The Only Product You Will Ever Need to Lessen Embarrassing Bathroom Odors

Are you ready for some “real talk” today? Good, because we are going to get really personal—like, “foul bathroom odor” personal. Look, we’re not trying to make you gag here, but sometimes ducking into the restroom to go number 2 during a dinner party can lead to a seriously embarrassing situation!

That’s why we’re sharing some of our best, on-the-go DIY air freshener tips in hopes that you will never have to blame your host’s non-existent dog for the bad smell ever again. In a video clip from our friends at TODAY, they cover pretty much everything you would want to know about the unpleasant subject.

First things first: if you’re stuck in a bathroom without air freshener handy, you may have to set your morals aside for a moment and engage in some petty theft. Rifling through your host’s medicine cabinet to the get the products you need may feel a bit weird at first, but we promise they won’t mind, especially considering the alternative!

Once you have those cupboards open, look first for one – or all! – of these three common household products.

  1. Hairspray

    Similar to aerosol air fresheners like Febreze, hair sprays—especially the floral-scented ones—do a good job of masking pretty much any other smell that may be floating through the air. When in a bind, we think this tip is probably the most logical go-to, considering most people have a bottle sitting in their cabinets.

  2. Matches

    Even if you’re not a smoker, it sometimes makes total sense to carry around a book of matches with you. This time-honored technique has been around for centuries for a reason—it simply works! Just strike a match and let it burn for about 30 seconds. You’ll be amazed by how quickly the foul odor will recede.

  3. Hand Lotion

    TODAY recommends that you try smearing a bunch of scented lotion onto your hands and waving them around, effectively trapping the bad smells into the thick layer of cream (we think?!). Unsurprisingly, there seems to be very little literature on the technique, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work. Hey—last ditch efforts still count sometimes!

Kathie Lee closes the hilarious clip by making quite the strong plea. In regards to producing smelly stink bombs, she says, “if you’ve got to do all that, may I suggest that you please go to a doctor.”

The host is half-way kidding, of course, but she’s got a good point. Sure, everyone experiences a less-than-pleasant bathroom experience from time to time, but if this is a routine event for you, we completely agree with Kathie Lee.

According to Healthline, repeated experiences like these can be signs of anything from poor diet to ulcerative colitis to celiac disease, or even something more serious like pancreatitis. If you’re constantly on the hunt for air fresheners in the bathroom, it may be best to explore the root of the problem by visiting your doctor.

But, in the meantime, we suggest that you educate yourself on how to mask that smell. We actually think that some of these improvised air fresheners are pretty genius. Click on TODAY’s video below to learn about more options!

What do you think of the hand lotion technique? What is your favorite air freshener? Do you have any embarrassing bathroom stories? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!