You cleaned the bathroom and it still smells. That’s frustrating, and it usually means the smell isn’t coming from a surface you can scrub. In Florida, bathroom smells usually come from moisture, a drain, or the toilet. The kind of smell tells you where to look.
Musty or Mildew Smell
Bathrooms are the most humid rooms in the house. A musty smell usually means moisture is hanging around longer than it should.
- The exhaust fan isn’t doing its job. Run it during every shower and for at least 20 to 30 minutes after. If it’s weak or noisy, have it checked.
- Wet towels, bath mats and shower curtains. Hang them to dry and wash them often.
- A slow leak. Check under the sink, around the toilet base, and the wall behind the shower. Soft drywall, loose tiles, peeling paint or stains near the floor are warning signs.
- Mold in grout, caulk or the ceiling. See how to clean shower mold, bathroom ceiling mold and pink mold in the bathroom.
Run the AC to keep humidity down. If the musty smell stays after cleaning, or you see signs of a leak, we offer a free visual inspection with moisture readings and an infrared (thermal) camera to look for water hidden behind tile and walls. Lab testing is separate if it’s needed. Florida licenses: Mold Assessor MRSA4035, Mold Remediator MRSR4158.
Sewer or Rotten-Egg Smell
- A dry drain trap. Guest bathrooms and showers that don’t get used can dry out and let sewer gas in. Run water for a minute in every sink, tub and shower.
- A failing toilet seal. If the smell is strongest at the base of the toilet, or the toilet rocks, the wax ring may need replacing.
- A vent or drain line problem. Call a plumber if refilling the traps doesn’t fix it.
If you have gas appliances and the smell is rotten-egg or skunky, rule out a gas leak first: get out and call your gas company or 911 from outside.
Urine Smell Around the Toilet
A urine smell that won’t go away is often coming from grout around the toilet, the floor under the toilet base, or the bottom of the wall behind it. Scrub the grout with an enzyme cleaner, clean behind and under the toilet rim and hinges, and reseal or regrout if the smell stays. If a pet uses the bathroom, see pet urine smell.
Drain Smell
Hair, soap and toothpaste build up inside sink and shower drains and can smell sour or musty. Remove the stopper, clear the buildup and clean the drain.
When the Smell Has Spread Beyond the Bathroom
If the smell is only in the bathroom, fixing the source is usually all you need. But if the bathroom sits near the AC return, or a leak has gone on for a while, the smell can spread through the home. Once the source is fixed and dry, our whole-home odor removal treatment treats the air throughout the entire home, including one AC system and an attached garage. You’ll be out for about 8 hours. It’s an odor treatment only, so leaks, mold and plumbing problems have to be fixed first.
Smell somewhere else in the house? See our smell-by-smell guide.
Whole-Home Odor Removal in South Florida: $997
Our Whole-Home Odor Removal Treatment is $997 and includes one AC system ($550 for each additional AC unit). You can buy and schedule it online, or call 877-224-2532 to request a free visual inspection. We answer 24/7; when you call, we’ll tell you honestly when a technician can be there based on that day’s schedule. Hablamos español.
About the author: James Rice-Peña is the owner of FL Cleanup and a Florida-licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA4035) and Mold Remediator (MRSR4158). He has worked in property restoration in South Florida since 2012, and FL Cleanup has earned 200+ five-star Google reviews.
