Keeping the bathroom clean and odor free can be a real challenge, especially for families full of boys. While wiping the floor and toilet is an easy way to remove noticeable urine stains, sometimes it seeps into cracks, and the smell lingers. If you want to get rid of the pee smell once and for all, try this cheap shaving cream hack that will leave your bathroom smelling fresh.
How to Clean a Dirty Bathroom with Shaving Cream
For this hack, you’ll need white foam shaving cream. (Barbasol Original is a favorite and costs less than $2 at most stores.)
Squirt shaving cream on and around the toilet. If you have a satin or semigloss paint sheen on the wall, apply shaving cream to the wall surrounding the toilet. Use a soft bristle scrub brush to scrub the shaving cream, and then let it sit for at least ten minutes (longer for nasty odors.) Finally, use a damp mop or wet cloth to wipe it off the floor, toilet, and wall.
Note: If you have a matte, flat, or eggshell paint sheen on the wall, do a spot test first. The shaving cream may leave stains behind.
How Does Shaving Cream Remove Odors?
Shaving cream has ingredients similar to liquid soaps, lending to its ability to clean. Since most shaving creams don’t contain much water, their foamy consistency makes them ideal for penetrating tight spots and cracks, like around the toilet. Also, because shaving cream is thick and doesn’t run, users can spot clean dirty walls and other vertical surfaces.
Other Ways to Eliminate a Urine Smell in the Bathroom
If the shaving cream hack doesn’t work for you, try one of these other ways to eliminate urine smells in the bathroom.
Use a bio-enzymatic cleaner – Bio Enzymatic cleaners (mostly sold as pet stain and odor removers) contain bio enzymes that feed on organic matter, such as the bacteria in the urine. That’s why these products work so well on dog and cat pee. These cleaners are safe for almost any surface and can eliminate the source of the smell.
Steam clean the bathroom – Use a steam mop or steam cleaner to sanitize the toilet and the surrounding floor. (Ensure your floor is steam-clean-safe first, though.) The high heat can kill up to 99% of germs and bacteria and eliminate lingering odors.
Clean with vinegar – Mix half-white distilled vinegar and half water. Use it to clean the toilet seat and base. Then, wash the surrounding flooring and wall with the mixture. (Don’t use it on natural stone or wood, though. The acid content in the vinegar may damage these surfaces.)
