What is the problem here?

Question

In my house we have an upstairs bathroom and a downstairs bathroom. My older sister will never use the downstairs bathroom and I don't know why. Is she scared of it? She says it smells of cat food but it doesn't so don;t bother suggesting air freshener! How do I make her un-scared of the downstairs bathroom?

Answer 1

In the UK, we usually have a vent pipe on the outside wall which takes any smell above the window level of an upstairs bathroom.

Downstairs loos don't have this luxury so are more inclined to have smells from the drains coming back up the S-bend.

A daily splash of thick bleach, will keep the pan gleaming and help to kill off the drain odour.

If she is just using smell as an excuse, have you thought that she may feel vulnerable using a downstairs loo where it is more likely that someone could walk in on her or hear her while she is about her business?

Answer 2

Why bother?

Answer 3

it may smell of " drains " downstairs and your sister may be more sensitive to smell than yourself , try caustic soda diluted to clear the smell and disinfectant and then ask your sister . the problem is far more common than think due to lack of maintaining the drains " flushing out  rat infestation etc. " however the choice may be she is more comfortable on the throne upstairs , but use caustic soda and disinfectant first .

Answer 4

you dont  -   just leave her to pee where she likes - again its about you -you want the bathroom unchallenged -shame on you to say that shes scared of going downstairs - ps you can bet that if you have a cat litter box in there it smells -ps you dont no it smells because you dont ever go down there and yes you are proberbly scared

Answer 5

maybe you should try scaring her so she is scared of the upstairs one then that might force her to use the down stairs one

Answer 6

I. Only she can say why she doesn't like to use that particular bathroom so you need to ask her. If you don't know about your own sister than how can we know?

2. You must know by now that she'll resist ANY suggestions/insistence from you. You CAN'T make her "un-scared". How does she MAKE you stop insisting?