MYSTERY | PROBLEM-SOLVING | BAD SMELLS

From Stench to Strength: A Woman’s Rebellion Against Workplace Disregard

A battle over a bad smell in the women’s washroom

“That awful smell in the women’s washrooms is getting worse,” a female co-worker told me.

“Yeah,” I said. “Do you have any idea what it is?”

“No,” she said. “But whatever it is, it’s not going away, and all the extra air freshener we’ve been spraying isn’t making a difference either.”

“Time to talk to the manager,” I said, and we both headed to the office.

We explained to our male manager that for weeks there’d been an unusual odour in the women’s washroom and that it was getting worse. “Maybe someone has bowel issues,” he said.

“It doesn’t smell like that,” my co-worker said.

“I’ve never smelled anything like it,” I added. “And it’s there all the time.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll go check it.”

It wasn’t a large washroom. There was only one sink, a toilet, and a couple of wooden storage cabinets.

Our workplace's supply of toilet paper and paper towels was stored in one corner of the 6 x 8-foot washroom.

Over a dozen women shared this washroom. We had no lockers for our personal items. We kept our purses in the office and our toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairspray, hairdryers, and other items in a cabinet above the toilet.

After checking out the washroom, our manager said, “The bad smell’s probably coming from the drain in the floor.”

The next day, he brought bleach and poured it down the drain. Declared the problem solved.

But the odour kept getting stronger.

He kept pouring more bleach down the drain, and we kept telling him it wasn’t making the stink go away. But he dismissed us as hysterical women.

Weeks later, the smell became so bad we had to hold our breath while in the washroom to avoid breathing in the foul air. I moved my toothbrush and toothpaste out of the room and brushed my teeth in the break room.

To say this situation was frustrating is an understatement. To say we women felt helpless is also accurate. Like powerless children controlled by parental management.

Then I remembered I’d been a rebellious child and not taken no for an answer.

Fed up with nothing being done to deal with the problem.

On a morning shift, an hour before the store opened, I wasn’t asking permission. Wasn’t running my idea by the manager. I was making a change. Taking action. Taking matters into my own hands.

First, I cleaned out the men’s filthy washroom. They seldom cleaned it, and we women refused to clean it for them. The men’s washroom was smaller. Only 4 x 5 feet, with no room for storage.

While cleaning the men’s room, the manager came into the warehouse and asked what I was doing.

“We’re moving in,” I said and smiled.

“Moving in?”

“Yes. All of us women will be using this washroom now.”

“We can’t all be using one washroom,” he said.

“Well,” I replied. “We cannot stand the smell any longer.”

He went over, opened the women's washroom door, stuck his head in, took a whiff, said nothing, and walked away.

I finished up by writing an Out-of-Order sign and taped it on the women’s washroom door. Throughout the day, I told all the female staff to use the men’s washroom.

That got the male manager’s attention.

Surprisingly, he didn’t tear the Out-of-Order sign down. Within the week, someone was brought in to check out the foul smell. That person was positive something was dead inside the wall. A thought which grossed out all of us women.

A section of wall by the sink was cut out, and a dead rat removed.

Finally, we could use the washroom without plugging our noses.

After the rat was found, I recalled a movie I’d seen as a teen in the 1970s. Both a hit song and the film had the same name, Ben. Later, there was a spin-off to the previous Killer Rat movie, Willard.

I jokingly referred to the dead rat removed from our washroom wall as Ben and sang a few lines from the song.

Ben had won a Golden Globe for Best Song. For those who might not remember, the song was sung by 14-year-old Michael Jackson.

After the incident at work, I was curious for more information.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the process of decomposition. None of us had considered it a possible cause for the odour. As someone who loves details, no matter how gory, I wanted to know more about what had taken place inside that wall.

I was shocked to learn the rat was toxic.

Although it’s alarming to think this, it is important to remember that every time we smell something, we are in fact tasting the microscopic particles that are emitting from the organism causing the scent. This is why dead rats can potentially make a person sick. — source

I read on learning more…

The smell of a dead rat can be harmful to a person’s health due to the toxic gases and microscopic compounds of the dead animal that are constantly being released into the indoor air.

If you choose to wait it out, it can take up to 3 weeks to a month for the stinking odour to pass. After this time, the carcass has had enough time to completely dry out, and the rotting process has passed through its most noticeable phase. — source

The dead rat in our women’s washroom wall was a smell I will not forget. If I ever smell such an odour again, I will know what it is.

Hopefully, there will never be a next time.

I also learned that I had more power than I thought and could take action and do something about the situation. In hindsight, I could have been more assertive and proactive sooner. But as a woman, I often doubt and question my judgments and abilities and don’t want to rock the boat.

But now, when I’m dismissed, and my valid concerns are not listened to, I know I have the inner strength and ability to step up.

Barbara Carter — Artist and writer with a focus on healing from childhood trauma, alcohol addiction, and living her best authentic life.