# What does lighting a match in the bathroom do, exactly? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796 "2005-12-02T19:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/1 "2005-12-02T19:45:19Z")
Are you just covering up the poop smell with the sulphurous match/smoke smell, or are you actually burning off the odor-causing gases? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/2 "2005-12-02T19:59:31Z")
You are just covering it up. The gases causing the odor are uniformly distributed through the room and a match only burns what’s in its immediate vicinity, mostly oxygen. The smelly gases do not magically all move towards the match. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/3 "2005-12-02T20:05:25Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > You are just covering it up. The gases causing the odor are uniformly distributed through the room and a match only burns what’s in its immediate vicinity, mostly oxygen. The smelly gases do not magically all move towards the match. And you oughta know! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/4 "2005-12-02T22:58:50Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > You are just covering it up. The gases causing the odor are uniformly distributed through the room and a match only burns what’s in its immediate vicinity, mostly oxygen. The smelly gases do not magically all move towards the match. The burned sulphur is SO2, which in turn becomes H2SO4. sulphuric acid vapor which combines witht the stinky molecules to negate them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/5 "2005-12-02T23:05:48Z")
My father used to insist on doing this. Instead of going into a bathroom that smelled of crap, we had to go into one that smelled of burnt crap. Not good. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/6 "2005-12-02T23:14:24Z")
Personally, I think the smell of s\*\*\* is better than most of the air fresheners and perfumed candles that are currently on the market to cover it up. At least the honest odor doesn’t make my eyes run or make me sneeze. After all, it is a _perfectly_ natural odor, and it really does dissipate in a relatively short period of time, if there is enough air flow in the room. A burnt match is an acceptable substitute, if you really feel that you must mask the odor. ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/7 "2005-12-02T23:40:36Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > The burned sulphur is SO2, which in turn becomes H2SO4. sulphuric acid vapor which combines witht the stinky molecules to negate them. 🙂 Is there really sulphuric acid floating around? How does it negate the stinky molecules? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/8 "2005-12-02T23:42:20Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > My father used to insist on doing this. Instead of going into a bathroom that smelled of crap, we had to go into one that smelled of burnt crap. Not good. \*My \* father used to smoke while taking a dump. Put those two smells together and you got – (cue: Good Eats theme song) – Vile Stinks! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/9 "2005-12-03T05:55:44Z")
> [@Kiminy](#): > > Personally, I think the smell of s\*\*\* is better than most of the air fresheners and perfumed candles that are currently on the market to cover it up. Only the smell of \*\*mine \*\*is better, not yours or anyone else’s. And yes, we’ve had threads about this, but I still don’t understand it. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-lighting-a-match-in-the-bathroom-do-exactly/333796/10 "2005-12-03T18:19:19Z")
> [@tiltypig](#): > > Is there really sulphuric acid floating around? How does it negate the stinky molecules? OOPS I thought it was a double ‘t.’ :smack: H2SO4 is an oxidizer, as such it oxidizes the stink molecules, mercaptans and such. [\*\* Killing Bathroom Odors \*\*](http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/gallery/print/0,22304,1067776,00.html) Link supports use of matches and/or candles to negate stinkies.