Our sofas have some dirty little secrets
While sofas are the perfect spot for lounging, snacking, and snoozing, they’re also prime real estate for dirty little secrets and we wanted to get the real dirt on what’s actually lurking beneath the cushions.
In our latest exposé, Dirty Sofa Secrets, we went full forensic detective on sofas across the UK. We swabbed couches from a range of households, from solo dwellers and couples, to pet owners, flat mates, and busy families with children. It was all in the name of finding out who’s really harbouring the UK’s dirtiest sofa.
To put things into perspective, we didn’t stop at the living room. We also swabbed the suspects with the worst reputations: toilet seats, laptop keyboards, bin lids, TV remotes, office desks, and door handles. Everything was sent to a lab to compare the levels of microbial mischief.
Spoiler: E. coli isn't just swimming in the sewers… it’s living rent-free on your sofa too.
Getting the dirt on sofa germs
When your face is buried in your sofa cushions mid-flu or post-work nap, you're probably not thinking about mould spores, faecal microbes, or bacteria that cause boils. But maybe you should be.
Here’s what our swabs found on the UK’s sofas:
Aerobic mesophilic bacteria (also known as AMB)
This encompasses a large group of bacteria which are not generally considered high risk, and are often associated with a combination of skin cells, sweat, food particles, and pet hair. But in the quantities we uncovered, it tells a different story.
According to lab experts at Melbec Microbiology, some sofas showed nearly 3 million colony forming units – a measurement of the number of living bacteria in the sample - indicating a clear need for a deep clean and a closer look at day-to-day hygiene habits.
Yeast and mould
Whilst the levels of yeast and mould found on Brits’ sofas didn’t point to immediate danger, they did highlight a clear need for a good deep clean. For individuals with asthma or compromised immune systems, the concentrations discovered on many UK sofas could pose a genuine health risk.
E.coli/coliforms
Yes, really — we found poop particles. Lab analysis confirmed traces of E. coli/coliforms on a sofa from a pet-parent’s household. Let’s just say, if you’re a cat-lover, you might want to swap the lint roller for a power hose.
Coagulase positive Staphylococci (including S. aureus)
We also detected traces of S. aureus on UK sofas. This bacteria normally lives on our skin but if it’s in higher quantities, it can cause problems – think infected wounds, food poisoning, and in more serious cases, sepsis. It’s especially risky for anyone with eczema, broken skin, or a weakened immune system.
Sofa, sofa, on the floor… who is the dirtiest of them all?
We ranked each household’s sofa by the number of colony forming units (CFU) per 100cm², and can officially reveal who has taken the crown for poor sofa hygiene.
It’s official, cat owners are the undisputed dirtiest couch owners, with 2,730,000 CFU per 100cm2. Their sofa was teeming with E.coli/coliforms (over a million CFUs in one tiny section). That’s not just a dirty secret, that’s a biohazard.
As for dog owners, their furry friends might be loyal companions, but are they also bacteria magnets? Yes. Despite sharing a monthly cleaning routine (or so they say), their sofas still served up 193,000 CFU per 100cm2 as well as yeast and mould.
Despite living alone, solo adults can still harbour germs. The biggest offender for this single male was S. aureus (26,000 CFU!), and whilst this participant claimed to clean their sofa at least every three months, we’re not entirely sure we believe him, with his sofa hosting 46,000 CFU per 100cm2.
In fourth place was a couple, who ranked considerably lower than pet parents, though they had higher levels of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (37,000 CFU per 100cm2). Thankfully, there were no significantly worrying levels of mould, yeast, or infection-causing bacteria. Flatmates ranked next with 30,000 colony forming units. Yeast was the dominant dirt here (11,400 CFU of it).
Shockingly clean was a couple with a small child. With just a sprinkle of mould and yeast, this sofa was miles better than the rest.
British sofas are dirtier than toilet seats… no, really
We swabbed stereotypical dirty places to see if they really deserve their bad reputation. Terrifyingly, we found that the average cosy household sofa has approximately 75 times more aerobic mesophilic bacteria than a toilet seat.
We've ranked the biggest harbourers from worst to best here:
- Sofa – 508,883 AMB
- Toilet seat – 6,800 AMB
- Kitchen bin – 6,000 AMB
- Work desk – 5,900 AMB
- Laptop – 5,800 AMB
- Remote – 3,700 AMB
- Door handle – 1,800 AMB
Snacking on your sofa? You might want to think twice
All of our participants ate on their sofas either weekly or daily. So, we thought: what if we rated sofas the same way we rate restaurants, using the UK’s 0–5 Food Hygiene Rating Scheme?
With this scale, the average British sofa would score a terrifying 1. In restaurant terms, that means major improvement is necessary. But don’t panic, we come bearing helpful advice…
A wipe a day keeps the microbes away
It turns out that sofa hygiene isn’t that popular and given the kinds of results we uncovered, it’s safe to say Brits need to get a little better acquainted with a cleaning cloth.
To help Brits get a hand on their sofa hygiene, Monika Puccio, interior expert at Sofa Club, has revealed a guide to cleaning your sofa:
- Wipe stains: “A quick daily wipe can stop stains from setting in and keep everyday dirt at bay, especially when it comes to lighter fabrics like cream or beige sofas. Specialist fabric sprays are great, but a DIY mix of water, dish soap, and vinegar works just as well. Just remember: blot, don’t rub, and always wring out your cloth first.”
- Vacuum: “Hoover your sofa weekly to keep dust, crumbs, and pet hair from building up. For allergy sufferers, a vacuum with a HEPA filter can help capture fine particles like pollen, dust, and bacteria.”
- Use baking soda: “For a deeper clean, baking soda is an excellent and affordable choice to help you refresh sofa fabric. Sprinkle it generously over the sofa and let it sit for 20–30 minutes. Following this, give it a vacuum.”
- Wash your cushions: “If your cushion covers are machine-washable, give them a regular spin. Just check the care label for the correct temperature and make sure they’re fully dry before putting them back on as damp fabric can lead to unpleasant damp smells.”
Methodology
We swabbed a 100cm2 section of six different sofas across six different households in the UK, including someone that lives alone, a couple, flatmates, a couple with a dog, a couple with two cats, and a couple with a young child. To create comparisons and understand varying levels of bacteria, we also swabbed 100cm2 sections of a toilet seat, a laptop, a bin, a remote, an office desk, and a door handle. These swabs were then sent off to Melbec Microbiology for independent testing and review.
