How to remove the smell from the sofa - getting rid of the unpleasant smell of furniture

Causes of odor

In order to decide on one of the ways to fix the problem, you need to find out the reason for its occurrence. The most common factors that cause furniture to smell:

• dampness in the room where the sofa is located;
• Spilled liquids with intense aroma;
• acrid tobacco smoke;
• soot from a fire;
• cat feces and other traces of vital activity;
• children's urine, vomiting;
• normal soiling associated with daily use of the sofa.

Furniture is often saturated with bad odors that are constantly present in living spaces. Before locally removing the smell from the sofa, it is better to resort to general cleaning, washing all textiles and airing for several days.

Prevention

A person who removes foreign odors from a sofa wants them not to appear on it again. To do this, it is important to perform certain preventive actions:

• All surfaces are regularly cleaned with a vacuum cleaner;
• An excellent solution is to use removable covers, because if they get dirty, they just need to be removed and washed;
• Surfaces should be constantly cleaned with soapy water.

Thus, it is quite difficult to remove foreign odors from the sofa. To do this, it is taken into account what problem you have to deal with, what material the upholstery is made of, and also what means will be used - folk or modern.

Effective ways

First of all, you should eliminate the cause of the problem and deal with stains if they exist. It is recommended to first test all selected products on an inconspicuous area of ​​the upholstery, otherwise the appearance of the sofa may be ruined.

The smell of a new sofa

Newly purchased pieces of furniture often emit an unpleasant odor, which is due to the fact that specialists use formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals during production. If the new sofa smells strongly and the manufacturer refuses to do anything about it, you can try to correct the situation on your own. In the summer, it is enough to ventilate the room, but in the cold season it can be difficult to cope with this problem.

Effective method:

• Vacuum the sofa to remove wood and other small particles;
• place absorbent substances in the linen drawer (if available) or under the sofa;
• ensure a constant flow of fresh air.

Important! Not only professional compounds sold in household chemical stores, but also improvised means (salt, lavender, vanillin) can act as absorbents. Before getting rid of the smell of a new sofa, you need to test the selected product on an area of ​​fabric hidden from prying eyes.

Old furniture

If the sofa has been in the room for many years and no one has cleaned it for a long time, cleaning is simply necessary. Both professional and folk remedies will help. Step-by-step instruction:

• soak a large piece of fabric in water and wring it out well;
• lay the cloth on the sofa and knock it out with force;
• go over the upholstery with a vacuum cleaner;
• sprinkle table salt on the sofa and leave for a day;
• remove salt particles using a vacuum cleaner;
• dilute a little liquid soap in 1 liter of water, add 1 tbsp. vinegar and citric acid, mix thoroughly until foam forms;
• Using a sponge, distribute the composition over the entire area of ​​the sofa, wait 2-3 hours;
• Use a brush with stiff bristles to remove particles of dried foam;
• wait for the piece of furniture to dry completely.

Pets

Cats and dogs emit an unpleasant odor, which is often found on upholstered furniture and wardrobe items. Representatives of the cat family mark territory and leave a terrible stench in the room. Before removing an unpleasant odor from shoes or a sofa, you should find all the sources of its spread, otherwise all manipulations will be useless. Steps to eliminate cat and dog odor:

• remove traces of urine; to do this, simply dilute vinegar in a small amount of water, pour it onto the stain and wipe with a napkin;
• sprinkle the contaminated area with ordinary soda;
• mix hydrogen peroxide with dishwashing detergent, rub in and leave for 1-2 hours;
• Wipe the upholstery with a soft cloth soaked in water.

You cannot skip any of the stages. Otherwise, the corrosive smell of cat urine will linger in the room for a long time.

Urine

If there are small children or elderly people in the house, it is only a matter of time before urine stains appear. The smell of urine is very pungent and unpleasant. Effective means for its removal:

• Iodine. Dilute 15 drops in 1 liter of clean water and walk on a contaminated surface. This composition is not suitable for light-colored furniture.
• A light sofa can be treated with a spray bottle with a solution of citric acid, vinegar and potassium permanganate.
• Vodka, which is poured directly onto the stain, can help remove traces of urine from an elderly person. Ammonia works in the same way.
• Detergent for carpets and upholstered furniture is diluted with water in a separate container until foam forms. This is what is used for cleaning. You can sprinkle flavored salt on the urine mark. It is better to carry out this procedure at night; in the morning it is enough to vacuum the upholstery or sweep away salt particles with a soft-bristled brush.
• Only professional household chemicals can deal with old stains.

Spilled beer

The smell of beer can be removed from the sofa using both folk and professional means. You can use the following method:

• to remove excess moisture, blot the fresh stain with a dry cloth;
• mix 1 part vinegar with 5-6 parts water, pour on the trail and wait about 7 hours;
• dry the upholstery.

Baking soda will also be effective if you sprinkle it on the beer stain and then vacuum it up after a while. To get rid of the smell of the detergent composition, you can dilute a few drops of essential oil in water and treat the surface of the product with this liquid.

Vomit

If vomit gets on the sofa, the following manipulations are performed:

• vomit should be cleaned up immediately with a cloth or paper napkins;
• a soft cloth is moistened with water, after which you need to walk over the stain on the upholstery;
• the contaminated area is sprinkled with baking soda;
• after the surface has dried, the remaining soda is removed with a vacuum cleaner;
• The upholstery is treated with a special cleaning agent for upholstered furniture.

Tobacco smoke

The smell of tobacco can be eliminated in the same way as the consequences of leaving a sofa in a musty room. Instead of soda, if desired, use rice; it also needs to be scattered over the surface; it quickly absorbs excess aromas. Chemical products for cleaning carpets and sofa upholstery will be the most effective.

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Dampness

Old interior items almost always emit an unpleasant odor. They are attacked by mold and smell damp and rotten. It can be very difficult to cope with such a problem, especially if the sofa has been standing for a long time in a non-residential building in the absence of normal air circulation and heating.

Procedure:

• an essential condition is to completely dry the furniture both outside and inside;
• if possible, take the sofa outside, knock it out and leave it in the air so that it ventilates;
• go over the upholstery and hard-to-reach areas with a vacuum cleaner;
• wipe all surfaces with a solution based on 1 part vinegar and 4 parts clean water;
• if the smell remains, cover the sofa with a cloth soaked in vinegar or bleach;
• Leave the sofa in direct sunlight until completely dry, just a few hours is enough for the mold spores to be killed by ultraviolet light.

The fungus can only be dealt with using special chemical compounds that are sprayed onto the surface. After the solution has dried, the sofa is suitable for use and no longer emits an unpleasant odor.

Important! If there are still stains on the sofa, the only correct solution to the problem is to completely replace the upholstery or filling.

How to get rid of odor on a dark-colored sofa

Some fairly effective odor removal products are only available for dark upholstered furniture or dark carpets. One of these remedies is potassium permanganate, a jar of which is a must-have in every first aid kit. It is very effective at removing urine odors or other strong irritating odors, but can leave stains, so experimenting with light-colored furniture is out of the question.

A small amount of potassium permanganate is diluted in half a liter of water until a light pink tint is obtained. A terry towel is soaked in the resulting solution, lightly wrung out and applied to the contaminated area. Exposure time is 30 minutes, the procedure is repeated three times. After this, you can let the sofa or carpet dry on its own, or dry it with a hairdryer. When working with a hairdryer, you should observe a number of precautions: keep it no closer than 10 cm from the surface and turn it off every 5 minutes. Continuous direct exposure may damage the device.

Professional chemical cleaning products

Folk remedies are quite effective, but it is much better if you have professional compounds on hand that are designed specifically for cleaning upholstered furniture and combating unpleasant odors. The most popular manufacturers of products with proven effectiveness:

• Vanish;
• Odordone Antmal Gold;
• CHRISTAL;
• Multi;
• Allergy Free;
• MAGOS DREAM JSC.

Features of cleaning various types of upholstery and filling

Before you get rid of the smell on your sofa, it is important to consider the material from which the upholstery is made. Some products can be harmful to certain tissues. Some useful tips:

• For dark and brightly painted furniture, chlorine-based compounds and household bleaches should not be used;
• Unpleasant odors and stains are easiest to remove from leather sofas; most cleaning methods will work here;
• It is important to carefully study the instructions when purchasing a professional composition; it must indicate the types of upholstery that can be cleaned in this way.

Important! Velor and other natural materials cannot be cleaned using household chemicals and aggressive solvents.

Grease stains on upholstery or carpet

In addition to daily pollution, damage to carpeting or sofa upholstery can be caused by a family feast or the habit of dining in the living room. But it’s quite possible to remove greasy stains at home; it’s enough not to hesitate, putting cleaning on the back burner, but to start immediately after contamination. An effective and familiar method is to cover a greasy stain with salt, but there is a remedy that is several times superior to a food additive. To completely get rid of a greasy stain, you need to crush a piece of chalk into dust and sprinkle it on the contaminated area, vacuum up the chalk after 15 minutes and repeat the procedure. If you don't have regular chalk at home, you can replace it with baby powder.

Recommendations for proper care of your sofa

Furniture must be constantly looked after. In order for the sofa to last a long time and look attractive, you should follow simple rules:

• knock out the sofa monthly and wipe it with special solutions for upholstered furniture;
• if liquid is spilled, it is important to remove all traces as quickly as possible - blot the stain with a dry cloth or paper napkin, avoiding deep penetration to the wooden base or chipboard frame;
• do not allow pets on the sofa, do not allow them to sleep in the living room at night;
• when small children or pets appear in the house, it is necessary to cover the furniture with special covers that are easily machine washable;
• To prevent the appearance of fungus and other problems associated with high humidity, it is worth maintaining a dry environment in the room and getting rid of all sources of dampness.

Upholstered furniture in an apartment or house is often saturated with unpleasant odors, which causes a lot of trouble for the owners. The new sofa smells and you definitely need to do something about it. If you approach the problem wisely and first understand the reasons for this phenomenon, the sofa will acquire a pleasant aroma and will delight your household for a long time.

Common cleaning mistakes

Materials such as silk, velor, flock cannot be cleaned with home remedies - special compounds are needed for delicate coatings.

Important! Do not use cleaning agents without testing their effects on an area of ​​the surface that is not visible to the eye.

The most difficult stains to remove are blood and wine stains. When treating such stains, many make the fatal mistake of spreading the stains over the surface of the upholstery with a damp cloth. After such procedures, contaminants are absorbed into the fabric even more strongly, and the stain is not only not removed, but becomes larger.

Have you ever had to clean blood and wine stains from your upholstery?

Not really