Don't Let Bathroom Odor Kill Valentine's Day Romance

Roses are red, violets are blue, your poo stinks, but your bathroom doesn’t have to! There’s nothing less romantic than bringing your sweetheart home after a special Valentine’s dinner only to have unpleasant bathroom odors sabotage your post-date plans. In the small, damp confines of a tiny bathroom, air can get stale pretty quickly. Add in a post-meal emergency stop at the toilet, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for some seriously unpleasant scents. Good news: with just a few preventive measures, you can keep you bathroom smelling fresh and romance-friendly.

1. Let the air flow. Yes, it’s February, so much of the country resembles the frozen tundra, which can make opening a window pretty chilly. Even so, it’s worth cracking a window (assuming you have one) for a few hours midday to let some fresh air in. Turn on the overhead fan and leave the bathroom door open so the fresh air circulates. Bonus: improving bathroom circulation will not only freshen stale air, but also rid your room of unpleasant humidity that can cause mildew to grow. 
2. Keep the necessities at hand. When a bathroom emergency strikes, there’s no time to be fumbling for scented candles to cover your tracks. Keep a book of matches handy by the toilet and a bottle of air freshener at the ready. Bonus: stock other handy must-haves, like a bottle of hygienic cleansing lotion, near the toilet for easy access.
3. Let your towels breathe. The only thing worse than the unpleasant odor that accompanies a case of fiery poops? Walking into a bathroom and being overwhelmed by its musty, moldy odor. The culprit: damp towels that fail to properly dry. Your solution: air ‘em out. Don’t scrunch your towels up on a hook by the door. Use a towel rack with enough width to fully spread them out.
4. Wash regularly. Finally, remember that in a moist environment, it’s inevitable that towels will start to acquire a lingering odor. Wash all towels, washcloths and bath mats once a week. If your towels already have a lingering odor, run them through a washer cycle with half a cup of white vinegar at the highest heat setting, before completing a regular wash. The vinegar will help eliminate the odor.
5. Add scent. If your bathroom has a funky odor that just can’t be beat, opt for an automatic air freshener to neutralize the scent. Automatic air freshener plugins use motion sensor technology to automatically release a concentrated burst of air freshening fragrance when anyone enters the room.