Bad Smell on Bean Bags – Get Rid of the Odor


The bad smell coming from your bean bag might be the worst nightmare a bean bag owner can have.

The memory foam used as the bean bag filler is the main reason for the bad smell of a brand new bean bag. But used bean bags would be smelly because your sweat and other liquids spilled on them over the lifetime of it.

Giving out an odor that might be uncomfortable for bean bag users with the time or brand-new is among those disadvantages it shares with other furniture made out of memory foam and fillings such as that. 

We will discuss the reasons for emitting these odors and how to get rid of them to make your bean bag a much luxurious product to use. 

bad smell of bean bags

Table of Contents

Bad Smell of the New Bean Bags

Any furniture or their companions such as pillows, cushions, mattress toppers, and mattresses made out of memory foam or any such materials have a habit of emitting an uncomfortable odor for some time when they are fresh out of the bag. 

You would feel this strongly when you are sleeping on it, and it could even be harmful to a small percentage of users if their faces are close to these odors emitting bean bags for a long time. 

What makes them emit these smells are the chemicals known as volatile organic compounds used to make the memory foam in the bean bags retardant to flames and thus become acceptable under the standards of mattress’s flammability given by the states. 

These smells become thinner and thinner when we use the bean bag and slowly stop emitting. But, understandably, you want to get rid of these smells without waiting for weeks for them to wear off. 

Below are few strategies you can use to get rid of this smell much sooner without waiting. 

Air the Foam

Carefully remove the outer cover and the inner cover of your brand-new bean bag and take the memory foam out. 

It’s always better to read the instructions which came with your bean bag before you do this, as some bean bags come with safety zippers to make them both child and pet-friendly

The next step is to air them out to speed the decaying process of its new bean bag aroma. 

You can lay them outdoor or on the porch of your house and air the foam out for few hours if your living place has a dry and sunny day, but not all of us are with that much luck. 

The next best thing you could do is to air them in a room with an open window. You could use a fan to keep the airflow continuous. 

Just keep in mind the more you expose it, the less odor it will emit.

Baking Soda Solution

You can use baking soda after the above procedure to get much quicker results. All you need to do is apply or sprinkle baking soda onto the memory foam or the case of the bean bag and let it stay on that for about an hour before vacuuming it away from the bean bag. 

Applying baking soda directly to the object will give you many more effective results than the covers around it.

bean bags odor

Bad Smell of the Used Bean Bags

Bean bags that you constantly use will also give away an uncomfortable odor, but now the reason will be you, the user, rather than the memory foam. 

You simply are making your bean bag smell by just sitting on it. Bean bags aren’t much different from any other furniture aid like pillows or mattresses when it comes to absorbing any fluids that fall on them. 

These fluids could vary from anything like your sweat, or the pee of your pet, to a glass of orange juice that your child spilled on it accidentally. Keep in mind that the stains of odor could stick with your bean bag even if it is with a waterproof cover. 

You can use the above steps you used with brand new bean bags and more to get rid of those smells.

Keep your Bean Bag Fresh

Let your bean bag have a sunbath and breath fresh air at least once every week by putting it under the sun for few hours, and you will be surprised by the results. 

It is also better if you change the place where you keep your bean bag at least once a week to prevent the accumulation of moisture and food particles and such under your bean bag. 

You can also use the ceiling fan in the living room or the table fan in your room or home office to air your bean bag after spending few hours on it. Run your fan at the highest possible speed, and the air circling will dry any moisture on the bean bag or in the form of it.

Wash it Properly

The best remedy for any odors emitting from your bean bags other than the new bean bag smell is a proper clean and wash. 

Please read our guide on how to clean and wash a bean bag properly.

A Bonus Tip – Using Vinegar to Remove the Odor

Cleaning your bean bag will remove the unpleasant smells from your bean bag, but those same smells will remain in the living room or the home office for some time. 

You can resolve this problem by placing a bowl of white vinegar in the room where you have your bean bag. White vinegar will absorb the airborne odors and clean the air. You have to leave it in the room for at least 12 hours to get its full effect.

Conclusion

Emitting bad smells are not an uncommon setback we can see in all the furniture, including bean bags, but it is vital that you take actions to prevent it the moment you noticed it as it could get worse if kept unattended to the point you would have to replace the filling of the bean bag or the bean bag itself.

Sarah Williams

I’m Sarah Williams. A true fan of Bean Bag Chairs. The story of Bean Bags Expert goes to beginning of 2016. At the mid of 2016, I have planned the web site and bought this domain. Slowly this grew up like a little kid.

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