grandfather would have laughed. For years we used an outhouse when we visited them, and when we finally had the comfort of indoor plumbing, I don't think he or my grandmother thought to buy something.

My apartment has a bathroom exhaust fan, which I use primarily to exhaust air after a hot shower so it doesn't condense all over the mirror.

Just looked up that Medi-Aire Biological Odor Eliminator. It seems to be just ethanol. So if you like it and prefer unscented, it might be cheaper to put vodka in a spray bottle. http://catfiles.twinmed-dev.com/MSDS/PDFS/005-827018A.pdf

With the age of my house, I almost feel lucky there is a bathroom at all. Old fire insurance maps show where the outhouses were....There's no exhaust fan, but I'm willing to stand in the bathtub to reach the little window. I'll open it spring, summer, autumn, or winter. Ya just haveta, ya know?

ritamay they can have a fragrance. It can be natural, strong smelling dried flowers, wood, spices and herbs, or man made, either essential oils or chemical scents such as perfumes or colognes that are soaked into the dried material. Without the fragrance they are simply for décor and not for neutralizing scent.

Lysol. Glade Renuzit solids.

Any of the anti-bacterial sprays, such as Lysol or Oust. The trick is, spray it into the bowl. Once you have flushed, then spray. It creates a barrier that traps odor in the water. People make the mistake of spraying the air. That's not where the odor originates. Spray the site of origin. Then, if you feel the need, you can give a quick spray to the room. Problem solved.

Poo-Pourri. It really works. It’s really a scented oil type spray that you spray on the surface of the toilet before using. I carry a small bottle when we travel since most hotel rooms are pretty close quarters. And of course an exhaust fan.

Raven, my house was built in 1955, the bathrooms are original and they have exhaust fans. Good fans. And windows, which I understand not every bathroom does. I was at my SIL's this morning and neither of her baths have natural light, let alone windows that open. And it's a lovely house.

My former house had been built in 1926, but the baths had been admittedly remodeled ;0)

A lot of bathrooms don't have windows. And some exhaust fans don't work, if at all.

We do have a window, and when winter is over, it's open until the heat of summer and humidity then it stays closed.

We use Just A Drop. One drop is literally all it takes. They come in eucalyptus and floral. I don't like the floral, at the end it just smells like flowery poo.

We don't use sprays of any kind.

Matthias, maybe I should just take a swig of that vodka and forget spraying!

We have no fans in our bathrooms, wish we did.

0-Odor (zero-odor). No fragrance. Odor eliminator spray.

You can find it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Non working exhaust fans are inexpensive to replace. For owned homes that are detached or only partially attached, with access to an attic through which to route ducting to the outside, or to an exterior wall, exhaust fans are not usually not difficult or expensive to install.

Can't have an exhaust fan in my first floor bath - believe me, I tried - it's not possible.

I love the smell of Agraria room spray. I prefer either the Bitter Orange or Lemon Verbena. My favorite is one that is only carried at the White Company's UK stores - no one can tell me why. It's a ridiculous price to ship, so when I go, I buy multiple bottles and switch it back and forth with the much easier to find Agraria (which I can sometimes even find on eBay).

The bath without a window.... exhaust fan plus candle.

If you're absolutely sure a ducted exhaust fan is not possible, a duct-free charcoal filter fan will absorb odors. You can install it near any light switch for power take off. However, it can't be used to remove humidity during shower.

In most situations, a good exhaust fan works best. Adjusting toilet to add more water to bowl also helps.

I use (just a drop). It really works

We used to keep Unicorn Gold around when we all shared one bathroom with no fan. It was a miracle from God. I'm pretty sensitive to fragrances. This one didn't bother me.

Thank you all. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I do prefer no scent at all (and I laughed at the couple of comments above about Sh*trus and flowery poo, etc. Yup - that's what this vile Glad stuff does).

I'll look into the suggestions.

We don’t care for sprays, either. We mostly don’t do anything. For the most part, it’s just DH and me, occasionally with college age step-son breezing through, so it’s fortunately not a big deal. On occasion we will ask each other if it’s “safe to go in there” and it not, we use another bathroom. ;)

Lysol if you use if you don't over do it. A burnt match does the trick too. Those are my go two. At work we have no window or at home...but at work we have a timer for the fan, you can do 10-60 minutes.

BTW we are a "one bathroom house". House built in the 1800s, one bathroom only, and it's on the first floor/living area. The odors can be quite pervasive .....

I am wondering if some people's digestive systems -- or diets -- cause more flatulence or stronger-smelling stools. No one in my family evidently had this condition, but DS says DGS can literally 'make a stink'.

Could strong odors indicate a digestive disorder? Is advertising creating a 'problem' where none was thought to exist for decades?

When I was teaching, we shared a single, tiny, ventless bathroom with 10 women and whenever someone had to go, they sprayed liberally with Lysol afterwards. It was awful - I would breathe it in and could literally taste it in my mouth for hours. A stinky bathroom isn't pleasant but it's better than Lysol-mouth!

chisue in reading the comments I have wondered the same thing. Almost everyone occasionally eats something that will make their BM smell but having a smelly BM every day is odd and could suggest a health problem.

I personally just like a nice smelling bathroom, even though it's just me. I have this little battery operated thing with a fan that puts out a scent. I just love scents.

Well I tried what someone suggested - spraying the air freshener, in my case Lysol, directly into the toilet bowl before. It worked! Same as Chi's past experience, I usually spray Lysol all around and it falls on me and I breathe it in, ugh.

I use Lysol at home and keep Poo-pourri at work.

May I suggest plants. Lavender, or mint. Both keep spiders and other bugs at bay too.

I believe the odor is caused by the food group and your individual digestive system. Yes, there are some conditions like untreated celiac disease that may cause odor, but for the most part, it's a combination of food and bacteria.

Chemo can cause foul smelling stools.

Iron supplements may.

Off topic: what does your pee smell like after eating asparagus?

Yes, what you eat will definitely affect stool odor. Awhile back there was a british program on tv, "You Are What You Eat" where she'd do a diet makeover on people who were overweight with lousy diets. As part of her thing, she'd do a stool sample analysis. She would say that while it will have some smell, it shouldn't send anyone running and screaming from the bathroom if the person is eating a healthy diet.

Diet will also affect the amount of flatulence. I remember awhile back that the mythbusters did a test on that by changing Jamie's diet and they collected all the gas and measured it. Things like high fiber foods and esp bean and cabbages made a lot more gas. When his diet was low in fiber and high in protein, much less so.

I've always been suspicious of the things you put on the water though, as once the stool is below the water line, there should be no more odor. After all that's why they have traps in drains. The trap stays full of water and blocks sewer gases from getting back into the room. So if they work, it must be that they generate a pleasant odor from the water surface that helps mask other smells.

Thanks again, everyone. For those of you that spray Lysol or equivalent directly into the bowl, do you spray before "going", after going but before flushing, or immediately after flushing? Seems that the responses above differ a bit about that.

I have a spritzer with vinegar/distilled water with a few drops of essential oil added in the bathroom for guests to use. Whatever makes visitors feel comfortable lol.

I buy this at Amazon, kills all odors even cat box. Odors begone