Why do Public Toilets Have an Offensive Bad Odour?

Toilets are the most common places where we experience a foul smell if repetitively used and not maintained properly. This is where we get rid of our body’s toxic impurities in the form of urine and stool. As washrooms are used repetitively, in public toilets, the remnants of urine are still in the toilet. With time, an odour develops, which is very unpleasant and unhygienic to inhale. A chemical reaction is involved behind this foul smell, which can be reduced by immediately washing or flushing with water. It also helps to regularly treat the toilets with acidic substances to kill the development of germs.

Briefing the Content

Urine is the major excretory product of any living organism. The composition of urine depends on the water intake of an organism. According to different animal species, urine is usually a liquid or semi-solid material composed of urine or uric acid. In the case of human beings, as they consume enough water, the urine excreted will be in the form of liquid with a combination of urea, excess salts and other toxic materials of the body.

Kidneys are the only excretory organs of the human body. They contain nephrons that help filter the water and other circulatory materials of the body. It is here that, urine is formed by the filtration of blood plasma into the nephron. Urine is continuously collected into the kidneys, draining out all the water from the body. 

If less water is consumed, the body becomes dehydrated. The consumption of water varies from place to place and season to season. According to the temperatures and climatic conditions, the body’s water requirement varies. Accordingly, the function of the kidneys also changes. 

Since the body temperature is cool and we do not consume much water during winters, kidneys do not put much effort. However, during summers, when the body temperature is high, the body needs more water to maintain the optimum temperature. Thus, the work done by kidneys is also high.

Composition of Urine

• Chemically, urine consists of water, urea obtained from the metabolism of amino acids, inorganic salts, ammonia, creatinine (which is the byproduct obtained after consuming energy-giving products), and pigmented products of blood breakdown, such as urochrome which gives the typical yellow colour to urine. 
• It also contains many other substances that cannot be absorbed into the body. 
• Excreting urine or urinating at regular intervals is crucial in getting rid of toxic materials and keeping the body healthy. 
• Holding back from urinating for a long time can disrupt the uterus and leads to many other ailments.

Cause of Foul Smell of Urine

• Ammonia (NH3) is a compound of nitrogen that usually has a pungent smell. 
• Urea is one of the compounds in urine, which is a nitrogen compound with the composition NH2CONH2. It is a byproduct of the breakdown of proteins, which can further break down to form ammonia. 
• When the chemicals in urine are concentrated due to lack of water, this causes a strong odour of urine, similar to ammonia. Bad odour exists in public toilets because of this concentrated odour. 
• If urine stays on the toilet floor for a long time, the water evaporates eventually. Then, the content becomes concentrated, which results in a greater odour. 
• If we flush water and wash the urine with water, all the contents of the urine get dissolved. This dilutes the urine and reduces the intensity of the smell. However, we do not completely remove the germs, and it is still a place filled with germs.

Washing off Germs in the Toilet

Toilet cleaners are used to get rid of germs and bacteria in the toilet as urine and stools contain a huge amount of bacteria. To maintain hygiene, cleaning toilets is a very important activity, especially when it comes to hygiene in public toilets. 

The most active and common ingredient used in toilet cleaners is hydrochloric acid (HCl), which is a strong acid. Strong acids have pH values of less than three. This provides a very strong acidic medium for the toilet. 

Usually, germs cannot grow or sustain in a pH environment below three. So, HCl plays a very important role in removing germs effectively. All commercial toilet cleaners contain HCl as the main component with added smelling agents. Another important component is chlorine bleach, which can easily remove yellow stains and the odour created by urine.

Conclusion

Urine is the most common excretory product for any living organism. The excretion of urine is a very important activity, and the smell of the urine can be decided by the amount of water in the body. The foul smell of urine is due to the presence of chemical substances such as ammonia and other toxic materials. This can be reduced by immediately flushing water and cleaning toilets regularly.