How do you control odors from an outhouse?

Answer 1

Try putting ash down the hole. Also periodic burning of the 'contents' can help if it is permitted in your area.

I don't know about answer one, never heard of either solution. A lot of my mother's people were ridge-running backwoods folk in the mountains of Virginia. When I was a kid, 50+ years ago, and we visited, everybody still using outhouses used powdered LIME.They would have a gallon bucket of lime [bought, in 50 pound paper sacks, at the local general store, or any "feed store"] in the corner of the outhouse, and a small scoop. The last thing one did, before leaving the outhouse, was to sprinkle a scoop [about a cupfull] of lime over the contents of the pit, through the "hole." I'm not exactly sure how it works, but I suspect it is one of two ways. First, the lime is VERY CAUSTIC, and will "eat" the contents of the pit [like acid dissolves cloth or paper]. Or, due to the extremely high pH [12 to 14?] it makes the pH in the pit too high and out of the survival range of the bacteria which create the odors while they are in the process of "digesting" the contents of the pit.j3h. === ===