How to remove odor from furniture - practical tips for everyone

What to do with a fresh urine stain on the couch

The following steps will help remove fresh stains of child, adult and cat urine and get rid of the unpleasant odor:

Blot the stain repeatedly with dry wipes or toilet paper. Do this until the wipes remain dry.
Now you should try to remove the stain from the sofa with a soft sponge and soap suds obtained from actively stirring laundry soap or other detergent in warm water.

Do not use a product with a bleaching effect if you are dealing with colored fabric. Be careful not to leave noticeable marks.

To prevent the unpleasant odor of urine from appearing, wipe the stain with a soft sponge dipped in vinegar diluted in water in a ratio of 1:3 or 1:5. Treat a stain that has a pungent odor with a stronger vinegar solution.
Cover the stain with gauze or a thin natural cloth and iron it with a hot iron. Be careful not to leave a scorch mark on the fabric.
If possible, take the sofa out into the cold or place it in direct sunlight.

Products for leather furniture

Black loose leaf tea

Sea salt

If the unpleasant smell comes specifically from furniture with leather upholstery, then black loose leaf tea and sea salt will come to the rescue. Furniture should be disassembled, drawers and removable parts removed. Lay a cotton cloth on a horizontal surface and spread a thin layer of salt on top. Tea leaves are placed on top of the salt. Allow to stand for 12-15 hours, after which the fabric is carefully removed. If necessary, repeat the procedure with the window open.

Caring for leather furniture involves using special oil-based products, to which you can add a few drops of essential oils of lavender, patchouli or rosemary. This way the skin will absorb a pleasant smell, and the aroma of freshness will remain in the room for a long time.

Expert opinion

Krasnova Ulyana Vasilievna

Cleaning company manager

It is not recommended to use chemicals with aggressive components that can harm the skin and lead to the formation of microcracks. Sooner or later, the unpleasant odor will disappear, and excessive use of such products will shorten the life of the furniture.

Remedies for stains and urine odor on the sofa

At the veterinary pharmacy you can find compounds that remove stench. They successfully break down organic substances contained in urine, which are the cause of the unpleasant odor. If you have a kitten or puppy, take care of purchasing these products.

Those who have encountered a similar problem in life speak well of Dufta Fresh, LOC (Amway), Odor Gone, Sanera Enzym products.

Special products from the pet store, for example, Zoosan and Dezosan, will help you clean your sofa from animal urine.
Liquid fabric softener will eliminate the smell of urine.
Treat the sofa with a vacuum cleaner if you have one.
Call a dry cleaner to your home to professionally remove the urine stain.

Proceed according to the instructions for use. If you are concerned about the safety of the upholstery, since the preparations contain aggressive substances, test the product on an inconspicuous area and only then proceed to eliminate the problem.

What to do if you don’t have a special composition to remove odor? Take advantage of the tools that every housewife is sure to have.

Laundry soap

The amount of soap required to prepare the solution depends on how large the puddle is and how strong the smell of cat urine is from the sofa.

Grate the soap on a fine grater, and then gradually add water to the shavings. The composition should be viscous. Apply it to the upholstery with a sponge, rub the stained area well, and then clean the surface with a damp cloth. It is better not to use the composition on light materials.

Baking soda, peroxide and detergent

Sprinkle soda generously on the cat urine stain, and then irrigate the area with a solution of a few drops of dish gel and 100 ml of hydrogen peroxide. The product is left on the surface until dry.
When the upholstery becomes dry, vacuum the area, removing any remaining soda and detergent, and then wipe with a damp cloth.

Since peroxide has a bleaching effect, it is best not to use this method on dark upholstery.

Table vinegar, soda and peroxide

As in the previous recipe, the urine stain must first be covered with baking soda, and then moistened from a spray bottle with a solution of vinegar and water in a ratio of 1:4 with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide.

Removing vinegar smell from clothes or shoes

Quite often, the unpleasant aroma of vinegar can come from clothes for which the product was used as a stain remover. Housewives often use acetic acid in everyday life, as they know about its remarkable ability to remove complex stains and dirt. But few people want to spread a peculiar aroma while walking around the city, even if this proven method was able to remove a serious stain from their favorite dress. How to remove the smell of vinegar from clothes?

The easiest way is to wash clothes with the addition of powder or conditioner with a pleasant aroma. It doesn’t hurt to turn on the extra rinse mode so that all the unpleasant odors go away. It is advisable to leave things to dry outside after washing so that they are well ventilated.

For items made from delicate fabrics, you can use a different method. Add a little ammonia to warm water and dip the item that was treated with vinegar into it. We leave the clothes in the solution for about half an hour, after which we rinse them well and put them on the rope. It is advisable to dry in the fresh air.

Another simple and effective way to remove the smell of vinegar is to use baking soda. You need to make a saturated solution with baking soda, in which to briefly soak clothes with a persistent vinegar aroma. After soaking, it is important to rinse thoroughly. Air dry, as in previous options. After complete drying, it is advisable to leave the clothes outside for about two more hours.

If the question arises of how to remove the smell of vinegar from shoes, it is also appropriate to use ammonia, which is used to thoroughly wipe the shoes and leave them in the air for a while so that the unpleasant aroma completely disappears.

Important! It is prohibited to use solutions with ammonia and soda for synthetic fabrics, as the clothes may fade.

What to do if the stain has already dried

After the upholstery has dried, the surface is thoroughly vacuumed and wiped with a damp cloth.

To remove a urine stain from a sofa that has already dried:

Dampen the stain with a wet sponge.
Clean the dirty area with soapy foam and leave for 15 minutes.
Mix 1 part vinegar or lemon juice with 1 part clean water and treat the stain with this mixture using a sponge. If the upholstery is dark, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate instead of vinegar and lemon juice.
Now all that remains is to carefully remove excess moisture from the surface with a dry piece of natural fabric and wait until it dries completely.
To remove the smell completely, after drying, cover the treated area with a thin layer of baking soda.
Next, prepare a mixture of 100 ml of water, 100 ml of hydrogen peroxide and 1 tsp. detergent (no chlorine). The composition is applied to the spot from a spray bottle, without removing the soda, and left on the surface of the furniture for 3 hours.
At the end, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the affected area from cleaning agents with clean cold water. To speed up drying, dry the surface with an iron through a dry thin cloth.

Doctors recommend

The smell of vinegar is not always harmful; in some cases it can help. Doctors advise treating the following surfaces with vinegar from time to time:

Bucket for collecting garbage;
Toilet;
Sink and sink in the bathroom and kitchen;
Cutting boards (especially those used for fish).

If you do not neglect this recommendation, you can protect your home from harmful viruses and microbes.

How to remove cat or dog urine stains

The tools that are in everyday use of any housewife will help.

Lemon juice will help combat the smell of cat urine that has ruined the sofa. Preparing a solution for treating upholstered furniture involves combining squeezed lemon juice and water. The recommended proportion of prepared ingredients is 1:1. After thoroughly mixing the mixture, apply it to the stain and leave for 20 minutes. A stain from cat or dog urine needs careful treatment; after the furniture has dried, repeat the procedure. The lemon mixture will absorb the smell that was needed to get rid of. Finish the procedure by applying detergent to the treated surface of the sofa and rinsing it off. The sofa needs to be dried.
The soda mixture will help get rid of unpleasant odors and remove stains from furniture. Soda is poured into a container and diluted with water. The consistency of the soda mixture should resemble a thick paste or slurry. The paste is applied to the dirty surface of the sofa, distributed evenly and left until completely dry. Baking soda is an absorbent that absorbs unpleasant odors. Remove the baking soda mixture from the surface of the furniture using a vacuum cleaner.
Rubbing alcohol will help remove unpleasant odors and help clean furniture at home. Alcohol has a persistent odor that repels animals. Using alcohol will prevent the animal from trying to mark its territory. Treating a sofa with alcohol involves applying it to the stain with a spray bottle. If a spray bottle is not available, apply alcohol with a generously moistened cloth. After allowing the alcohol to soak into the surface of the sofa, the remaining moisture is removed with a paper towel. Once the paper towel remains dry after contact with the surface of the sofa, the procedure is completed.
Bleach solution. Bleach has a specific smell that helps remove traces of cat and dog urine. Before removing the smell using a bleach solution, you need to make sure that the sofa upholstery will not be damaged. Test the product on an invisible part of the furniture.
A bleach solution consisting of 10 parts water and 1 part bleach will help get rid of traces of cat urine. The solution is applied to the surface of the damaged furniture, rubbed in thoroughly and left for half an hour. After half an hour, the sofa should be cleaned with a sponge and detergent and rinsed thoroughly with water.
A solution of potassium permanganate will help get rid of traces of urine on a dark sofa. Use a solution of potassium permanganate as a means to remove persistent odors, but remember that it is not recommended for light-colored furniture. Potassium permanganate can ruin the color. The older the stain, the higher the concentration of the solution. Fresh stains are treated with a weak solution. The use of potassium permanganate does not require rinsing. It will not be possible to remove urine with one procedure; perform them every other day until the odor completely disappears.
Hydrogen peroxide. When using a product based on hydrogen peroxide, which allows you to remove an unpleasant odor from a sofa, you should first check the upholstery of the sofa, as is the case with a solution of potassium permanganate. Mix hydrogen peroxide (20 milliliters), baking soda (2 tablespoons) and dishwashing liquid (1 tablespoon). The mixture is thoroughly mixed, applied to the contaminated area of furniture and rubbed in. An hour after applying the product, it is washed off with a sponge and water.
Vinegar will help remove urine stains and get rid of unpleasant odors. It disappears and leaves no traces on the sofa. Mix 1 part 9% vinegar in 1 part water. After spraying the homemade solution evenly using a spray bottle, the surface of the sofa is left to dry for an hour. After an hour, remove the solution with soapy water, then rinse the surface with clean water.

You need to be conscious about choosing the right one so as not to damage the furniture.

Causes of odor

Before you begin to combat the smell, you should determine its cause. Thanks to this approach, getting rid of the unpleasant aroma will be most effective. There are several reasons why it occurs. And we can start from them in further actions.

Most often the material smells unpleasant. Most furniture is made from chipboard or solid wood. And a specific aroma is emitted due to the painting or varnishing of the material.

New chipboard furniture usually smells unpleasant.

Sometimes the furniture begins to smell peculiarly musty. This is due to the fact that she spent a long time in a room with high humidity. Sometimes it even penetrates through a layer of upholstery, and then it is especially difficult to get rid of.

Leather furniture also sometimes gives off a smell that is not pleasant to everyone. It occurs as a result of chemical treatment of the sheathing material. This smell is one of the most tart and difficult to remove.

New leather furniture can also emit an unpleasant odor.

It is recommended to choose your own approach for each reason and situation. Then getting rid of the smell of new furniture will be quite quick. And after that you can begin to fully enjoy the new thing.

How to Remove Adult Urine Smell from a Sofa

If there is a bedridden patient in the house or for some reason a problem happens to a healthy person, you need to urgently start putting the furniture in order. An adult's urine, of course, is not as caustic as a cat's, but it is still much more difficult to remove than a child's urine. You will have to use strong agents.

Vodka

It will help get rid of the smell of urine on the sofa if you started to act immediately. Apply a strong drink to a foam sponge, wet the surface with it, rub the liquid and leave for a few minutes. Then repeat the procedure 2-3 more times.

After treatment, clean the problem area with a rag and clean water and leave to dry.

Ethyl and ammonia

Combine the substances in equal proportions and moisten the sofa generously with the resulting mixture. Rub the stained area with a sponge, and then leave the mixture to soak into the upholstery. After 30–40 minutes, rinse the surface with clean water.

To achieve the desired result, repeat the manipulations several times, and when finished, use a dry towel to remove as much moisture as possible from the upholstery.

Bleaching

If the puddle of urine has already dried up and a sharp and nasty smell emanates from the sofa, you cannot do without chlorine. The substance is toxic and the use of a chlorine-containing composition must be first diluted with water.

How to eliminate odor this way? Apply the cleaner to the dried puddle, rub with a sponge or brush and leave for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse and dry the surface with a towel or piece of rags.

Since chlorine is a substance with bleaching properties, black and dark upholstery should not be treated this way, and it is also better not to use it on colored surfaces. It is better to clean and dry the sofa with the windows open.

Which way to get rid of the smell of new furniture to choose?

There are really a lot of ways to get rid of the smell of new furniture. They all vary in effectiveness, as well as the amount of time and resources spent. The above are some of the most suitable for different situations. But even when choosing from them, you should focus on several factors.

Firstly, on the budget. Buying a portable ozonizer is the most expensive and effective way to get rid of the smell of new furniture. In two hours the specific aroma will be gone. And the cheapest way is to use improvised means.

Secondly, the reason for the odor. If it comes from the upholstery, due to the chemicals with which it was treated, then methods for wooden or plastic surfaces will not be suitable. You should be careful at this point, since incorrect actions can add a new smell to the existing one, which will be much more difficult to deal with.

And thirdly, the availability of available means. If you choose this method of getting rid of the smell of new furniture, then you should choose the most suitable variation. For example, if there are no tea bags, then table salt will do. Or vice versa.

All methods of getting rid of the smell of purchased furniture are effective in different ways. And they are not suitable for all causes of its occurrence. Therefore, before choosing, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the specifics of a particular method. Then you will be able to choose the most suitable one.

If these principles are followed, the owner will be able to choose the best way to combat the specific smell of new furniture from those already presented.

How to remove the smell of baby urine from the sofa

How often young parents do not have time to react in time and the child relieves himself right on the sofa, and urination in his sleep leads to the formation of puddles of urine on the upholstery. Of course, children's urine is not as smelly, difficult to remove and corrosive as cat urine or the feces of a bedridden patient, but when it accumulates, it emits an unpleasant aroma.

In order to clean the sofa and get rid of the smell of a child’s urine, you don’t need strong means; immediately after the “accident”, just rinse the area with water and there will be no smell.

But if you have not regularly cleaned the sofa from baby urine and the smell still appears, use:

vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:5;
citric acid solution;
saline solution;
stain remover;
baby powder

After treatment, thoroughly rinse the problem area with clean water so that there are no streaks left on the surface of the sofa.

By following these simple recommendations, you can keep your upholstered furniture clean and not suffer from the unpleasant smell of human or animal urine on the upholstery of your sofa.

Methods to combat odor on clothing

How to remove the smell of vinegar from things? Typically, a vinegar solution is used to clean stubborn stains and disinfect things, especially children’s items. Therefore, a slight hint of sour aroma remains. It does not erode for a long time and can bring discomfort to the owner of such clothing.

Get rid of it in the following ways:

wash things in the washing machine with powder and fabric softener;
wash things using powder with a drop of your favorite essential oil. It is a natural flavor and does not cause allergies. It is only important to choose what you like best;
dry things on the balcony or outside. The unpleasant aroma can be neutralized by street freshness, especially if you live in a rural area or near a forest.

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Precautionary measures

When deciding to get rid of an unpleasant odor on upholstered furniture, you must adhere to 2 rules:

Observe safety precautions when working with components used to prepare cleaning products. You should not assume that if substances that are in everyday use were used to make a solution or mixture, then they will not cause harm. It is recommended to carry out work with rubber gloves, avoid contact of products with skin and clothing. After carrying out work to help remove urine from upholstered furniture, hands are thoroughly washed and moisturized with a nourishing cream.
You should carefully consider the choice of a product designed to remove unpleasant odors from furniture. Before using them, test the prepared mixture on a part of the furniture hidden from view. If there is no change in the color of the sofa upholstery, get to work.

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What to do first

It is best to assemble furniture with the windows open.

When a piece of furniture has arrived in a living space, experts recommend assembling it with the window open. This will help to quickly remove the initial smell that the furniture absorbed during the manufacturing process and storage in the warehouse.

After assembly, be sure to go over with a damp cloth to remove dust and debris. It’s good to add a little sea salt, which not only has a disinfecting effect, but also absorbs odors.

It is not recommended to use furniture intended for a living area immediately after its installation. You need to give it a few days to air out well, after which you can start using it.

If we are talking about soft sofas, armchairs, and beds that have rag upholstery, it would be good to go over it with a vacuum cleaner. Mini vacuum cleaners designed for cleaning car interiors are ideal for these purposes.

Ways to eliminate odors

There are several ways to remove the smell of new furniture; everyone chooses a convenient option for themselves. These could be improvised means, the test of time, or a serious approach with the purchase of additional equipment or chemicals. If you use what you have in the house, then usually these are products or spices with a pronounced aroma. This is the most accessible method, but not the shortest in terms of time, since the replacement process is quite slow. Household chemicals are also suitable, but the principle of “knocks out a wedge with a wedge” is not always appropriate. One of the effective methods is an ozonizer; it is the most expensive, but it is harmless and has a permanent, sustainable result.

On a note!
It is unlikely that you will get a 100% effect at once; usually this means several repetitions or constant use for a long time. Much depends on what exactly stinks - the wooden body, finishing elements or upholstery.

Ozonation

The ozonation process is carried out with a special device - an ozonizer. This is quite expensive, but a multifunctional device that not only eliminates odors, but also disinfects. Ozone, which is obtained when released from the atmosphere after treatment, neutralizes odors and harmful compounds contained in the indoor air. This is the most expensive method, but long-term and gentle. This option is good for those whose family members are susceptible to allergies, asthma, and viral diseases. It’s probably not worth buying specifically just for the sake of removing foreign aroma from the furniture in the house, but if you intend to look after the health of yourself and your children, then it would be good to find out how much it costs and have it in the house all the time.

Use of chemistry

A huge amount of household chemicals are produced that help eliminate stench of various origins. Most often this is a liquid that is diluted in water and applied to the surface; sprays are also possible. After application, a film is formed on the surface that “blocks” harmful fumes inside. When the product dries and the smell of household chemicals disappears, the “smell” emanating from the furniture also goes away. The advantages are accessibility and ease of use. The downside is that it is only suitable for cabinet furniture, wooden or plastic surfaces; soft sofas and armchairs cannot be processed using this method. Especially relevant for children's rooms and those in which allergy or asthma sufferers live.

On a note!
People with allergies will be able to stay in the room after treatment only after a certain time after ventilation. Under no circumstances should you do the treatment yourself if you are susceptible to allergic attacks.

Gluing the ends with furniture edges

Sometimes inexpensive furniture may have unfinished joints and end edges. Harmful substances contained in resins and varnishes for wood treatment can easily evaporate through open surfaces. The simplest solution is to glue furniture edges to these areas, which will prevent evaporation. After pasting, it is necessary to ventilate the room.

Cleaning leather products

For cleaning leather products, conventional measures may not be effective and may even ruin the appearance. Texture and colors can be destroyed by chemicals, and even some common products. You should not experiment with methods that have not been tested; it is better to take well-known recipes. First, you should apply it to a small area that is not in plain sight; if no reaction occurs and the color remains the same, you can continue on the entire surface. To prepare the solution, take 1 glass of water and 1 teaspoon of ammonia. Use this liquid to wipe the upholstery with a soft sponge.

From chemicals, you can only use special products intended specifically for leather, eco-leather, and leatherette. You can also use the aroma of coffee to neutralize an unpleasant odor. To do this, place a bowl of freshly ground coffee on the surface or scatter it over the upholstery. The second method will work a little faster, but will require careful additional cleaning.

On a note!
If you don't like coffee aroma, take any other one. Instead of coffee, you can put fragrant handmade soap made from natural ingredients - with herbs, oils, fruits, cinnamon, the main thing is that you like it and have a bright aroma.

Available means

In most cases (except for very critical situations), available methods resolve the issue without additional purchases. Common items found in any home will be used - spices, tea bags, salt, citrus peels, vinegar, aromatic oils. It will be more effective to use several methods at once, then the result will be faster and better.

Waiting, airing and drying

This option is suitable for those for whom the smell is not critical or is not pronounced. In order not to subject the room and products to additional processing, you can simply wait until the aroma disappears on its own. Just to speed things up, you need to intensively ventilate the room for at least a month. If these are cabinets, tables, chests of drawers, you need to open the doors and pull out the drawers. Soft sofas and armchairs are pre-folded and left in the unfolded state. If you are concerned about mustiness, additionally turn on heating devices. It is important to remember that the furniture should not be exposed to direct sunlight so that the upholstery or varnish does not lose color or crack.

Absorbents

Any substance that has a porous structure and the ability to absorb can become an absorbent. From what you have on hand, this is rock salt, tea bags, charcoal or activated charcoal in tablets. Any of these products can be placed in a woven or paper bag and placed on shelves, drawers, or upholstery. The coal is also removed from the blister and packed into bags; in addition to odors, it will additionally absorb moisture. For the best effect, you should periodically change the absorbent and regularly ventilate the apartment.