Why does my house smell bad after taking a shower?
A persistent foul odor appearing specifically after showering can linger in the home even after standard drain cleaning fails to provide a permanent fix. Finding the root cause is necessary to permanently resolve the lingering smell and stop it from returning.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 10.0× more often in r/Plumbing than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Cleaning the drain with vinegar and baking sodaDid this help you?
- 2Opening windows for a cross breezeDid this help you?
- 3Simmering water on the stove with herbs like rosemary or mintDid this help you?
- 4Placing open boxes of baking soda around the houseDid this help you?
- 5Wiping down window sills with vinegarDid this help you?
- 6Pouring hot water into all drains and flushing every toiletDid this help you?
- 7Running fans, changing air filters, and simmering citrus peels with spicesDid this help you?
- 8Planning to re-route the pipe until a way to get it to the roof can be foundDid this help you?
- 9Checking pipes with an inspection endoscope for potential blockagesDid this help you?
- 10Pouring water down the washer drainDid this help you?
- 11Adding a teaspoon of mineral oilDid this help you?
- 12Using bleachDid this help you?
- 13Opening up the wallDid this help you?
- 14Calling a plumberDid this help you?
- 15Using a silicone mat cover over the drainDid this help you?
- 16blaming drain tablets and cheap body washDid this help you?
- 17checking the city water reportDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“friend stayed the night and at like 7am she walks out of the bathroom like she found a crime scene. "why does it smell like a public pool in there"”source ↗
“the steam just hangs with that chlorine hotel-pool thing and suddenly i cant unsmell it.”source ↗
“been blaming the drain tablets and that cheap body wash for months like an idiot”source ↗
“pulled the city water report after and they dose the chlorine pretty hard this season which. great. so every shower is basically a tiny pool day and my kid already started asking if we can "go somewhere that doesnt smell weird"”source ↗
“anyone else get called out by a guest like this or am i just late noticing”source ↗
“however now when we shower, we get a rancid sewer smell.”source ↗
“My dad thinks it's our sewer vent, which i agree, as it's directly beneath the shower, rather than through the roof.”source ↗
“There’s been a sewage gas smell since I bought my new construction home. It occurs after I shower but smells in the washer area (they are back to back).”source ↗
“None of it worked so we opened up the wall and called a plumber out.”source ↗
“My fiancé and I recently bought our house and we’ve noticed that the drain has a smell occasionally and bugs come out of it. I’m unsure of how to fix it. Is this something that I can fix myself or should I just call a plumber?”source ↗
“We left home for a 10 day trip, and when we got back, noticed the house smelled....weird.”source ↗
“But, now, the house still smells like it did right when we got home 3 days ago, just a little better.”source ↗
“Any tips on getting lingering odors to go away?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 7How to get rid of strong Fabuloso smell in the house
- 4Why does my hall closet smell like cat pee on certain days?
- 9Why does a spoiled food smell linger even after cleaning?
- 19Why does my house smell like cat urine when there is no visible mess?
- 6How to get skunk smell off a pet