You can scrub the bowl every week and still notice a smell in the bathroom. Cleaning experts quoted by Tom’s Guide point to a spot most routines skip: the floor around the base of the toilet. Their fix is a spray bottle of white vinegar, a tip that Spanish-language media have been sharing widely this month.
In short
- Spray white vinegar on the base of the toilet and the floor around it.
- Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then wipe and scrub what’s left.
- The acid in vinegar neutralizes odors and breaks down water stains.
- If the smell keeps coming back, the problem may be under the toilet.
- Never mix vinegar with bleach, and keep it off natural stone floors.
Where the smell really hides
“It’s often the space between the base of the toilet and the floor that gets forgotten,” notes Tom’s Guide. That’s where splashes land, dry and build up. Plumbing company Rooter Plus explains that in homes where men stand or young children are learning, “splash-back contamination of these areas is virtually guaranteed.” Worse, urine can soak into grout: it “penetrates below the surface, where it crystallizes and harbors bacteria,” so a quick mop doesn’t reach it.
The tip has spread fast: the Spanish site OkDiario relayed it this month, and the English edition of El Cronista presents it as a way to reduce smells, help prevent moisture stains and make cleaning easier.
How to do it
- Spray plain white vinegar on the base of the toilet and the floor around it, without forgetting the back.
- Wait 10 to 15 minutes, the dwell time given by both Tom’s Guide and El Cronista.
- Wipe with a damp cloth or paper towel, then use a scrubbing brush on stubborn patches.
- Repeat often in a busy bathroom: Tom’s Guide suggests two to three times a week.
Why vinegar? According to Tom’s Guide, its acid “kills bacteria without harsh chemicals, while breaking down water stains and neutralizing odors.” A few drops of essential oil in the bottle can add a scent, the same article notes.
The limit
El Cronista is clear that the trick “does not replace a deep disinfection,” and it warns never to mix vinegar with bleach or other chemical products. Check your floor too: Molly Maid, quoted by Real Homes, warns about vinegar on stone floors: “Even diluted, it can etch natural stone.” On marble or travertine, use warm water and mild soap instead.
And if the smell comes back no matter what, vinegar isn’t the answer. Rooter Plus explains that when the wax ring under the toilet fails, urine “can seep underneath your toilet and become trapped against the subfloor,” and “the only solution is complete wax ring replacement.” For grout that already smells, the company recommends an enzymatic cleaner left on for at least 30 minutes.
The bathroom has other details worth knowing, like what the gap in public toilet seats is for. Inside the bowl, see what pouring vinegar into the toilet once a week does, or the shaving foam trick more and more people use.
A spray bottle, fifteen minutes and a cloth. That’s the trick.
