Dealing With A Clean Stinky Toilet? Possible Reasons And Remedies...

What is that stench coming from your toilet? If you consistently notice a stink coming from your toilet, even after a thorough cleaning, there are a few different things that you can check. Once you find the cause of the smell, you can treat it to get rid of it.

Mold in the Toilet Tank

While you were cleaning the toilet, did you think to clean the toilet tank as well? It is likely that the unpleasant smell is coming from mold or mildew in the tank.

Remedy: Take the time to thoroughly clean your toilet tank.  Maintain a clean tank by cleaning it at regular intervals. This is safer for your toilet than using bleach tablets regularly.

Poor Wax Ring Seal

The terrible smell may be from a damaged seal at the base of your toilet. If the wax ring is not sealed properly, water and gasses from the sewer may find their way into your bathroom. To determine whether your problem arises from a bad seal, see if your toilet leaks or rocks. The smell will resemble that of rotten eggs.

Remedy: If you have a poor seal, you will need to replace your toilet wax ring. If you are uncomfortable doing this, or if you suspect that there is any damage to your pipes below the ground, call a professional for help.

Low Water Level in the Bowl

If your toilet bowl has low water levels, you may have smells coming into your bathroom from the sewer. Your water levels may be too low if water has evaporated out of your bowl due to minimal flushing. Children or pets may be the cause of low water levels if they are able to access the bowl.  If neither of these are the cause, you may have an internal crack in your toilet that allows the water to slowly seep out.

Remedy: Try flushing your toilet at least once every other day and see if that helps you maintain regular water levels. Keep your bathroom door closed so that pets and young children cannot displace the water. If you continue to have low water after taking these precautions, you are likely dealing with an internal crack and will need to replace your toilet.

If you take all of these preventative measures and are still stumped as to the cause of the smell coming from your toilet, you may want to call a plumber so that he can make sure the smell isn't coming from pipe damage below your toilet. Plumbers are a great resource for anything that can be wrong with your pipes, so never hesitate to give them a call.

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