Totally have to try in batches. If it doesn’t work with the first pass of baking soda, be prepared to do it a half dozen times. Rub it in and wait, then go over it with a good vacuum with plenty of suction. Do it a few times, be prepared. My problem was, the couch was not colorfast so I couldn’t use water. Renter did not vacuum furniture with a good vac. I assumed I’d be tossing it, but it was good except fir the old smell, not smoke or pet hair, but just as unpleasant. I don’t want to cover the smell up, people don’t agree on a good scent, and now you’ve announced a telltale problem. Herbal tea bags, coffee grounds in a coffee filter, there’s no smell everybody likes long term. You want to absorb and not cover up. Use houseplants. Philodendron is best. At night with no traffic, put houseplants on the couch with cushions removed. The plants will draw the odor out. Creative placement during the day, but before bed, give the furniture a direct hit by placing plants on dishes, right on the couch. Works over time, completely. Continue to use baking soda, but be prepared that it will take numerous doses. Don’t be stingy. I never knew if I should rub it in or sprinkle it on, so I did both, special thickness to corners. Depending on location and whether you’re having guests, drape the couch completely with a sheet or bedspread. You can douse white vinegar on a beach towel, place it to get covered overnight. If you drape, you’ll be giving vinegar or baking soda time to work, concentrate the action. Leave a dish of vinegar underneath the sofa, on the floor. The idea being...it’s going to take time, frequency and persistence. Wood ash has smell neutralizing properties. Redwood shavings like pet bedding. But plan your work, no fire hazards, leave yourself a note to remove or replenish, use it on a metal cookie sheet beneath the couch. Persistence. If it’s any conciliation, new furniture can stink to high Heaven.

I'll take a stab at this, as I have had some experience with this. 15 years ago my X had a co-worker who smelled musty. Her entire office complained about Donna. This went on for 10 years. Donna did have many health problems so we all just figured it was her meds. She was at Rush in Chicago and the doc asked her if anyone told her, she smelled? Great bedside manner! LOL She told him that yes, it had been mentioned. He took a couple swab tests on her skin, and she had a fungal infection on her skin. He gave her some pills. 3 weeks later, she no longer had the smell. She has since passed away, so I am unable to ask her. This was not due to poor hygeine, it was just what it was. Donna was in a car accident and was in the hospital for 3 months. I went to her place and cleaned the fridge, threw out her garbage and took all of her clothes, bed linens, etc, back to my place to wash. I had them in garbage bags. I opened the first one and ran from the room. It smelled like sulfur. I was unable to get rid of the smell either. I did try something that worked. My grandmother had a cat who like to pee on her rug in front of the sink. She used to soak it in Washing Soda and wash it. U can find it in the laundry detergent aisle, in the store. It worked on Donna's clothes and there was no more smell. Good luck!

I don't know if it's true, but I heard Tide and Borax had the same detergent-boosting compound. Regardless, I react badly to both. I have a lot of allergies and sensitivities. I'm trying Oxy-Clean. It got most of the odor out of an impossible nylon/spandex blend. If it doesn't make me itch I'll use it on all my problem clothing. A word of advice: if you plan to try a new combination of chemicals, try it first on a single garment you can afford to lose. And someone said it but it bears repeating; never mix chlorine bleach with anything but plain old detergent. It could kill you.

The comment about fragrance lingering is interesting. I've had the same conversation with my friend. We both worked in the fragrance industry for years ... she still wears fragrance and I don't. She commented to me several times that she notices the fragrance still in her clothes after washing. She has the Miele W4802 with dryer. She said she never used to notice that with her old top loader (several years ago now). I wonder why that is? I'm fairly confident FL machines are cleaning well but why are they not removing fragrance? I'd be interested in any ones insight on that. Sorry, I know very little about TL HE machines - good luck!