A musty or lingering smell is the number one thing that puts people off a sofa, secondhand or brand new. The good news is that most sofa smells sit in the fabric fibres and padding, not permanently baked in, and there's a proper order of operations that shifts them for good.
Why sofas hold onto smell
Fabric and foam are both porous. Cooking smells, damp, spilled drinks and general daily use get absorbed into the weave and the cushion filling underneath, not just the surface. That's why a quick surface spray only masks things for a day or two — you have to treat what's underneath the visible fabric too.
The method that actually works
- Vacuum thoroughly first — crevice tool into every seam, under cushions, down the back. Dust and debris hold odour.
- Bicarbonate of soda, left for hours not minutes — sprinkle generously over the whole sofa, work it gently into the fabric, and leave for at least 4–8 hours (overnight is better). It draws moisture and odour out of the fibres.
- Vacuum it all off — a second thorough vacuum pass, again including the crevices.
- Ventilate — open windows and let air move through the room for a full day if you can. Damp, stale air undoes step 2 fast.
- Spot-treat lingering areas — a fabric-safe upholstery cleaner or a diluted white vinegar solution (test on a hidden patch first) on any specific patches that still smell.
What to avoid
Don't soak the fabric to try to "wash out" a smell — excess moisture trapped in foam padding grows mould, which makes the smell far worse. Skip heavily perfumed sprays too; they combine with the existing smell rather than replacing it.
If you're buying secondhand
A genuine smell check is one of the first things worth doing before you commit to any preloved sofa. At Revived Sofas, every sofa is aired, deep cleaned and smell-checked before it goes back on the shop floor — it's a standard part of our refurbishment process, not an afterthought.
Have a look through our current refurbished sofa range, all professionally cleaned before listing.