It’s a cliched act of common courtesy to light a match after using the bathroom. But how does that actually combat the stinky memories left behind by our behinds? By producing a smell that’s even more pungent!

During an episode of “Mythbusters,” the hosts pumped hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan (smell-causing compounds that are found in both farts and feces) into a sealed chamber. They then measured the concentrations of these gases before and after lighting a match, and found that the accumulation of gases remained unaffected. This proves that lighting a match doesn’t either consume or eliminate these odorous compounds.

In other words, the odor-causing compounds found in farts and feces are still present after lighting a match, but they’re disguised by the potent smell of sulfur dioxide. Most of the time, in fact, that’s enough to cover the smell altogether (and if it’s not, we recommend visiting your doctor in the near future).