5 Steps to Deodorise a Stinky Sofa

Is your sofa a bit on the nose lately?

That pong in your favourite lounge could be coming from a range of sources, including pets, food and drink spills, or body oils – just to name a few. Fabric sofas are more prone to odours, so we’ve compiled these tips to help you de-pong your favourite lounge.

If you’ve tried a fabric deodoriser and it only masked the smell for a little while, you’ll be pleased to know these solutions are much easier – and more natural – than you might think.

1. Let the sunshine in

Let your stinky sofa do a little sun-baking.

Sunshine (natural UV light) is great at killing a range of odour-causing bacteria that typically lead to a musty smell in your favourite lounge. Sunlight is also very effective at killing dust mites that could be colonising your lounge by the millions.

2. Use Rubbing Alcohol to Clean Your Lounge

Rubbing alcohol helps remove odour-causing body oils, as well as the smelly bacteria feeding off food and drink spills.

Simply spray the lounge with rubbing alcohol and wipe it over with a clean cloth.

If you see dirty smears transferring to the cloth, then professional lounge cleaning might be needed.

3. Utilise your vacuum cleaner attachments

Most vacuum cleaners come with handy little attachments—perfect for cleaning your upholstery. Make sure you’re vacuuming your lounge once a week, using those attachments to reach into crevices where food, dust and pet hair love to hide and start to smell over time. 

Have a stinky couch? Give it a good vacuum to remove any loose debris before following the steps below.

4. Absorb the odour with bi-carb soda

Sprinkle a thin layer of bi-carb soda over the affected area and leave it for at least half an hour (the longer the better) before vacuuming it up. 

Make sure you test beforehand that your vacuum has enough suction power to remove a smaller amount of the bi-carb soda. 

5. Bring in the vinegar

As an alternative to bi-carb soda, you may want to try white vinegar. Test it on a hidden section of your lounge first. 

Mix vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio in a spray bottle, mist it lightly on the sofa, and simply let it air dry. Open a window if needed. 

It’s worth noting that although it may smell like vinegar when you spray it (sudden craving for fish and chips, anyone?), it will dry odourless. 

Vinegar is a mild acid that dissolves grime and neutralises odours, which is why it works so well. 

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When Smells Stick Around It's Time to Call the Experts

A deodorised couch isn’t necessarily a clean couch. If the smell or stain is stubborn, you may need to call a professional. Electrodry’s Upholstery Cleaning Service technicians can safely and effectively clean most fabrics and use specialised treatments to remove most stains.

Our service now includes Electro-Shield, our long-lasting sanitiser that protects against germs, bacteria, and other nasties.