How To Clean Your Home Office Chair Smell: The Complete Guide

This website is supported by its readers. If you click one of my links I may earn a commission. I am also a participant in the Amazon affiliates programme and I will also earn a commission from qualified purchases.

Home office chairs, possibly the most important bit of furniture we all have in our offices. We’re all getting very good use out of them (I mean they are built to be used for 12-15 years)! That being said, like all your other furniture, it’s super easy for dirt, grime, and of course off-putting smells to build upon them. So how exactly do you clean your home office chair smell? 

White vinegar and water are the best options to clean your home office chair smell. Mix one cup (8 ounces) of water with one teaspoon of vinegar in a clean bowl. Then pour the mixture in a spray bottle, spray your chair, let it set and you should have a clean smelling chair. 

So why do office chairs smell? And are there any other options to help clean out your home office chair, keep reading to find out more!

If you’re interested in my pick for the best home office chair check out this post here.

 (It’s worth mentioning that this post has a lot of information and so if you’re curious about the best equipment needed to work remotely simply go to my resource page here. )

How to clean your home office chair smells

So for a lot of us, we’ve been isolated, working in our makeshift home offices for the past year or so, and with that comes investing in new items like new office chairs. 

Now whilst you might think your office chair is new and doesn’t need cleaning, it’s super easy for bad smells to start settling in, even after a few months of using your chair. 

This is mainly caused by 2 key things: 

• Smells caused by Bacteria and Fungi

• Smells caused by Chemicals 

Depending on the cause, we will need to use different options to clean them. Let’s explore these options below: 

Smells caused by Bacteria and Fungi

Easily the most common reason why home office chairs smell is because of issues with bacteria and fungi. 

Bacteria smells often come from the body, this is usually from the dirt and grime and sweat that the human body brings up as well as things like general body odor. 

These microscopic particles then easily get trapped in your office chair material, becoming embedded in your furniture. 

Smells caused by fungi are often caused by moisture. 

So if you tend to eat at your desk (and are as clumsy as I am) and moisture falls on your chair you’ll find that a damp smell may start to appear due to mold and mildew. 

This is more likely to happen if your home office isn’t well ventilated – a good thing to note then would be if your home office windows tend to condensate a lot or you have spots of mold near your window, this could be adding to the smell in your office chair. 

Smells caused by chemicals 

Chemical smells are the smell you tend to have with your office chairs when you first get them. 

A lot of manufacturers spray their chairs with chemicals before they ship to help protect materials. 

This can lead to pretty strong smells when you first get your chair, especially if it has things like treated leather which usually have strong smells as it is. 

The good news is that this smell tends to fade away after a few weeks as the chemicals gradually seep out. 

So now we know what the different smells are coming from your office chair, are there any methods to get rid of all office chair smells? 

How to get rid of all office chair smells

There are 2 options to help get rid of any kind of smells emanating from your home office chair. 

• Using Vinegar 

• Using Baking Soda 

Let’s explore these below: 

How to use vinegar to get rid of office chair smell

Vinegar is one of the oldest materials that have been used to clean items since ancient times. 

Some people even use it as a way of making natural air fresheners. 

Now I know what you’re thinking vinegar itself smells pretty bad so if I put it on my office chair won’t it make it stink of vinegar? 

Not at all

You see one of vinegars’ many natural properties is that it can absorb smells of all kinds – seriously cigarette smoke or pet smells can easily be kept in line. 

That being said, please don’t put an entire bottle of vinegar on your office chair as that just won’t work well for anybody. 

To use vinegar than to clean your home office chair do the following: 

• Put one teaspoon of vinegar in a bowl with 8 ounces (or one cup) of water

• Mix this solution until the vinegar has merged with the water

• Pour your solution in a spray bottle ( you grab this one from Amazon) 

• Spray your solution on your office chair

• Ensure that you give your chair a light mist not soak it so much that it is wet to the touch 

• Let the chair rest overnight 

By the morning your chair should be smelling much fresher. If you find that there is still some reminisce of the smell lingering I would increase the amount of vinegar to equal parts water (so for one cup of water use one cup of vinegar) 

Failing this and if your smell is still super strong I would then opt to use something like two parts vinegar to one part water (16 ounces of vinegar and 8 ounces of water) 

For most of you reading this, however, one tablespoon of vinegar will usually work just fine. 

So is there any vinegar in particular works best for cleaning? 

So whilst any vinegar will be a good option to use as your cleaning solution of choice, white distilled vinegar is the best option to use for cleaning things like office furniture and chairs. 

Now with all this being said, if you are using the vinegar on alloys like aluminum, you may want to use a lower dose of vinegar as some cases have found it to have adverse effects on those materials over time. 

How to use baking soda to get rid of office chair smell

Like vinegar, baking soda has been used for hundreds of years as an old-school way of cleaning out bad odors. 

It works due to baking powder breaking through different types of bacterias Membrane neutralizing the PH level which is often the cause of the smells that your office chair picks up. 

To do this then: 

• Lightly sprinkle baking soda all over your office chair (I’ve found that 3 tablespoons usually works best for me) 

• Once converted, gently rub this into the upholstery to ensure it absorbs the smell ( remember, the smell in chairs is usually quite dep in them so we need to get in out) 

• Let it sit for 24 hours 

• Use a vacuum to clean off the baking soda and your chair should smell good as new. 

Now if you find that you still have a smell, you may want to try this option a few times at least two or three to ensure that any smell your office chair has will be removed. 

Another great option is to ensure that your vacuum cleaner has suction powerful enough to get rid of baking soda, which can get everywhere. 

My recommendation for a vacuum cleaner has to be the Shark Navigator which you can grab here from Amazon.

Failing this, or if you don’t have a vacuum strong enough I’d recommend either wiping your chair down carefully or using something like a duster. Whilst this might take a lot of time, You can get the same results. 

Now, in terms of my recommendation for Baking Soda, any brand name will do the job, personally, I like to use Arm and Hammer which seems to do the job. 

How else can you remove your home office chair smell?

Whilst vinegar and baking soda are the two most common, widely used, and effective ways of treating bad smells coming from things like office chairs, there are other methods you can follow to clean your home office chair smell. 

These include: 

Vacuuming regularly

Often, the smells that we get from office furniture like chairs are due to a lack of upkeep or a maintained schedule. 

As such doing something as simple as vacuuming your office chair every day or every few days can suck the dust grime and smell particles from your chair. 

This works especially well if your chair is made out of fabric. 

Just ensure though that you use a lower setting as this could potentially damage any material you may have. I’d also recommend using any smaller attachments on the head of your vacuum. 

I mean the last thing you want to be doing is cleaning your office carpet and then using the same vacuum head to clean your chair as you might be spreading the waste. 

Ensure you also vacuum the back of your chair and any armrests you have as these are often neglected. 

And for the love of God please don’t empty your vacuum in your office trash can, I do that once and it will go literally everywhere.

Wipe with a dry cloth 

Sounds simple but it’s super effective. 

Doing something as easy as at the end of every day wiping down your office chair with a dry cloth can help get rid of any excess dust or dirt that may have accumulated on your chair. 

One thing people forget to do with this is wipe down the legs of their office chairs and wheels so remember to do the same too. 

Your office chair wheels, in particular, touch your floor more than any other part of your chair so it is likely that they smell the most. 

To read up more about how to clean these or remove any clogs they might have in them check out this post here. 

I’d also recommend any microfibre cloth you can find which will work best. 

Wipe with cleaning sprays 

Whilst wiping your office chair down with a dry cloth works well, to take this to the next level, consider using a cleaning spray in a cloth to give that extra level of cleanliness. 

After all, if you are going to wipe down your chair, why not take it to an extra level and apply a lubricant cleaner to further clean it? 

I like to use Mr. Sheen as my chair cleaner of choice. 

Sunlight

Another fantastic option to help get rid of any smells is to simply leave your office chair outside in the sunlight. 

Now you don’t want to leave your office chair out in direct sunlight for more than 30 mins or so, but this can be a fantastic option of using natural air and sunlight to remove any odors sitting inside your office chair. 

Please avoid this on damp or wet days though as this could further add to your problem.

Now some materials work better than others when outdoors so to help I’ve pulled together a table 

Office Chair Material	Should you leave Outdoors
Leather	No – the leather will crack under direct sunlight
Fabric	No – this will fade in direct sunlight
Vinyl	Yes
Mesh	Yes

Liquid soap 

Another great option to clean your chair is to use liquid soap. 

Now whilst effective, this method only works for leather as it can damage other types of materials.

Add one tablespoon of liquid soap to a bucket of warm water, mix until the suds start to form briefly, and then wipe down your chair. 

Detergent 

Believe it or not, detergent isn’t just used for cleaning your dirty laundry. 

Studies show that detergents help reduce the surface friction of water, allowing your detergent water mix to easily pick up any ongoing smells and stains. 

To use simply mix one to two tablespoons of detergent in a bowl with 16 ounces of water. 

Using a sponge or cloth, soak your cloth and then wipe down your office chair. 

Use a dry cloth then to wipe away any loose water or damp patches and leave them overnight to dry. 

Should you disinfect your office chair

Disinfecting your home office chair regularly with either wipes or sprays is one of the most effective things you can do to prevent bad smells emanating from your office chair, whilst keeping it clean at the same time. 

Now whilst soap, detergents, and dry wiping will get rid of office chair smells, the best option you can do to ensure that your office chair smells fresh year-round is to use disinfectant. 

Whilst these methods are great at dealing with surface-level problems. only disinfected will truly get rid of bacteria that dwell beneath the surface – it’s one of the reasons why the EPA recommends you wipe down all your surfaces with this. 

There are two main options then for this. 

Wipes and Sprays. 

To use disinfectant wipes simply use three to four wipes and wipe down the surface base and legs of your chair, ensuring you get into any knick and cranny. 

Once completed let this set for 3-5 mins and your chair should be clean ( that being said each brand will give you their time recommendations or your product. 

Now for a lot of you reading this, you might be nervous to use anti-bac wipes that have a lot of chemicals on them so to make your own antibacterial wipes that work just as well, check out the video below: 

 

To use disinfectant sprays, the process will be similar, simply vacuum your chair beforehand so the surface of your chair is clean and smooth, and then simply spray directly onto your chair or in a dry cloth to wipe the surface down with. 

Leave for about two minutes and your office chair should be smelling fresh. 

Word to the wise however if you do decide to use sprays, please do keep your hands covered with gloves and use goggles in your eyes as these can sting human skin spending on which type of spray you opt for. 

You might also want to keep your window open if you use these sprays and the smell can be quite strong.

How to prevent smells in the future 

Setting up a routine to clean your office chair is the best option to ensure that you keep your office chair free from smells in the future. 

Personally, this is the option I like to follow at least once per week to keep my office chair keeping fresh: 

• Wipe down my office chair with a duster and dry rag 
• Vacuum all the surfaces of my chair and around the floor where my office chair has been to ensure I get all the dirt and grime
• I then use a microfiber cloth with my cleaning agent of choice – I typically use a Mr. sheen spray to wipe down all the surfaces once again
• Around once per month, I would give my chair a deep clean where I would use a disinfectant spray to clean my chair and let it set 
• I’d also opt to keep my window open to help air out my office overall which can have a fantastic job on reducing any lingering office chair smells. I do this once a day for 30 minutes or so 
• If you have the budget, I’d also consider adding a humidifier or dehumidifier depending on your home office which has been known to counteract any office smells. ( links take you to amazon 
• About once every 6 months I will oil my office chair wheels, joints, and mechanisms, failing to do this can cause dirt and grime to get trapped in these hard-to-reach places. 

I’d also recommend following the next steps regularly to help ensure you have a clean and fresh smelling office chair in the future too: 

• Avoid eating or drinking in your home office – this is a disaster waiting to happen and food like chocolate or red wine can be notoriously difficult to get out of any furniture 
• Consider investing in a protective covering of cushions to ensure that the surface of your chair does not get damaged
• Be sure to change your office chair every 15 years as a maximum as most office chairs are not defined to last that long 
• Aim for the humidity of your home office to be around 47%, this is the optimum temperature to not cause any damage to your office chair.  

How to get rid of stains or spots 

If you have any blotches or spots on your office chair that are the cause of the smell emanating from your office chair there is the action you can take to reduce this smell. 

1. Vacuum out any residual dirt and dust on your office chair
2. Using a mix of 1 teaspoon of liquid soap and 8 ounces of warm water, mix together, apply to a cloth, and gently blot out the stain 
3. It’s important that you do not press too hard and rub it in as this may cause the stain to get worse. 
4. Once this has dried use a stain remover ( something like Oxiclean I found works well for this) to remove any residual stains left over. Rubbing alcohol can also work a treat to get rid of any other bad stains. 
5. Wipe down the back, arms rest casters, and legs of your chair too – whilst these might not be stained, they never get the attention they need so once done 

What do the labels on my office chair mean? 

Now it’s worth noting that every home office chair is different and so one of the best ways you can ensure that you are cleaning your office chair correctly is by reading the labels that come assigned with them. 

Typically these labels will state the following: 

W – You can use a water-based product to clean

S- Use products that are water-free or are water-free solvents 

W/S – You can use either water-based products or water-free solvents 

X – No solvents or water-based products, typically this means dry cleaning only, so using a vacuum or dry wiping. 

Should I reupholster my office chair? 

One question you might have if your office chair smell is more serious is if you should reupholster your office chair. 

In my opinion, reupholstering should be a last resort as the cost can often be more expensive than the price of a new office chair. This option usually only works if you have an expensive piece of furniture that is classic and has been around for years. 

Also reupholstering won’t necessarily get rid of the smell problem in your office chair, instead, a better option might be a completely fresh refurb where your office hair will have the foam and some of the inner workings replaced although this can lead to new smells such as chemical smells that often come with new furniture. 

If you’re interested in learning more about what I recommend for office chairs, check out my recommended chairs page here. 

If you are struggling with your home office chair you might also be interested in reading up the following: 

• How many wheels do office chairs have 
• How much weight can your office chair hold 
• How heavy is an office chair

Finally a lot of people reading my blog want to know what products I recommend for a home office/remote working. You can find out my recommendations here and learn how I make money whilst working remotely on the side here.