I used to be that person who thought flipping the mattress every six months was enough. Change the sheets, shake out the duvet, and boom, done. Right?

So here’s the thing. I used to think sofa cleaning meant giving the cushions a quick fluff and maybe running a lint roller over them if guests were coming over. That worked fine—until one day, I sat down with a cup of tea, spilled it, and realized my sofa had a smell. Like, a real weird mix of old snacks, dog, and fabric that’s seen better days.

Accidents are unplanned and usually occur when we least expect them, but it’s important to know what to do when one happens. This is particularly important for dental emergencies as knowing the necessary actions you should take after an accident can save a tooth.

I’ll be real with you—I never used to think twice about my mattress. I mean, I washed the sheets regularly, swapped out pillowcases, even changed my duvet cover when it started smelling a little weird. But the actual mattress?

If you’re anything like me, your couch has been through it. Movie nights, lazy Sundays, sick days, snack accidents, a bit of everything really. And yet, I didn’t give it a second thought until I plopped down one day and caught a whiff of something funky. Not terrible, but not great either. Kind of like when you forget there’s laundry in the washer. That’s when I realised: I wasn’t cleaning my couch nearly enough. And honestly, once I looked into what lives in the average sofa (hi, dust mites and old food crumbs), I couldn’t un-know it.