Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[sangfroid]

Hey all,

I bought an office chair from Craigslist and decided to clean it. The cushions are covered in fabric, not leather.

I bought a can of carpet/upholstery cleaner at Walgreens (I know, probably a big mistake), the kind with the brush on top. I rubbed a lot of the shampoo into the cushions, scrubbed it, and then wiped it off with a damp towel.

It cleaned the cushions just fine. The only problem is that now the chair stinks of shampoo. It smells like dog shampoo. Yuck! Even worse, it makes my clothes smell like the shampoo. So sad!

I've tried washing the cushions with club soda. Had limited success with this, but the chair still smells! Is there any way I can get this smell out of the chair? Will it go away on its own? Or is the situation hopeless?

Thanks for your time & help!

[mrscleannw]

Hello sangfroid,

It's possible that too much cleaner was used when you scrubbed the chair and the underlying fabric is still wet. Do you have a covered patio where you can place it outside to help dry it out? If not, take a box fan (point it on the cushion) and put it in the garage to dry.

Using Baking Soda.
When it's dry, what you can do is sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the chair and rub it in. Cover it in plastic wrap, let it sit for 24 hours then vacuum.

Using an Enzymatic Cleaner.
You can also try a product called Natures Miracle for removing odors. Although it states it for pet odors and stains, it can also work great for the tough odor you are dealing with.

Mrs. Clean

[sangfroid]

Thanks for the advice! I'll have to try those. A little concerned about the baking soda, only because it's a black cloth chair, and I'm concerned it'll be hard to get the baking soda out of the cushions! Do you think an ordinary vacuum would do the trick?

[mrscleannw]

Baking soda is excellent as a natural deodorizer and it will absorb all kinds of odors. If you want to try this suggestion the other thing you can do is place paper towels on the cushions then put the baking soda on. Instead of covering in plastic wrap, loosely cover with a sheet for 24 hours.

If you want to try the odor neutralizer, follow the manufacturer recommends.

Mrs. Clean