Why You May Want To Leave A Pack Of Matches In Your Bathroom

Going to the bathroom is a daily part of life, but there's no denying that it can be embarrassing when the bathroom ends up smelling less than pleasant. Amongst the DIY remedies that will leave your bathroom smelling fresh, one that is rumored to have an odor-dispersing effect is lighting a match. The idea is to simply light a couple of matches, let the flame burn for a few seconds, and then shake the matches or blow them out to extinguish the flame. Ensure the flame is thoroughly extinguished before you put the match in the trash to avoid a fire risk.

The way this hack supposedly works is that the sulfur oxides that form when you strike a match will react with the gases created by your toilet trip and essentially smother any smells. However, the reality is that it's much more likely to be the smoky scent a match naturally produces than any particular science-related reason that rids your bathroom of any embarrassing odors.

Jo Døhl, head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oslo, shared his thoughts on the situation with ScienceNorway. "The smoke masks the smell just like the different perfumed products people leave around in their bathrooms," Døhl stated. Basically, a match won't do any more than spraying some air freshener would in terms of banishing a bad smell. 

This doesn't mean that you can't try it out, more so that lighting a match isn't inherently any better at disguising bad bathroom smells. Additionally, it definitely could be considered a waste of a match if you don't also plan to light a candle in your bathroom, which we do recommend, as it will help to distract from any lingering scents. It's best to light a candle before you do your business and let it sit for some time so the scent can properly disperse. 

Now you know the scientific reason behind why a match is thought to mask bad smells, the true question is if it's really worth investing in a pack for your bathroom. Matches are an inexpensive purchase compared to other scent maskers, and the fact that you (hopefully) won't have to use them every day means a pack should last a while. On the whole, this trick to get rid of bad bathroom smells will probably work on smaller-scale odors. 

It won't cause any harm if you try it out so long as you dispose of the burnt match properly, and it's definitely worth trying if you have nothing else to quickly banish stubborn bathroom odors after a toilet trip. However, using an air freshener would work just as well and also be less wasteful — and you probably won't have to deal with confused guests wondering why the bathroom has a smoky scent.