Here is a link to my post about a similar issue of not being able to get a detergent scent out of my bedspread. Out of the several solutions that were suggested, I ended up using the Borax, but I did not soak it. Just ran it through a regular wash cycle. There was still a hint of scent after that, but one more wash with my regular Tide Free took that out.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6127873/cannot-get-detergent-scent-out-of-bedspread#n=13

I have used this product for extreme cases and hate hate HATE the smell/perfume. Yeesh. My experience has been just let it air out and by the next laundering or two, it should be gone. 95% of the laundry products I use are unscented, so the OxiClean Max Force stain remover stench really gets to me. The smell will go away but it takes time and a few repeated washings. It really should come with a warning label. Ugh.

*** My tip is to toss some dirty laundry in with those covers when you wash them, so the detergent has some real dirt to latch onto. Otherwise, you may never get the detergent out and you might have oversudsing. YMMV That's what happens here with our "moderately hard" water.

Thank you so much everyone! I'm going to try everything you suggested: the warm water, borax, and washing it several more times.

OxiClean Max Force spray's scent is ridiculously foul. It is as strong as and reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor's first perfume, appropriately called, "Poison." For those of us who have a sensitivity to scents, it's not only highly unpleasant, it's dangerous.

https://www.healthline.com/health/perfume-poisoning#treatment

Gale, if it is a love seat cover you really like, I would not keep washing it as you are likely to start seeing degradation in it. I would recommend you air it out and just let the fragrance dissipate over time.

Hi Armjim,

I live in Vancouver, BC, on the WET COAST (aka the West Coast) of Canada. Rain is expected today and for the rest of this week. All I have is my condo balcony to air it out, but the rain washes all over my balcony, so I can't really air it out in the rain. I love the love seat cover, which would cost $300 or more, plus taxes and shipping, to replace from an after-market business because it's an IKEA discontinued love seat and cover. It's made of 65% polyester and 35% cotton and very durable. I think it can take continued washing. Plus, this is the first time since I purchased it that it's ever needed or been washed. Thank you for your advice, though.

Perhaps check with a laundry / dry cleaners for advice and whether they could do anything more effective.

Dadoes... I have been given A LOT of bad advice from dry cleaners. Thank you anyway. The best advice is from other posters on this forum and using my own common sense.

Gale, I love Vancouver. Wow. Good luck with the cover.

I suggest trying Seventh Generation's unscented stain remover spray for your future stain removal needs.

Littlegreeny -- THANK YOU for your thoughtful suggestion. I will go to Whole Foods today and get some. I had no idea of its existence. All of my other household cleaning products, including my personal cleansing products are unscented, so I hugely appreciate this advice from you. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

"All I have is my condo balcony to air it out, but the rain washes all over my balcony, so I can't really air it out in the rain."

Can you hang it over something next to an open window, at least? Or stick it somewhere and run a fan in front of it for a while?

I had a wool sweater come back from the dry cleaner that had that horrible perfume-y smell, they obviously changed what they used because that was the first time. Anyway, I tried for months to get that stench (er...scent) out -- aired it out outside, inside in front of the open windows for a couple weeks, in a basement room by its lonesome for more than a month. Nothing worked. Finally ended up donating it.

Well... it's a sunny day today, so it's out on a clothes rack on my 6th floor balcony, partially in the sun. Thanks to using just plain cold water, the smell has subsided somewhat after my 3rd washing. I wash it again today! And... the store where I purchased OxiClean Max Force stain remover spray has offered to replace my love seat cover, BUT IKEA discontinued both the love seat and its covers a year ago! There are after-market copies of the cover, but they are $300-500 USD. Hahaha! NO WAY. I will wash it a few more times to see. Donating a seat cover that won't fit any other love seat seems a bit weird. If it was clothing, yes, I would donate it. By the way, there is a huge number of negative reviews of this stuff, specifically its perfume odour not washing out! But I stupidly didn't discover this until after I used it.

Thank you to everyone for your responses and helpful suggestions to get rid of the overbearing perfume of OxiClean Max Force Stain Remover spray.

I was successful because I used a combination of ALL of your suggestions, including the purchase of a bottle of Seventh Generation UNSCENTED Laundry Stain Remover spray for any future needs!

Yesterday was the 4th day devoted to getting rid of the overbearing perfume. I had 1.5 hours in the laundry room, which meant 3 washings. This is what I did:

- for yesterday's 1st of 3 washings, I used warm water to which I added 1/4 cup of Borax.

- for yesterday's 2nd washing, I used warm water to which I added 1 cup of vinegar.

- for yesterday's 3rd washing, I used cold water with nothing added.

After that, I air dried it on an IKEA dryer rack inside my condo with a fan and an air cleaner pointed at it and left on all night..

Today, the horrid odour of that wretched stain remover spray is 100% GONE! Or so it seems!

It took at total 8 washings, so far, to get rid of that foul scented spray stain remover. Ugh!

THANK YOU, ALL!

Thank you, houzz.

Hooray! It's gone!!

Great news! Thank you for the follow up report.

FWIW, my go-to unscented products that I keep on hand are listed below --- and all three are sold in stores and at amazon.ca, so you might want to look into these to keep in your arsenal:

- Carbona Stain Devils (this is a link to their website) has a formula for coffee & tea stains. I have not used it, but have used their formula for fat, grease & oils with pretty good success. There is absolutely no scent, either. I have also bought it in grocery stores (the laundry detergent section) and JoAnn fabric stores (don't know if they are in B.C.)

- Amodex is another stain remover I have had lots of success with. There is a very faint scent but nothing like regular mass-marketed laundry stain removers and it does not bother me. It is excellent on ink stains and the fresher the stain, the better it works.

- Also,Charlies Soap (link) products are all unscented. They have a stain pre-treat product that I once tried, but now I just buy the liquid laundry detergent and dilute it in a spray bottle. It's much cheaper. It needs to sit on the stain for a while, the longer the better.

*** When I use the Charlies Soap as a stain pre-treat on more than one item (like hubby's ring around the collar on golf shirts), I have to reduce the amount of laundry detergent.

Thank you so much, Cavimum. I'm keeping your list for future reference. I will never buy another mass-produced commercial stain remover... ever!