If you or someone else has vomited on a hard-to-clean surface, it's important to understand how to remove streak-free stains and vomit smells from your couch, carpet, mattress, clothing, and car.
Nausea and vomiting are a natural human reaction to poor quality food or large amounts of alcohol consumed. This may be a consequence of poisoning or car sickness. A person cannot always control the release of vomit. All this can easily stain clothes and objects near a person in an apartment or car interior. And if everything is easily removed from smooth surfaces, then the fabric and coatings based on it can absorb vomit.
Basic rules for cleaning a sofa from the smell of vomit
The success of getting rid of the smell of vomit depends 100% on your competent actions:
- In a timely manner (not in an hour or a day!), but here and now, start collecting the vomit. A couple of hours is enough for gastric juice and food debris to be firmly absorbed into the structure of the sofa upholstery. Speed is everything!;
- Gently collect, rather than smear, vomit from a soft surface. First remove solid food particles and then mucus;
- When removing traces of vomit, do not press too hard on the surface of the dirt, otherwise gastric juice and food particles will be absorbed deeper into the fibers of the upholstery;
- Vomit should be removed with a paper napkin, towel or toilet paper. Secondary treatment of the site of contamination is carried out with a sponge, microfiber, or a piece of cotton fabric;
- The vomit stain is washed off, starting from the edges to the center. Otherwise, there is a risk of increasing the area of contamination!;
- Preliminarily study the upholstery material according to the furniture passport so as not to spoil it with the wrong cleaning agent;
- First apply the cleaner to an area of the upholstery that is not visible to the public. Observe how this product behaves during application and after drying;
- Drying the sofa upholstery is done by airing or using a hair dryer on a cold draft.
Have you ever removed the smell of vomit from a sofa upholstery?
Not really
Important! After the vomit has been delicately removed, you should begin to eliminate the problematic odor. The option is always to contact a professional cleaning service.
But what to do when it is not possible to hire a third-party company? Traditional methods remain. Let's look at the available options. In practice, they use either improvised means (vinegar, starch, etc.) or household chemicals. You will find 18 simple ways to get rid of unpleasant odors from your sofa in this article.
Traditional recipes for use at home
Accumulated worldly experience recommends using one of the following available means (plus the approach that these substances are always available in the kitchen or bath of any housewife):
Lemon acid
Lemon juice or citric acid works well to remove unpleasant odors. It is important to maintain proportions! The recipe for citric acid solution is simple:
If the smell of vomit remains, the procedure should be repeated.
Citric acid will help not only in removing unpleasant odors, but also in cleaning the coffee machine and electric kettle from scale.
Vinegar
There are many recipes for removing the smell of vomit based on vinegar or its essence. Let's look at the main ones:
If the smell remains, you need to repeat the procedure. Vinegar will also help remove grease from the microwave and clean the refrigerator.
Starch
Starch is a strong odor absorbent; to clean the surface of the sofa from traces of vomit and its smell, you should:
There are variations of this method with pre-treatment of the vomit stain with a soap solution and subsequent application of starch slurry.
How to use baking soda? First, soda is poured onto the vomit for initial absorption of moisture. A mixture of water and soda effectively neutralizes gastric juice, and as a result, its unpleasant odor.
Advice! To re-treat the odor, pour soda onto the dried area of the stain and leave for 12 hours. Remove any remaining baking soda with a brush or vacuum cleaner.
There is a way to use starch and soda together. In this case, the algorithm is:
Ammonia
Ammonia works well against persistent odors and dissolves gastric juice derivatives. Let's consider several options.
Attention! The pungent smell of ammonia disappears very quickly, so there is no need to worry about it becoming permanent.
Salt is also a good absorbent for persistent odors. Experienced owners use several recipe options with this substance.
If necessary, repeat the procedure.
Citric acid plus salt
The combination of lemon juice (citric acid) and salt is also effective in getting rid of vomit odor. Let's consider 2 methods.
If there is still a faint smell of vomit, be sure to repeat the procedure.
Turpentine
This substance is used to remove odors from the wooden elements of a sofa. To prepare the solution you will need:
Turpentine causes the surface to heat up, watch this closely!
Dishwashing liquid
Regular dish soap is also suitable for removing vomit odor. The procedure is as follows:
Washing powder
To eliminate the smell of vomit, you can use washing powder:
Tea and coffee
Tea and coffee are great for removing vomit odor. Ground coffee particles absorb gastric juice odor molecules. But remember, this is only suitable for brown or dark upholstery surfaces!
How to use coffee as a sorbent:
Tea also absorbs unpleasant odors well. Even a child can remove the smell of vomit with it. Step-by-step instruction:
Coffee and tea are found in every home, and are available to everyone as a means to combat unpleasant odors.
Household chemicals
Let's consider the possibilities of special household chemicals in the fight against the stench of vomiting. Home economics experts identify the following names:
- L.O.S. remedy;
- Odorgone med;
- Vanish liquid stain remover;
- Vanish carpet cleaning powder;
- Odorgone animal gold product.
LOC All-Purpose Cleaner
Positioned by the manufacturer as a product for all occasions. In addition to removing the contamination itself, it is also possible to eliminate the associated odors. Procedure:
- half a teaspoon of LOC product;
- 1 liter of clean cool water;
- Apply the solution to the area of contamination;
- movements when applying the solution are delicate;
- after applying the LOC solution, thoroughly rinse the area of contamination with a damp sponge;
- Blow-dry on cold.
In case of residual odor, the manipulations must be repeated.
Odorgone Med
Odorgone Med contains natural ingredients (37 items), water and oxygen. The product destroys unpleasant odors at the molecular level. The manufacturer guarantees complete destruction of odor molecules.
How to use Odorgone Med:
- Wash the area of contamination with soapy water and dry with a hairdryer;
- spray with Odorgone Med;
- cover the treated area with plastic wrap.
Attention! Odorgone Med is positioned as an environmentally friendly product without side effects for people and animals.
Vanish carpet cleaning powder
Moistened Vanish powder is 5 times more effective than a vacuum cleaner and effectively eliminates unpleasant odors. Complete drying time is 20 minutes. It contains oxygen-containing bleach, anionic surfactants, etc.
Application procedure:
- pre-clean the area of contamination;
- Apply the powder evenly to the vomit stain;
- wait 20 minutes until the product dries completely;
- remove the powder with a rag, brush or vacuum cleaner.
If there are whitish spots on the upholstery, it means that the surface of the sofa has not been completely cleaned of powder particles.
Liquid stain remover Vanish
Vanish anti-stain formula contains 30% oxygenated bleach. The product can remove the effects of pollution in 30 seconds. How to use:
- Mix ¼ spoon of product with ¾ spoon of water
- Apply the mixture to the stain;
- Rub the treated area with a soft sponge;
- Blot the treated surface with a wet cloth.
Attention! The product is not recommended for use on wool, silk and leather upholstery. Pre-treated surfaces should not be left in direct sunlight or near heat sources.
Odorgone Animal Gold
Odorgone Animal Gold contains the OdorGone neutralizing complex, plant extracts, essential oils, and purified water. The product destroys unpleasant odors at the molecular level and also has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Operating procedure:
- Wash the area of contamination with soapy water and dry with a hairdryer;
- spray;
- cover the treated area with plastic wrap.
Features of cleaning leather upholstery at home
Since leather upholstery does not absorb liquids or odors, a soap solution and ammonia will be enough to clean it. The first step is to clean up the vomit and wipe the sofa dry. Next, add 3 teaspoons of liquid soap and a spoonful of ammonia to a basin with two liters of water. Use a sponge soaked in this solution to wipe the area of contamination.
Use cool water for cleaning. For synthetics, weak alkaline compounds are suitable, but for natural materials it is better not to use saturated acids.
What not to do when removing the smell of vomit?
The list of prohibited actions when eliminating odor is as follows:
- Do not press on the surface of the upholstery when washing away vomit; movements are light and delicate. Otherwise, gastric juice, and along with it the smell, will be absorbed deeply into the structure of the sofa upholstery;
- Do not use hot or warm water when removing traces of vomit. This leads to protein folding. Increased odor;
- Do not use cleaning products that are not suitable for the upholstery of your sofa;
- copious amounts of water do not lead to cleansing and getting rid of the smell of vomit, but cause the growth of pathogens of fungus and mold;
- Do not apply a new cleaner until the previous one has been removed. Mixing the compositions can lead to damage to the upholstery;
- Avoid using chlorinated products because chlorine changes the structure of the fabric and its color, leaving whitish stains;
- Do not use perfume to hide the smell of vomit, a mixture of 2 powerful smells will simply increase the stench of stomach acid.
Let's look at a couple of points from the above list in more detail.
Why can't you use hot water?
Boiling water (which is 100 degrees Celsius) causes instant folding of protein molecules. Also, hot water allows the vomit to literally weld into the structure of the upholstery and penetrate deeper into the fabric. Since the protein has coagulated under the influence of high temperature, as a result, food particles are securely attached to the threads of the upholstery fabric and emit a persistent unpleasant aroma.
Use chlorinated drugs
Chlorine is a very aggressive chemical. It actively influences the destruction of the upholstery fabric structure. The surface becomes “loose”, the material begins to collapse. In addition, paint molecules are also subject to deformation, which leads to the appearance of whitish stains and discoloration of the contaminated area.
Vinegar
After cleaning the vomit stain, does the sofa still give off an unpleasant odor? Table vinegar will help cope with this problem. Table salt is suitable, not acetic acid. It contains too much acid.
It is recommended to pour the product into a spray bottle and spray the problem area of upholstered furniture every hour during the day. You shouldn’t wet the fabric of the sofa too much; 3-4 sprays are enough to cover the entire area.
General recommendations
The sooner the discharge is removed, the less likely it is that the upholstery will permanently absorb the odor. If someone vomits on the couch, they should first clean it up with rags or wipes soaked in soapy water. Then you need to assess the extent of the damage and prepare available and professional means to remove unpleasant odors. Firstly, it is advisable to try traditional methods, as they have proven themselves and do not pose a risk to the health of your family. You will need the following:
- soapy water;
- ammonia;
- lemon juice;
- potassium permanganate;
- vinegar essence;
- coffee beans;
- Black tea;
- salt;
- hydrogen peroxide.
Before removing the smell, it is necessary to clean the upholstery from stains, if any, otherwise the chemical reaction between citric acid, vinegar and dirt will form a difficult-to-remove substance that will penetrate even deeper into the fibers. As a result, your upholstered furniture may smell even worse.
Fabric softener
An excellent way to combat odors is conditioner, which is used when rinsing clothes. It does a good job of removing odors left by pets and vomit.
You can clean the sofa from the smell like this: add a whole cap of conditioner to 0.5 liters of clean water. After thorough stirring, wipe away traces of vomiting with the solution. Additionally, you can spray a product diluted with water in the room if the smell has also spread throughout it.
Important to remember
Cleaning the sofa from vomit and eliminating bad odors is not a difficult task. The main thing is to know in what order, what is better to clean.
Tips for effective, furniture-friendly cleaning:
- Cleaning of stains is carried out from the edge to the center of the stain, without pressing, circular movements.
- Before cleaning a large area of your sofa, test the product in an inconspicuous area. If it doesn't fit, then you won't ruin the furniture.
- For pure synthetic upholstery, it is advisable to use non-concentrated alkaline solutions. Acidic ones are not allowed.
- It is better to clean cotton and linen upholstery with acidic rather than alkaline compounds.
- After applying any neutralizing agents, the area is washed with water.
- A single application does not always bring results. Application must be repeated.
DIY homemade stain and odor removers are more eco-friendly than store-bought ones. This should be taken into account, especially if there are small children and animals in the house. Homemade methods cope with their task no worse than purchased products.
Old stains
If the mattress is covered in stains and old dirt of unknown origin, the entire surface must be thoroughly cleaned. To do this, prepare a solution with plenty of foam: dilute washing powder, dishwashing detergent or liquid for washing carpets and wet cleaning upholstered furniture in warm water.
If the filler is polyurethane or coconut, use a soft brush and carefully wipe the material around the entire perimeter. If there is another soft filler inside, wash off the dirt with a sponge soaked in foam. After cleaning, blot the fabric with a clean towel and let it air dry.
