What's Hiding Under Your Sofa?

January is the month of fresh starts. We clean out cupboards, reset routines and try to be a little healthier after the indulgence of December. But while most of us focus on the surfaces we can see, there’s one area of the home that’s quietly being ignored: under the sofa. 

At Sofa Club, we wanted to take a closer look at what’s really going on beneath one of the most-used pieces of furniture in the home. The results were eye-opening. 

The hidden hygiene blind spot in our homes 

Low-airflow areas like under sofas and beds are where dust, crumbs, pet hair, shed skin cells and bacteria build faster. During winter, this matters more than we realise. Homes are sealed against the cold, windows stay shut, the heating is on, and we spend more time indoors. All of which can allow hidden build-ups to linger and affect indoor air quality. 

It’s well known that humans shed millions of skin cells every day, many of which settle beneath furniture. These become food for dust mites and contribute to bacterial growth. Household dust has also been found to contain bacteria, mould spores, pollen and traces of food, all of which can aggravate allergies and respiratory irritation during peak cold and flu season. 

So how often do we actually clean under the sofa? 

To find out, Sofa Club surveyed UK households and discovered that under-sofa cleaning is far from routine. 

While around 37% of people say they clean under their sofa monthly, over 43% only clean it once or twice a year or have never cleaned it at all. Considering how often sofas are used, this means many of us are sitting above an area that may go untouched for months at a time. 

Even when people do clean under their sofa, it’s often surface-level. More than half of respondents (56%) rely only on vacuuming or sweeping alone, without wiping or disinfecting. While this removes visible dust and debris, it may not fully tackle allergens and bacteria that settle on surfaces, particularly in low-airflow spaces. 

The strangest things people found under their sofa 

Sofa Club also asked people what they’d discovered when they finally looked under their sofa. Some answers were predictable, including dust, children’s toys, pet-related items, and food crumbs. Others were far more shocking. 

The strangest items found under sofas included: 

• Dead pests such as mice, rats, ants and slugs 
• A dead snake 
• A butterfly chrysalis 
• Old, mouldy food including half a sandwich and a dried-up Frankfurter sausage 
• Lost money such as bags of coins and ten-pound notes 
• A half-chewed pair of socks 
• A pot of Vicks Vapour Rub 
• A packet of gravy 
• Lost mobile phones and house keys 
• A Kindle that had been missing for a year 
• A tooth 
• Fingernails and toenails 
• A tin of beans 
• Slippers and shoes  
• tennis balls 

One respondent summed it up perfectly: “I don’t clean under my sofa. It is a lost land. Forever apart. A mystery.” 

Why this matters more in January 

These findings are particularly relevant at this time of year. When we sit down, move cushions or even walk past the sofa, dust and allergens trapped underneath can be disturbed and released back into the air. During winter, when ventilation is limited and people are spending more time indoors, this hidden build-up becomes harder to ignore. 

“We’re very good at disinfecting door handles and washing our hands in January,” says Monika Puccio, Buying Director at Sofa Club. “But under the sofa is one of the most forgotten hygiene zones in the home, even though we sit above it for hours every day.” 

The Sofa Club Care Plan 

The good news is that improving sofa hygiene doesn’t require expensive products or professional cleaning. Small, regular habits can make a real difference. 

Like a self-care plan but for the sofa, Sofa Club has created a simple Care Plan to help tackle this hidden hygiene blind spot: 

• Vacuuming the sofa, sofa cushions and seams weekly 
• Cleaning under the sofa at least once a month by vacuming and using disinfectant (more often if you have pets or allergies) to remove and kill any live bacteria 
• Using a long-handled attachment to clean the underside fabric and sofa frame 
• Wiping sofa legs and feet, which collect grime and transfer it across floors 
• Rotating and plumping cushions regularly to reduce dust build-up and wear 
• Opening windows regularly to air out fabrics and keep sofas fresh 
• Dealing with any spills straight away to prevent bacteria build-up and staining 

A simple January reset 

January is all about healthier habits and fresh starts, and sofa hygiene deserves the same attention as the surfaces we clean every day. By focusing on forgotten areas, especially under the sofa, households can improve comfort, reduce allergens and support better indoor air quality during peak winter illness season. 

As we look for simple, affordable ways to reset our homes this January, the message is clear: good hygiene isn’t just about what you can see. It’s also about what’s hiding underneath. 

About Survey  

*Conducted on 250 people by OnePulse