How to Remove Smells From a Sofa

Wash the upholstery. If the sofa has removable cushion covers, take them off and wash them in the washing machine if they're made of washable fabric. If the fabric isn't washable, dry clean or spin them in the dryer on a low, cool setting, with a fabric softener sheet. If the upholstery isn't washable or removable, use a foam cleaner made for upholstery. Sponge the cleaner onto the upholstery, allow to dry, then vacuum.

Set the sofa outdoors on a sunny, breezy day. Sunlight and fresh air will help eliminate many odors from furniture. Sunlight will also kill odor-causing mildew.

Sprinkle the sofa with baking soda. Cover the sofa with a generous layer of baking soda and let sit overnight. Baking soda absorbs and neutralizes many odors.

Wash down the furniture with vinegar if the odor is due to smoke. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension recommends swabbing the fabric and wood with a solution of vinegar and water to neutralize smoke odor.

Swab the sofa with a mixture of one part denatured alcohol to one part water if mildew is causing an unpleasant odor, recommends Dale Dorman, an Extension Housing and Environment Specialist with the University of Georgia.

Place fabric softener sheets, scented sachets, or spices such as cinnamon and cloves under the cushions of the sofa to replace a bad odor with a more pleasant one.

Contact a cleaning professional and ask about steam extraction cleaning. The cleaning itself can remove many tough odors, and professionals can use special solutions that neutralize certain difficult-to-remove odors such as mildew or pet odors.