Regular deodorizing removes pet odors from a sofa. Sofas attract odors from pets, spills and daily use. The odors can be severe or may manifest as a slightly unpleasant musty smell. Fabric sofa upholstery is more prone to odor absorption since it's more permeable than leather and vinyl. The upholstery doesn't usually require deep cleaning if it's otherwise unsoiled. Deodorizing is a simple process that entails first soaking up the odor, then disposing of it before the fabric can reabsorb it. Depending on the cause and severity, it may take more than one cleaning to completely remove the odor. Vacuum the sofa with an upholstery brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner. Remove all dust, hair and debris. Remove cushions, if possible, and vacuum both sides. Sprinkle baking soda on the upholstered areas of the sofa. Remove seat and backing cushions and set them aside. Sprinkle the fabric beneath the cushions and the cushions with the soda. Apply enough baking soda to leave a lightly visible residue on the entire sofa.

Leave the baking soda on the sofa for at least 15 minutes, or overnight for severe odors. The baking soda absorbs the smells from the fabric and cushions. Vacuum the sofa a second time to remove the baking soda residue. Use a clean bag or empty the vacuum canister first, since the baking soda will quickly fill it up. Wipe up any spill that can result in a bad odor immediately with a damp rag. Combine a teaspoon of a liquid neutral soap, such as castille or saddle soap, with 1 cup of warm water. Wipe down the sofa with the soapy water. Wipe only the smelly area or clean the entire sofa if necessary, wiping only a small area at a time. Use a rag moistened with clear water to wipe away the soap residue. Immediately wipe dry with a soft, dry rag. Apply an enzyme leather cleaner if an odor remains. Follow package instructions for the correct use of the particular brand. Generally, these products are sprayed on the leather and allowed to dry. The enzymes break down odor-causing bacteria. Things You Will Need Vacuum with attachments Baking soda Tip Warning References University of Kentucky: Odors: What's That SmellUniversity of Wisconsin: Baking Soda--The Everyday MiracleUniversity of Missouri: Cleaning May Restore Furniture Photo Credits Janie Airey/Lifesize/Getty Images Suggest a Correction

Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert and advice columnist. She'll be here every week helping to answer your filthiest questions. What do I do if a dirty person slept on my couch? air duct cleaning washington dc areaI recently had a smelly person sleep on my couch for 3 straight days (I was helping the guy out while he picked his life up) and now my couch smells, uh pretty bad. best performance upright vacuum cleanerWhat's my best option here?how clean wood floors with vinegarIt's difficult, because of the lack of tone in email, to say so for sure—but this guy sounds kind of annoyed with the situation in which he finds himself. direct energy duct cleaning price

Which is totally fair, but I think also it is fair to say that he did the right thing in letting his pal crash on his couch. That was really decent of him, and if the small price he has to pay is a few bucks spent on an odor-neutralizing product and a few minutes of cleaning time, I would say that's worth it to have done someone a solid.duct cleaning companies in usaThere are a lot of reasons one might want to deodorize his couch. best prices on miele vacuum cleanersPerhaps you have a dog, cat, or some other fragrant animal that likes to lounge on your sofa. Maybe the source of the smell is a "dirty person" who used the couch as a bed. Or, possibly—if we're all being very honest with one another and with ourselves—the smell is the result of many years of farting into the cushions while binge-watching House of Cards.To begin, you can, and should, straight up vacuum your furniture, which will remove all manner of stuff that can lend your couch a funky scent.

Vacuuming won't completely eliminate odors, but it's the first step in the process because it will remove dander, hair, dust, and so on, all of which contribute to their development. After vacuuming, the easiest way to perform a stench exorcism is to use an odor-eliminating spray. There are LOTS of options out this in this great wide world of ours, but here are four that I think are the best for you to pick from. Good old Lysol doesn't get as much love as it should, which is too bad, because it's an effective product that can be used to keep your trashcan from stinking, freshen the air in a bathroom, and kill a stench that's developed in your couch. Oh man, people loooooove this Ozium stuff so much. And by "people" I mean stoners—so you know it's serious about nuking smells. The thing is, it also has a fairly strong smell of its own, which will dissipate, but which you should know about before using, since some people find it to be way too much. For that reason, you should use it sparingly and at a distance from furniture so you don't wind up overwhelming your entire home with the smell of the thing you're using to eliminate some other smell.

This is the cheapest of all the options, which is just one of the reasons it's such a good choice. White vinegar also has antibacterial properties, and it works really well to kill smells. To use it, put straight white vinegar—not white wine vinegar—in a spray bottle and mist the couch with it. As the vinegar dries, the smell will dissipate, but you should also spritz from about a foot away and try not to overdo it. Aim for a light misting, not total saturation. Remember way back at the beginning of our relationship when I told you that you could use vodka to deodorize vintage items that retained that vintage store-smell? It's okay if you don't remember, you can just nod at me and pretend you do, I'll act like I don't see you opening that link to catch up. (This is how I get you, by the way. Toss in a few links for you to follow and then sit back while you spend the next three hours in a rabbit hole of old columns until you're like, "How is it four o'clock already and did I really just spend the afternoon reading about cleaning?")

Just like with stale-smelling vintage clothing, vodka can be spritzed on a couch to eliminate lingering odors. Use the cheap stuff, decant it into a plastic spray bottle and spritz away. Then make yourself a cocktail. Use the good stuff for that, though.While sprays are going to be easier to use, there's another category of products that bears mentioning. Deodorizing powders like baking soda or scented options like Arm & Hammer Carpet Odor Eliminator or Bissell's Carpet Powder—which are almost always billed for use on carpet but can absolutely be used on upholstered furniture as well—require a little more labor than sprays, but only a little more. To use them, sprinkle a liberal amount onto your couch (or carpet, or both!), allow the product to sit for 10-15 minutes, and then vacuum thoroughly. If the smell is very strong, you may want to allow the product to sit a bit longer. (But be aware that, if you're using one of the scented options, that smell in and of itself can become overwhelming.)