In a spray bottle (specifically this one), Amaro combines half a cup of water, a quarter cup of alcohol, and some fabric softener. She says in the video to use less softener for a lighter scent and more for a stronger scent. Then spray on your couch, take a whiff, and enjoy.
Fabric softeners can be diluted with water and used as a fabric freshener for upholstered furniture, such as sofas, chairs, and cushions. Mix a small amount of fabric softener with water in a spray bottle, then lightly mist the fabric surfaces.
Before you go to bed, just sprinkle a layer of baking soda on the sofa. Then, in the morning, once the powder has had time to work its magic, you simply vacuum up the residue. The baking soda will neutralise the smell, leaving your sofa fresh and odour-free.
All you need is your favourite fabric softener and some boiling water. Simply add a cap-full of fabric softener into a bowl and top it up with boiling water, so the softener is diluted. Use a sponge and rub the diluted fabric conditioner on your sofa, chairs and those stubborn skirting boards.
For fabric upholstery: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar, 3/4 warm water and 1 tablespoon of dish soap or Castile soap. Put in a spray bottle. Mist the soiled area. Scrub with a soft cloth until the stain lifts.
The best general upholstery cleaner: 1 cup of water or club soda, ½ cup white vinegar, ½ tablespoon of natural dish soap (cleaner #10)
If there are more clothes in the machine than recommended but still the same amount of fabric conditioner, then the machine will not be able to disperse the conditioner to all of the clothes evenly. In addition, the fabric conditioner will dilute too much and will not be able to have as much of a concentrated scent.
Fabric softener always needs to be diluted, so never add this directly to the drum.
Oils. Every month when you change your air filter, you can add a couple of drops of essential oils to the fabric of the filter. When the air conditioning turns on and the air passes through the filter, the scent of the oil will also waft into the home. Lavender, sandalwood or eucalyptus are all pleasant options.
Like vinegar, baking soda is another common household item with multi-uses like getting rid of boot odor and cleaning grime. To get rid of smell in couch, sprinkle baking soda generously on cushions, in crevices, and especially on areas with a stain.
Avoid Using Fabric Softeners on Certain Fabrics
You'll also want to skip the fabric softener on specialty fabrics like wicking sportswear, flameproof children's clothes or pajamas, or water-resistant items, and synthetic fabrics like polyester or anything containing elastane and nylon (think skinny jeans or leggings).
Fabric Softener
Use one capful of softener and add it to a pot of boiling water. Simmer this over the stove, and the scent of the fabric softener will waft around your house.
In a spray bottle (specifically this one), Amaro combines half a cup of water, a quarter cup of alcohol, and some fabric softener. She says in the video to use less softener for a lighter scent and more for a stronger scent. Then spray on your couch, take a whiff, and enjoy.
Like your hair, your clothes pick up sweat and dirt throughout the day. Like shampoo, laundry detergent removes all of that dirt and grime to seriously clean. This means only using fabric softener prevents you from getting a heavy-duty clean, regardless of how good your clothes smell afterward.
Many readers said they dilute the fabric softener with water either in the dispenser or in a cup before adding it to the laundry. We checked with several manufacturers, and they actually recommend doing this.
Liquid softeners were found to be most effective at removing odors and softening clothes—so long as it's not a product formulated with detergent. A downside to the liquid kind? It's the most expensive per load and is made with chemicals that can easily irritate sensitive skin.
That “soft” feeling you get from using fabric softener is actually a greasy coating that locks odors into the fibers of fabric. You may have noticed the effects of this residue on athletic clothing not performing as well over time or towels becoming less absorbent.
Best Scent
If you want a fabric softener that smells incredible, we recommend Downy Infusions. This liquid fabric conditioner comes in two scents: Calm (lavender and vanilla bean) and Refresh (birch water and botanicals).
Create a cleaning solution by combining equal parts water and white vinegar in a small bucket. Dip a microfiber cloth into the solution so that it is damp but not wet, then wipe the couch, rinsing the cloth regularly. Dry the couch with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.
Gently mist the couch with the vinegar-water solution. You should be about a foot away so you can gently spritz the couch without oversaturating. The white vinegar smell will be potent, but it will dissipate as the vinegar dries. In fact, it's the vinegar's drying process that actually lifts and removes odor particles.