Odor management in a low-ventilation bathroom

September 7, 2021 3:45 AM

Our new apartment has a ventilation system that automatically extracts and circulates air in response to the humidity level. However, neither bathroom has a dedicated user-activated extraction fan or exterior window. This works fine for controlling moisture build-up but leaves few options for managing "interesting" smells that can occur in bathrooms used by humans and a cat. Aside from the obvious like leaving doors open as much as possible for air circulation, how can we best "freshen" the air in these bathrooms?

Note: We're in Ireland so looking for products that can be sourced locally or from the UK/EU. Anything that requires a power cord would be awkward due to building codes prohibiting standard power outlets from being installed inside wet rooms. I also have a pretty sensitive sense of smell so hoping for something that is odor-neutralizing rather than just layering a good smell on top of a bad one.

posted by 4rtemis to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

Sounds like a job for a small HEPA filter unit. Not sure what you could do without AC power at all though. I’m surprised at that building code, as GFCI outlets are standard in bathrooms everywhere I’ve ever been in the developed world, including Ireland as far as I recall. Maybe hotels get different codes?

The proper approach would be to put in an actual vent fan to the outside. I don’t think a whole house humidity control system fan substitute for the function of a vent can in a bathroom, at least one used for showering and baths. Where does the steam go, out into the main house/apartment? That’s a recipe for mold.

Barring a fan or filter your only choice is to mask smells.
posted by spitbull at 3:51 AM on September 7, 2021 [1 favorite]

I’ve lived in a small one bedroom apartment with my fiancé (as we both work from home) since March 2020 and lighting a candle as one enters the bathroom and then leaving it burning for a period after has saved our relationship.
posted by raccoon409 at 3:57 AM on September 7, 2021 [2 favorites]

Also for the same reasons GFCI outlets are required in wet rooms in much of the world, you do not want to plug a fan or filter in to a non-GFCI outlet and then put it in the bathroom with the cord running out. That IS an electric shock hazard.
posted by spitbull at 4:03 AM on September 7, 2021

Response by poster:

I’m surprised at that building code, as GFCI outlets are standard in bathrooms everywhere I’ve ever been in the developed world, including Ireland as far as I recall. Maybe hotels get different codes?

In the UK and IE, the only power outlets allowed in (household) bathrooms are special plugs for electric shavers. Otherwise they have to be outside the room or located far (3+ meters?) from any water source. Same thing for wall-mounted light switches.

I don’t think a whole house humidity control system fan substitute for the function of a vent can in a bathroom, at least one used for showering and baths. Where does the steam go, out into the main house/apartment? That’s a recipe for mold.

I think the unit ventilation is plumbed into a building-wide system—in any case the bathroom steam definitely does not vent directly into the rest of the apartment. Supposedly this whole-unit system is effective at reducing moisture accumulation without needing single-room ventilation fans. We'll see how it performs on that aspect over the next year of this lease—unfortunately it seems that olfactory issues weren't taken into consideration.
posted by 4rtemis at 5:21 AM on September 7, 2021

Doesn't fit your odour neutralisation criterion but poo-pourri also works by trapping smells and worked for us in a similar situation


"Buy Poo-pourri Before You Go Sprays | StressNoMore" Link
posted by Flitcraft at 6:10 AM on September 7, 2021 [4 favorites]

Is the whole unit fan activated by a humidistat in your bathroom? If so you could replace the single function humidistat with a manual override version that still turns on when humidity levels rise but can also be set to run (usually for a preselected time) when you press a button.
posted by Mitheral at 6:58 AM on September 7, 2021 [2 favorites]

Is the whole unit fan activated by a humidistat in your bathroom? If so you could replace the single function humidistat with a manual override version that still turns on when humidity levels rise but can also be set to run (usually for a preselected time) when you press a button.

Or, if it is an accessible humidistat, could you fool it with a wet washcloth or similar? I've done this with locked thermostats before.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:08 AM on September 7, 2021 [2 favorites]

Light a match, wait 5 seconds, blow it out. You don't even need the candle unless things are worse than usual, though a candle is pleasant.
Use a plant mist/sprayer aimed at the fan to create humidity.
posted by theora55 at 8:25 AM on September 7, 2021

The "before you go" sprays really work--as Flitcraft says, they trap the smells in the bowl so it never makes it out. I am in a tiny house with a tiny, poorly ventilated bathroom and 3-5 adults since March 2020 and when people actually remember to use the spray it's a massive difference.
posted by assenav at 8:37 AM on September 7, 2021

I use this in my bathroom to down on humidity and they help cut down on weird smells. I'm in the US but perhaps Amazon would ship to the EU?

Eva Dry Renewable Dehumidifier
posted by joeyjoejoejr at 9:36 AM on September 7, 2021

I moved into a new apartment with the same type of ventilation. After living there six months, I found that if I turned the light switch off and then back on really fast, the vent would kick on. I guess they're wired together? So, on-off-on, in quick succession. Hopefully this works for you too.
posted by smashface at 9:43 AM on September 7, 2021

The "before you go" sprays really work and subbing in a generic lemon-scented, pressurized-spray furniture polish (aka store-brand Lemon Pledge) works the same (creating a thin film on top of the toilet water) but costs much less. [DIY sprays (less-effective essential oil/alcohol mixes in pump spritzers) might better suit your sensitive sense of smell.]
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:14 PM on September 7, 2021 [1 favorite]

We use fire. Mostly incense sticks, because one of my housemates got a job lot somewhere.

Candles also work (though with higher fire risk).
posted by kjs4 at 6:48 PM on September 7, 2021