We can all agree that the smell of the new furniture is one of the best experiences for our noses, whether in our homes or the office.
Office chairs are one of them, if not the most used pieces of furniture in the office, and they should be not only comfortable but also smell nice, mainly if we use them for at least eight hours a day.
However, after time, the fresh scent of the new furniture can evaporate, and we are left with a not-so-pleasant smell in our noses.
The most common cause of the bad smell is an accumulation of bacteria mixed with the moisture coming from the sweat. But worry not, there are a few easy and effective ways to solve the smelly issue.
6 Ways To Clean The Office Chair Smell
1. Check The Tag
Most of the chairs come with included instructions on what’s the best way to clean them, so the first step should be to check for the tag on the back or under the chair in order not to damage the chair instead of improving its condition.
What you are most likely to find on the tags is the water temperature that’s best to wash the chair cover, in case it’s removable, or how to treat stains caused by food, drink, or other kinds of everyday products. That is extremely important because different fabrics react differently to specific ways of cleaning.
2. Leave It In The Sun
Sun is not only suitable for people and plants, but also office chairs! Leaving the chair by the window, exposed to the Sun for at least one hour per day, can help reduce the bad smells coming from it.
The pros of this method are that it costs absolutely nothing. All you need to have is a window to place the chair next to. However, in the winter, it can be slightly less effective, especially if the place of work is located somewhere with less sunlight.
3. Soap And Water
We all learned the importance of washing our hands a couple of times a day during the period when Covid-19 decided to become a part of our everyday lives.
The combination of soap and water is also an excellent way to eliminate the bad smell on the office chair, no matter its material. All that’s needed to be done is to mix hand soap with water in a ratio of ⅓ or ½ if the smell is older and more challenging to get rid of.
After rubbing it into the chair, leave it for approximately half an hour, dry it off with a hand towel, and, if necessary, leave the chair exposed to the sunlight or under the air conditioning to dry off the leftover moisture. The good side of this method is that it is low-cost, quick, and effective. The only downside can be the smell that can appear if not dried off well.
4. Baking Soda
If you like to cook, you probably have baking soda in your kitchen cabinets. But you may be wondering, how do I put it into use to get rid of the smell from the chair? There are two ways to use baking soda when removing smells from the office chairs.
The first way is to use dry baking soda. Simply spreading it on the smelly surface, rubbing it in with a hand towel or dryer sheets, and leaving it like that for about half an hour, or even better – after night, should do the trick. After that, use a vacuum cleaner to remove the baking soda or brush it off.
The second way to use baking soda required mixing it with some warm water, possibly adding a few drops of essential oil in a spraying bottle, spaying the chair’s surface, and leaving it to absorb and dry off.
Using baking soda to eliminate smells is one of the cheaper ways, but it takes some time for it to work, and the process may need to be repeated more than once to be 100% effective.
5. Vinegar Or Apple Cider And Water
Mixing vinegar and water in a ratio of ½ makes a great solution to clean up not only the dirt and stains from an office chair but also the bad smell. Contrary to the belief of many, vinegar doesn’t leave an unpleasant scent when used, especially not in the mentioned ratio.
After drying out, the chair will be left with a fresh scent, similar to the one it had when it was first bought. If still skeptical, adding a few drops of lemon or essential oil is a possibility too.
When it comes to leather office chairs, apple cider mixed with water is a more recommended solution since leather is known to be highly durable and thick, but also one of the soft materials office chairs are made of. For that reason, vinegar is not appropriate to be used on leather materials since it could potentially damage the surface and leave them looking worn out.
6. Vodka
Probably the most unusual way to remove the odors, but also one of the most effective ones, is using vodka. It is as simple as it sounds! Spraying vodka on the chair surface and leaving it to evaporate is all that must be done to ensure the smelly office chair becomes completely different.
Also, vodka is known to have a sanitizing effect, which is another bonus this drink has. The only downside of the mentioned method is the possibility of the stains being left on the surface of the cleaned item if a large amount of vodka is used and not left to evaporate.
Conclusion
Smelly office chairs are something pretty much every, and each one of the people working in an office area deals with at one point. If every colleague uses one of the methods, the smell of the office will be extraordinary!
Using everyday ingredients, such as soda or vinegar, is a sure way to get the results everyone’s going to be happy with and, at the same time, without damaging the material of the chair itself, rather than using certain chemicals and cleaning products that not only cost a lot but in many cases are not as effective in achieving the goal.
Read Also:
- How To Choose Office Chairs
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Author Bio: I’m Justin Allen, found of mychairreviews.com where I review gaming chairs, massage chairs, and recliners for people who are looking to buy one. I love writing things on the internet and blogging about anything that interests me which is usually video games, technology, or sports-related items. When I am not working on blog posts or reviewing products I have a passion for you can find me playing video games with friends online!
