I love the smell of a damp futon in the morning ... wait, no I don't.

August 20, 2008 10:01 AM

I just discovered an absent-minded guest left a damp towel on top of my futon, which of course got the futon damp. It was there about a day before I discovered it, and now both the towel and the futon have a very slight musty smell. I figure I can run the towel and the futon cover through the wash with some baking soda or something to get rid of the smell there, but I'm concerned about the futon (which is cotton with a foam core). Should I just let it finish drying out and hope for the best, or is there something I can do now to prevent a lingering odor and/or futon ickyness?
posted by I Said, I've Got A Big Stick to home & garden (9 answers total)

you should try Febreze, it actually works pretty well for odors. i would spray the heck out of the musty area.

also, slight tangent but this is a good article involving Febreze and sanitation in Ghana.

http://nudges.wordpress.com/how-the-febreze-marketing-campaign-improved-public-health-in-ghana/
posted by secretbenjamin at 10:15 AM on August 20, 2008

Depends on how attached to the futon you are. I had an old roommate that had pretty good luck with a steam cleaner on her futon. Probably not recommended for a shiny-new-expensive one though.
posted by piedmont at 10:19 AM on August 20, 2008

2nd febreeze...
posted by Echidna882003 at 10:24 AM on August 20, 2008

Definitely Febreeze. But, if possible, you should also take it outside for the day to let it get some fresh air.
posted by amyms at 10:26 AM on August 20, 2008

if you get some hot sun where you live, during midday is best, and it's not too rainy/humid...direct sunlight does wonders for discouraging bad smells and fresh air helps too. i would throw it over a railing or across a couple of chairs and let it "sunbleach" as they say, bring it in in the evening once its not getting a lot of sun and repeat the next few days in necessary.
posted by dahliachewswell at 11:36 AM on August 20, 2008

Lysol aerosol (the kills 99.9% of germs type with a fresh scent) has worked for me to keep futons livable with (a couple of beer spills, which require the wet towel treatment to clean-up, same scenario essentially).
posted by hungrysquirrels at 11:44 AM on August 20, 2008

lysol, or a specially designed futon/furniture cleaning solution(i know they exist for couches and such)
posted by guptaxpn at 12:14 PM on August 20, 2008

Seconding direct sunlight - I was once involved in a giant flood cleanup in which this was a main strategy, and it was surprisingly effective. The sunlight actually kills bacteria and mold which smell fusty.
posted by Miko at 12:49 PM on August 20, 2008

Thanks, everyone! I don't really have a place where I can leave it outside, so I put a fan in front of it and went with the Febreeze. It seems to have done the trick.
posted by I Said, I've Got A Big Stick at 10:26 AM on August 22, 2008