Smelly, really smelly Sofa

[hazchem]

Please help me:)

We have bought a second hand sofa from a charity shop.
It stinks! Sort of old arm pit and dirty feet.

The first day we had it home I:
Washed the covers in borax ad line dried them
pulled the cushions apart and had them out in the hot sun rotating them to try to get them aired
sprinkled the body with bicarb then beat it with a wooden spoon then vacumned it.
We put it all back together and it still stinks!
So today I:
Rewashed the covers (they had soaked up the stink)
Then took cushions and sofa into the sun and sprayed with a disinfectant.

Anyone got any suggestions?

We are pretty hard up at the moment and the money was a bit of a splurge as out old couch was malting and there wasn't enough seats for everyone that regularly comes to visit.

TIA

Do you have any nice perfume to disguise the smell ?! I know it's not getting rid of it - but it might make it bearable ?! You have already done all that I would have suggested ?!? What I would say is spray perfume on the actual cushions rather than on the cushion covers as it's less likely to transfer to your clothes that way ?!? :-)

Hmmm sounds like some kind of bacteria from your description, such as if it had got a bit damp and dried too slowly. What colour is it?

If it is light coloured I would try taking the covers off (again) and mixing up some (weak) sterilising fluid in a plant spray bottle and spritzing over the stuffing to hopefully kill the nasties making the smell. I would be very very cautious on obviously foam bits as the milton might destroy it, should be ok on hollow fibre type wadding though.

have you got a stapler or staple gun? or some big head tacks? If so I would also turn the whole thing over and undo all the staples holding the underneath dust cover/mesh on and give the underneath a good hoover and spritz with cleaner / milton. Then restaple back on.

Essential oil might help with the smell (a few drops in hidden places under the covers). Again think anti bacteria if poss so tea tree, lavender.

At a pinch I would rewash using lenor to infuse the covers with fragrance, and after trying to kill the smell I would then spritz the non washable bits with a load more lenor, ideally the one with febreze in it.

good luck

Hi,
Thanks!
It's grey quite dark.

Yep we have a staple gun so will do that.

Sterilizing fluid sounds good too.

We put a fair bit of eucalyptus oil on it but as that has worn off the stink has come back

Will report back.

It's better!

I covered the main bit in carpet cleaner.
The cushions have been replaced by the cushions from the old couch! Hooray no sticky couch and much more solid cushions.

Now I just have to take the old couch and the pile of stinky cushions to the tip

Make a bicarb paste and rub like mad into it ..( use tons of the stuff) then leave to dry and hoover up, sprinkle dry bicarb down the back, seams and creases etc leave and hoover up. Fab stuff....

glad you fixed it