Will steam cleaning get rid of dog stink in couch?

[ktgrok]

Ikea Ektorp sleeper sofa. I have had it a long time. My 70lb hound dog has slept on it daily for 6 years. My 94 pound wolf hybrid/goldendoodle now does as well. It has removable cushion covers that I wash regularly, but the cushions themselves, and the couch itself, stink. And so does the mattres, I'm sure, just from being so close to the stinky rest of it, lol. 

Plan was to trash it and get new but everywhere is having stock issues. Would it be worth having it professional steam cleaned? Is that likely to actually get rid of stink, or just make it worse so it will smell like wet stinky dog, instead of just stinky dog, lol. Like, I'm afraid of waking the stink beast. 

[Pam in CT]

No.

I mean, give it a go, and get as much out as you can, and etc.  But dragging couch outside on a very hot day and leaving it in full sun for many many hours was what got the job done around here.

 

ETA ps you can rent good steam cleaners from Taylor Rental type places, and they're not hard to use.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Pam in CT

[history-fan]

Skouts Honor products might help. They specialize in pet odors. 

https://www.skoutshonor.com/collections/pet-odor-stain-remover?campaignid=9838130366&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtrSLBhCLARIsACh6RmhjV3VEwKU9xVpTEKpxuHEd7iEa2u5EmzUQ28vIVBMk0gCj5qR-m0QaAnc8EALw_wcB&hsa_acc=8765798122&hsa_ad=430922473893&hsa_cam=9838130366&hsa_grp=103758814761&hsa_kw=skouts honor odor&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=aud-894735903774%3Akwd-394575317474&hsa_ver=3&src=google&utm_campaign=HM_SNO_Branded_B&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=adwords&utm_term=skouts honor odor

Edited October 18, 2021 by history-fan

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I was going to suggest putting it outside in the hot sun for a day or two as well.

I have done the trifecta of steam cleaning, Febreeze for pet odors, and intense, direct sunlight (putting it on the cement driveway). It has worked to help dispel/decrease the odors.
 

[kbutton]

For the cushions that aren't directly a part of the structure of the couch, consider buying new cushion foam from an upholsterer who will have access to premium foam. They might be willing to cut it and sell it to you. 

[Katy]

I would get an enzyme cleaner, the kind that gets rid of pee/poop.  Put that in a carpet cleaner shampooer (diluted) and use the upholstery attachment.  Then ideally, let it dry in the sun.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Katy

[fraidycat]

Sunlight and fresh air are probably the best option. You could take the covers off to allow the sun to get to the foam.

[Pawz4me]

57 minutes ago, Katy said:

I would get an enzyme cleaner, the kind that gets rid of pee/poop.  Put that in a carpet cleaner shampooer (diluted) and use the upholstery attachment.  Then ideally, let it dry in the sun.

^^This.^^ Except I'd saturate it with the enzyme cleaner and let it stand for a day or three in a cool/dark place. It takes time for those lovely little enzymes to work their odor removing magic. Speeding up drying defeats the purpose. So . . saturate, let it stand for 24 or more hours, then steam clean and dry in the sun. That way you get the benefit of the enzymes plus the benefit of the sun.

[ktgrok]

So I'm hesitant of the sun thing, given how much worse the dog himself smells after being out in the sun....

[gardenmom5]

you would need to try an enzymatic cleaner.  I'm not sure that would get anything out of foam.

[ktgrok]

Ok, so I can rent a carpet cleaning machine with an upholstry attachment, and use an odor remover "boost" solution added to the normal solution. that's available locally for like, $50. 

I should clarify - no pee or poop - this is oils from the fur. 

[SoCal_Bear]

I would imagine that you can make some progress with the options above so that it is better for you. I can tell you as someone who is allergic to pet dander and sensitive to pet smells. Nothing truly ever gets rid of the odor entirely. I can smell it on people, their clothes, on furniture, books, and homes no matter how well things are cleaned. This is why I had to replace all the carpeting in our house when we bought it.

Edited October 18, 2021 by calbear

[kbutton]

28 minutes ago, calbear said:

I would imagine that you can make some progress with the options above so that it is better for you. I can tell you as someone who is allergic to pet dander and sensitive to pet smells. Nothing truly ever gets rid of the odor entirely. I can smell it on people, their clothes, on furniture, books, and homes no matter how well things are cleaned. This is why I had to replace all the carpeting in our house when we bought it.

So true. I think our bodies calibrate themselves to be aware of things that bother us. When my dust allergies were at their worst (early in my course of allergy shots), I could smell dust in every home except one no matter how clean it was. It was so weird. The miraculously clean house also had a cat, and that is the only house I never smelled cat that had one (also allergic to cats), but she bathed and brushed the cat regularly so that it could cohabitate with her DH. 

[Acadie]

Steam and sun both sound like good ideas. If that doesn't do enough, you also could consider buying a cover for the couch.

[klmama]

I don't know about dog smell in a couch, but Zerorez did an absolutely amazing job on our doggied carpets and on our 10yo couch (not doggied, but not clean, either).  Instead of just smelling "better," with Zerorez they smelled truly CLEAN.  No other professional cleaner we'd had previously ever came close.  There are some locations in Florida - maybe there's one near you?  https://www.zerorez.com/locations  

[mmasc]

No, it will not—Tried it on our last couch. The cushions smelled the same, even though the upholstery was indeed cleaner. 

[Lecka]

We pulled a couch out on the sun and poured boiling water over it and pillows.  Pillow all set out apart from the couch.

Sprayed a lot of Febreze on it.  
 

It did work.
 

We did this over a few days though.   Turned the cushions over etc.  

 

It wasn’t going to come back in the house if the smell didn’t go away.  
 

But they came back in and we had the couch and loveseat another couple of years!

 

It was a very hard-wearing brown fabric 😉

[popmom]

Dog rescue/foster mom here. Try this. Pour it on. I’ve had great luck with this. 
 

Zero Odor Pet Odor Eliminator - Air Cleaner, Purifier & Deodorizer - More Than an Air Freshener - Actually Eliminates Odors at a Molecular Level - Refill (64 Ounces) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083QRX6HH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GJFFCP5NDM8SWNADVYYB

[ktgrok]

1 minute ago, popmom said:

Dog rescue/foster mom here. Try this. Pour it on. I’ve had great luck with this. 
 

Zero Odor Pet Odor Eliminator - Air Cleaner, Purifier & Deodorizer - More Than an Air Freshener - Actually Eliminates Odors at a Molecular Level - Refill (64 Ounces) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083QRX6HH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GJFFCP5NDM8SWNADVYYB

I have this, and have sprayed it on, but sounds like I need to be more generous!

[popmom]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

I have this, and have sprayed it on, but sounds like I need to be more generous!

Buy the BIG jug lol. It does work. Good luck! 

[Katy]

8 hours ago, ktgrok said:

Ok, so I can rent a carpet cleaning machine with an upholstry attachment, and use an odor remover "boost" solution added to the normal solution. that's available locally for like, $50. 

I should clarify - no pee or poop - this is oils from the fur. 

The enzyme spray isn't for pee & poop, it's for the proteins that make the dog smell. The enzyme cleaner breaks down those proteins too. And 10:1 it will work better than a "boost" solution unless the solution contains enzymes too.  They even use enzyme cleaners (probably a different concentration) for crime scene cleanup, so it should take care of all kinds of smells.  If you want to boost it, use oxyclean too.  Maybe test it in an inconspicuous spot first though, in case oxyclean discolors it somehow.  But I'd think between oxyclean & enzyme stuff the scent would get dramatically better.

[skimomma]

I saturated our Ektorp couch cushions with Nature's Miracle (enzyme cleaner) then dried in the sun earlier this summer.  It was a last ditch attempt to save the 20 year old couch to also avoid the cannot-find-a-new-couch problem.  In our case, we had a cat door malfunction while we were on vacation and the cats did not have access to their litter boxes for a few days.  Whoops.  They at least chose the oldest piece of furniture rather than the wood floors or something more important to us.  I did not have much hope but it did work.  I stripped and washed the covers then put the pre-rinsed cushions, one at a time, in a big rubbermaid bin, saturated with the cleaner, and stomped with my feet to get it everywhere.  Then hung them to dry for days.  It took several days for them to dry completely.  They did indeed clean up all the way but unfortunately, I hate the smell of the cleaner almost as much as cat pee.  I am hoping that will fade with time.