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I've started teaching at a school in Indonesia and found an arch-enemy of mine: naphthalene. People here use huge quantities in our flush toilets to suppress the smell.

I made the principals remove the naphthalene balls from the toilets. But now the question arises of what to do to get rid of the smell. (We have permanent temperatures of 30 °C and up.)

Any ideas?

unforgettableidSupportsMonica
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Qohelet
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  • Are they drop toilets (otherwise known as pit toilets) or flushing toilets? – Maxfield Solar Mar 19 '16 at 14:21
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    Flushing toilets, regular western style, but people tend to use a water-spraying device for the whole room sometimes to clean – Qohelet Mar 19 '16 at 15:38
  • The comment about lye was for drop toilets now that I know you have flush toilets I've deleted it. I know is a couple of oils you can drop into the toilet bowl before each use that work OK but I don't think that would work in your setting because each student should have to use it just before he used the toilet. Not only that but it would get pretty expensive at that scale. – Maxfield Solar Mar 19 '16 at 16:47
  • Difficult then... People here don't mind about the smell of chemicals apparently. How about natural Camphor? The synthetic one is directly next to the Naphthalene in the stores. You have an opinion about that? – Qohelet Mar 20 '16 at 17:16
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    Incense works quite well for me, also smoke is probably just as bad for you as naphthalene. – Ⴖuі Mar 21 '16 at 07:41
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    @Ⴖuі I wouldn't mind - but can you recommend a incense which I can purchase on Java? And as the children are still pretty young how to make sure they won't touch it or get bad ideas? – Qohelet Mar 22 '16 at 08:31
  • Please [edit] your comment answers into your question text. That should have all the information. Comments may disappear. –  Mar 23 '16 at 11:19
  • Recently I smelled Tea Tree Oil in a public bathroom. What is your opinion on that? A valid alternative? – Qohelet May 04 '17 at 15:41
  • @Qohelet: What's the ventilation situation in the bathroom? Are there any windows? Is there an exhaust fan? Attach some pieces of toilet paper, or some thin strips of writing paper, to a broom handle. Hold the broom handle way up near the exhaust fan. Does the paper move randomly? If so, the exhaust fan is probably still working. – unforgettableidSupportsMonica Aug 28 '23 at 08:58
  • I use diluted vinegar in a spray bottle for my compsting toilet, that seems to suppress the smell rather than going over the top of it. Tea tree oil is antibacterial so will either kill off some of the stink (flush toilet) or make it worse (pit toilet) – Móż Aug 30 '23 at 03:48

2 Answers2

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As I understand the smell is the problem. The naphthalene masks the smell but it too is a problem. So the issue is "How to reduce the smell". One answer is to cover it up. Anotehr answer is to dilute it.

When I worked in a school, we had a fly problem at some times of the year. We got a sprayer on a timer. It would emit a 1 second mist of fly spray every 10 minutes. One cartridge would last for weeks.

Substitute an air freshener (masking chemical scent) for the fly spray, and the same mechanism could work.

An even safer option would be to increase ventilation by increasing the air change speed in the room. Calculate how many hours you could run a 300 CFM fan on the price of one air freshener puck. This is solving the problem via dilution. The fan removes the smelly air from the bathroom, so that fresh outdoor air can enter.

If you have steady daytime breezes, there are wind powered ventilators you can mount on the roof. This saves power.

unforgettableidSupportsMonica
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Sherwood Botsford
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  • As said: The problem aren't insects. The issue is we just need something to cover the smell itself. A fan is not really what they need here also... – Qohelet Mar 23 '16 at 09:19
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    And the answer wasn't insects. It was the application of the insect technological solution to the problem. I have edited the solution to try ot make this clearer. As to fan: If you bring up the air change to the normal levels of 8-12 changes per hour you won't have much of a smell. – Sherwood Botsford Mar 24 '16 at 02:22
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Aren't the toilets flushed after every use? Are there water availability problems for they to remain unflushed?

Chlorine or deodorant tablets that are put in the water tank are what first come to mind.

javert
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