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Original poster

Anyone else with a Next sofa that stinks?

30 replies

Theonewhogotthecake · 27/08/2025 22:39

Purchased a sofa and armchair (Stamford) in summer 2023. For the last 6 months to a year the room has smelt strongly of garlic/onion. Just contacted Next but has anyone else had this problem and have you managed to get a refund?

OP posts:
Symposium · 27/08/2025 22:43

What makes you think it’s the sofa causing the smell?

Original poster
Theonewhogotthecake · 27/08/2025 22:47

I can smell it on the fabric. There are also a lot of complaints online about similar problems, not just sofas from Next.

OP posts:
confusedlots · 27/08/2025 23:20

Can’t relate to the smell but I won’t buy a Next sofa again after I bought 2 a number of years ago and they started sagging really badly after a year or so. Spent a lot of money on them and they were awful. I bought a refurbished 2nd hand sofa for £150 a couple of years ago from a local business and it’s much better quality!

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Home improvement
humptydumptyfelloff · 27/08/2025 23:22

Yes op!!

ours is dfs though.

had ours two years and every now and then the smell
comes back.
was horrendous when we first got it.

I googled it and apparently it’s something to do with the adhesive or dyes that are used and is meant to disappear after a while but I can still smell
it on our arm chair rather than the sofa.

bloody stinks.

Sub2Mumma · 27/08/2025 23:26

Not the sofas but I had to send back 3 pairs of curtains and 2 sets of bedding as they absolutely stunk to high heaven - that was even through the delivery bag 🤢

Marble10 · 28/08/2025 18:03

I’ve had rugs which smelt of tumeric from next. So strong!

Jersey1999 · 30/08/2025 10:28

I brought 2 Houghton next sofas around a year ago in a chunky weave fabric. They have both started to smell in the last month or so and it smells even worse when it is a hot day. I had a different next sofa before this one for over 7 years and I never had this issue. They said they will send someone round to take a look, but from reading other threads on this issue I might be wasting my time!

WatieKatie · 31/08/2025 14:02

Thank goodness that I found your post - mine is exactly the same OP - thought I was imagining it!

I have a sofa and large armchair, both were ex display and purchased end of 2024. Both smell exactly as you described, the armchair is worse. I’ve googled it and there seem to be a number of people with the same problem.

No idea what I’m going to do but I will start investigating.

Kitty2025 · 07/09/2025 07:34

i have exactly the same problem it’s driving me mad

EmilyLouiseR · 29/10/2025 09:39

I have had my sofa 2 years and it's only in the last month its started smelling of onions/garlic.
I don't know what to do. I've tried baking soda and fabric refreshers.
Does anyone have a solution?

EmilyLouiseR · 29/10/2025 09:50

Theonewhogotthecake · 27/08/2025 22:39

Purchased a sofa and armchair (Stamford) in summer 2023. For the last 6 months to a year the room has smelt strongly of garlic/onion. Just contacted Next but has anyone else had this problem and have you managed to get a refund?

Please can I ask how successful you were with next?
I'm not confident ha.

Balloonhearts · 29/10/2025 10:29

Have you cleaned it? Like taken off the covers and washed them and scrubbed the rest with a brush and upholstery cleaner? You do have to wash sofas or they will start to smell.

Do you have an open plan living area? Fabrics absorb smells so if you've cooked with onion or garlic, it will hold the smell.

If it didn't smell for the first year, I don't see how it could be a manufacturing fault. It sounds like local causes.

MsWilmottsGhost · 29/10/2025 10:49

Not a sofa, no. But I had a pair of jeans from Next that stank.

They were like it from brand new. I kept washing and washing them, but every time I put them on I could smell it. It was a horrible foul smell but only seemed to start when they warmed up as they were worn.

Eventually I realized it couldn't possibly be me being stinky as it was only ever the same pair of jeans and they had hardly been worn. I had other pairs (including from Next) that were going through the same wash and worn more often and they didn't smell.

It was really weird, I assume it must have been the dye or something in the material decomposing. No one else seemed able to smell it either, but I am quite intolerant to smells so I assumed it was just me being sensitive. I had to bin them in the end even though they were hardly worn.

No problem with any other clothes at the time or since then. I don't buy Next jeans anymore though.

EmilyLouiseR · 29/10/2025 10:59

Balloonhearts · 29/10/2025 10:29

Have you cleaned it? Like taken off the covers and washed them and scrubbed the rest with a brush and upholstery cleaner? You do have to wash sofas or they will start to smell.

Do you have an open plan living area? Fabrics absorb smells so if you've cooked with onion or garlic, it will hold the smell.

If it didn't smell for the first year, I don't see how it could be a manufacturing fault. It sounds like local causes.

From research other people have had the same problem, even years later.
The sofa wasn't originally in a warm environment but now its next to a radiator and its since putting that on it's smelt.
I have washed the bottom covers but not the top ones as they can't because they have the buttons that look like they've been pressed in if that makes sense.
I have used bi carb and fabric refreshers but also being careful not to use too much all at once.
Research is telling me its something to do with the fire retardant they put in the fabric.
When cooking we have the extractor fan on.
It is an open plan room yeah which is what made me think its cooking, but when doing my research loads of other people have had the same problem.
My worry is that it's going to get worse. It was a £1,300 sofa and I can't really afford to replace it so trying anything else first.

EmilyLouiseR · 29/10/2025 11:01

MsWilmottsGhost · 29/10/2025 10:49

Not a sofa, no. But I had a pair of jeans from Next that stank.

They were like it from brand new. I kept washing and washing them, but every time I put them on I could smell it. It was a horrible foul smell but only seemed to start when they warmed up as they were worn.

Eventually I realized it couldn't possibly be me being stinky as it was only ever the same pair of jeans and they had hardly been worn. I had other pairs (including from Next) that were going through the same wash and worn more often and they didn't smell.

It was really weird, I assume it must have been the dye or something in the material decomposing. No one else seemed able to smell it either, but I am quite intolerant to smells so I assumed it was just me being sensitive. I had to bin them in the end even though they were hardly worn.

No problem with any other clothes at the time or since then. I don't buy Next jeans anymore though.

I wouldn't mind if the smell comes out when washing/cleaning but the exact same smell comes back.

EmilyLouiseR · 29/10/2025 11:05

MsWilmottsGhost · 29/10/2025 10:49

Not a sofa, no. But I had a pair of jeans from Next that stank.

They were like it from brand new. I kept washing and washing them, but every time I put them on I could smell it. It was a horrible foul smell but only seemed to start when they warmed up as they were worn.

Eventually I realized it couldn't possibly be me being stinky as it was only ever the same pair of jeans and they had hardly been worn. I had other pairs (including from Next) that were going through the same wash and worn more often and they didn't smell.

It was really weird, I assume it must have been the dye or something in the material decomposing. No one else seemed able to smell it either, but I am quite intolerant to smells so I assumed it was just me being sensitive. I had to bin them in the end even though they were hardly worn.

No problem with any other clothes at the time or since then. I don't buy Next jeans anymore though.

The sofa wasn't in a warm environment but i moved properties and now its next to a radiator, we have been putting the radiator on for the past month and its only since then its smelt! odd how you also mentioned your jeans smell as they got warm.

columnatedruinsdomino · 29/10/2025 11:06

MsWilmottsGhost · 29/10/2025 10:49

Not a sofa, no. But I had a pair of jeans from Next that stank.

They were like it from brand new. I kept washing and washing them, but every time I put them on I could smell it. It was a horrible foul smell but only seemed to start when they warmed up as they were worn.

Eventually I realized it couldn't possibly be me being stinky as it was only ever the same pair of jeans and they had hardly been worn. I had other pairs (including from Next) that were going through the same wash and worn more often and they didn't smell.

It was really weird, I assume it must have been the dye or something in the material decomposing. No one else seemed able to smell it either, but I am quite intolerant to smells so I assumed it was just me being sensitive. I had to bin them in the end even though they were hardly worn.

No problem with any other clothes at the time or since then. I don't buy Next jeans anymore though.

Yes, it's the dye. Three pairs of M&S jeans smelt like sick every time I opened the wardrobe. A new pair started too so I washed them at 60 and it seems to have gone away🤞

columnatedruinsdomino · 29/10/2025 11:09

Also I bought 3 cushions from Amazon that stank of sick as soon as I opened the packaging. After leaving outside in the wind and rain for a few days it appears to have gone off. Obviously you can't do that with a sofa!

EmilyLouiseR · 29/10/2025 11:46

columnatedruinsdomino · 29/10/2025 11:09

Also I bought 3 cushions from Amazon that stank of sick as soon as I opened the packaging. After leaving outside in the wind and rain for a few days it appears to have gone off. Obviously you can't do that with a sofa!

It's bad isn't it that they arrive smelling so bad.
Honestly If i get desperate that might be an option ha!

birdling · 29/10/2025 20:31

We have a sofa like this. It smells intermittently, usually when it gets warm.
Unfortunately it is leather, so no covers to remove or wash.
We like the sofa, so we just put up with the smell.

CalmShaker · 29/10/2025 20:38

Slightly unrelated but a neighbour of ours bought a DFS sofa some time back. They had it for 2 years and never felt it was completely comfortable, curiosity got the better of them and they took the stitched lining apart on the base and inside there were 2 Morrison branded sealed turnips.

Lifeislove · 29/10/2025 20:49

CalmShaker · 29/10/2025 20:38

Slightly unrelated but a neighbour of ours bought a DFS sofa some time back. They had it for 2 years and never felt it was completely comfortable, curiosity got the better of them and they took the stitched lining apart on the base and inside there were 2 Morrison branded sealed turnips.

That has to true because nobody could ever invent that scenario 😂😂😂

TracyJR · 21/12/2025 20:30

Bought an armchair from next a month ago and it now has an onion smell which is getting worse. I’m pleased to see others have had problems. I’ll call NEXT

EmilyLouRob · 17/02/2026 09:32

I bought my sofa in 2023.
It started smelling in the last 12 months since we moved and its now in a warm room, which has triggered the fire retardant to off gas.
I have had 2 Technion's round which confirmed they can also smell it albeit not being as bad as some of the properties they have been too. its worse when i have had the heating on.
Next have offered me a full refund or they will replace however advise not getting it replaced due to they are still using the same fire retardant which is the smell we can smell (Onion/Garlic Smell). Is that because the company doesnt want to pay for a new sofa to be made?
If i was to get a replacement and it smells again they can't do anything for me and i will have to live with it. So now i dont know what to do.

EmilyLouRob · 17/02/2026 11:04

TracyJR · 21/12/2025 20:30

Bought an armchair from next a month ago and it now has an onion smell which is getting worse. I’m pleased to see others have had problems. I’ll call NEXT

Edited

Hi Tracy, can I ask if you have resolved it with next ?

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