I think I’ve sussed out what the bad smell in my house is.

[Saxonite]

For some time Now my house has had a strong earthy / bad feet kind of smell that hits you when you walk in the house, especially in hot weather. I managed to track it down to the living room but couldn’t work out its source . With the good weather we have been having I decided to wash my cushion covers so bagged up the duck feather filled cushion inserts and put them in the garage a few days ago . It seems that was the source of the smell . My living room smells so much better . I didn’t know duck filled inserts could eventually smell like that , I have had them for years !

Are they washable?

Yes they are washable but take ages to dry . I should have washed and dried them during the heatwave. I didn’t connect the smell with the cushions . Until I removed them from the house. I took the cushions outside and bagged them because of escaping feathers and left them in the garage when I was the cushion covers .

I wonder if anyone else has had similar problems with duck feathers ?

Feathers can stink. Like a chicken farm!

Bacteria will get into cushions. Esp given you’ve had them years.

Same as fluids get into pillows & mattresses & breed bacterial smells eventually. Although protectors do help.
Treat yourself. Buy new cushions.

Yes I've thrown out several feather cushions which stunk after they were washed. Like you it took me a while to figure out what the smell was. I'm sticking to my artificial stuffed cushions from now on. Feathers are too much work.

All feather pillows and cushions stink to me, even new ones. Just get rid.

I put my feather cushion inserts in the dryer on Low or Air Fluff in XL mesh bags to keep feathers from choking the vent. I add a dryer sheet, three clean tennis balls, and sometimes a clean, wet, wrung out washcloth. The low heat is enough to kill off any fungal or bacterial source of odour.

I recently had the same problem. I got rid of the offending cushion! :-)

Hypochlorous acid spray is fantastic for that sort of thing (and acne prone skin) and it costs pennies.

I get mine in the baby care aisle and Home Bargains sells some for £1.50

I doesn't "mask" smells, it just gets rid of them as if by magic. I use it everywhere (and on my pre-teen face after washing)

Was it a large cushion ? I have six small ones .

If you spray them with a pet neutraliser spray it gets rid of the smell- I know this because we had our sofa cushions re stuffed and the whole house smelled like a farm for weeks !