Help...my Couches Stink

Try Dryer Sheets under the cushions and rubbing the sheets all over.
Frebreeze also works and they make specific spray for smoke smells.

Good luck.

You've already gotten great tips for removing the smell. Just to let you know, my in-laws smoked for years and gave us their couches. Luckily, they had stopped smoking for about 2 years before they gave us their couches so they had had some time already to 'air out'. Once I received them, you could still smell it a bit but only if you actually put your face into the fabric or cushions. Besides washing the covers, I've not done anything else to them and the smell is no longer detectable (after another year).

if none of these suggestions work for you, try a company that treats homes after flooding, fires, etc. They used to have a machine you could rent called an ozone machine to get rid of the smoke smell in cars. I'm not sure what those companies use now, but they get rid of smoke smell all the time! They may sell you their chemicals, or charge you a fee. But it may be worth it if the smell bothers you and these other options don't work entirely.

If it is microfiber, call a local furniture place and ask them proper cleaning. Freebreeze makes great odor removing stuff for upholstery but you need to make sure it is safe on the fabric too. If you can take the cushion covers off them and air them in the outside that sometimes can help.
Unfortunately smoke can really penetrate deeply and doesn't go away easily! :)

we had a car that was owned by a smoker, and what we did was open up some coffee cans. don't pour the coffee on the couch or anything, but let the cans sit there, maybe a week, i don't know. it only took over night with our car... the coffee smell does not stay, it just sucks in the smoke odor somehow. good luck!

Hi A.,

Not sure how many responses you have had, but I highly recommend Service Master of Colorado Springs. They can do a special treatment that will take all the old odors out and make it like new. They actually specialize in disaster restoration (like fires and floods). They are amazing. Good luck.

There is a product called OdoBan that I swear by. It kills germs and has a clean eucalyptus scent to it. I like it better than Febreze. It is a multi surface cleaner and is safe for getting rid of odors in furniture. You should be able to get it at Wal-Mart. I got mine at Sam's, but saw it at Wal-Mart a few months later. I would take your cushions outside to let them air out then spray this stuff on them. If you can't get the couches themselves outside, just spray them. If it is a microfiber material, it should be safe to spray them or even use a damp rag, spray the rag then wipe the couches down. Good luck.

i would cover them in baking soda, rub it in, let it set for a hour or a day depending on level of patience i have at the time;), take them outside and beat them or vacuum. if they're dirty, i would scrub them down with diluted lysol afterward

Just one word - Febreze!! I would spray a spot on the back to make sure it won't hurt your fabric but that will help with the smell. May take several applications.

Have you tried Fabreze? You can also try baking soda,sprinkle it on your sofa , let it stay on for an hour .Then vacuum it off.

My mother smokes, and when she sends gifts (clothes, toys, stuffed animals, etc) to my kids, they always reek. Granted, she never gave us furniture, but the stuff still stank just the same, just on a smaller scale. The clothes we could just wash in the washer, but some things weren't so easy. What helped a lot for some things was to set them outside for a few days (maybe even a week or two if possible) and let them "air out" without stinking up the house. Then after that if there was any stink left over, we used an appropriate cleaner for whatever the fabric. I like "Kids 'n Pets" for a lot of things, but if you can't use it on the couches, maybe try asking a furniture store what the best cleaner would be for that fabric. If there's a pillow or cushion you could bring with you it would be easier for them to tell. Also, see if the cushions can come out of the covers. Sometimes they have zippers or something where you can actually take the foam out of the cushion. If you can do that, you'll be way ahead in trying to get the smell out because you can clean the foam without worrying about what the cover looks like. You could even try restuffing them with new material if they're the cottony material in the pillows or backs of the cushions. It all depends on how they're made and if you have access to the inside. Anyway... I probably have more suggestions. If you want you can email me. Or tell me more about how they're made and I might have some other suggestions. Good luck!

Febreeze, Febreeze, Febreeze....and make sure you air out your living or family room a lot!

I personally have never been able to get the smoke smell out of anything when its been given to me. My grandmother passed away and left us a love seat, a jewelry box, and a dresser. I scrubbed all of them with soap and water, sprayed gallons of febreeze on them. I couldn't handle the smell of the loveseat so we got rid of it. The dresser and jewelry box are special and I can't part with them. The smell has gotten better....I've had them for three years in a smoke-free house. But occasionally you still get a smell from them. Good luck!

This is a tough one...First you need to know what kind of fabric it is. If it's suede you really should have it professionally cleaned, if it's microfiber or man made material this is a little easier to work with. You can use the store bought upholstery cleaner however this will only help with the smell as will febreeze but not get rid of it entirely. I would try more traditional methods like baking soda, and if you can get the furniture wet spray vinegar on it...it does smell bad but it will diminish and it's a natural deodorizer. You can also try air purifiers and open the windows weather permitting. Doing all this will help but it will take some time and repeating and even then it may never completely go away.

We got a real nice sectional from our neighbors years ago, I really liked it but they were heavy smokers in the house, my hubby smoked but outside at the time. I decided to use the new stuff that had just came ou Fabreeze, sprayed it all over as best I could at least 2-3 times letting it dry real good in between and before sitting on it and it worked real good. I tried to cover it with a light mist when I did it though. You might try it on the back or somewhere where it wont show in case of it might stain. If no staining then go for it.
Good luck and hope you can find some thing to take the stench out.

I had that problem with a couch that I loved. I used frebreeze. It worked. It took almost the whole bottle of the stuff but it finally worked. We'd take the whole thing apart. (It was a sofa bed) and spray and spray. It took less than a week. Good luck!!!!

I had the same problem when we received couches from my in-laws. First I vaccummed them. Then I used my little green machine to clean them. Then I used 6 bottles of fabreeze on them. It took 3 months to totally get the smell out. I would spray them everyday with fabreeze. Good luck, I know how awful that smell is.

Sunlight, plenty of Febreeze for for fabrics. Let dry and spray again repeat if necessary. Open windows for drying and freshening. The other thing we have had with success is Clorox disinfecting spray. Same method s above. Vinegar and water solution sprayed on. Vinegar seems to be helpful for so many things.

I would sprinkle baking soda over the entire couch. Let it sit for a while then vacuum. It absorbs orders very well. It worked well when we received a chair from my in-laws that smelled of smoke and dog. You may need a lot and you might need to do this a couple of times. Hope this helps.

I have found that fabreze works wonders.