A glass of milk knocked over on the carpet or the sofa is easy to ignore in the confusion, but it is one of the spills that you should deal with straight away. Milk soaks deep into fibres and padding, and when it turns sour, the smell can linger for weeks. The sooner you act, the easier the job will be, and the less you will have to do afterwards.
First, soak up as much of the milk as possible. Press a clean cloth or a wad of kitchen roll firmly on the spill, and keep swapping to a dry one until no more liquid comes out. Do not rub, because that pushes the milk further into the material and spreads the stain. On a sofa, lift the cushion and check that nothing has run down the side or into the seam.
Then use cool water, never hot, since heat can set the milk proteins into the fabric. Dab the area with a cloth wrung out in cool water, working from the outside towards the middle, then blot dry again. If the spot is still damp with milk, mix a little mild washing-up liquid into a bowl of cool water and dab with that, then rinse by dabbing with a cloth dipped in clean water.
Drying and checking
Let the spot dry in the fresh air, with a window open or a fan pointed at it. Damp fabric is the enemy here, so do not put the cushion back until it is completely dry. If you can, lay the cushion on its side near the open window so that air can reach the padding from every direction.
Once the area is dry, sniff it. If a sour smell remains, repeat the dabbing and drying, and sprinkle a light layer of bicarbonate of soda over the spot, leave it, then vacuum it away.
If the spill was a large one and it has soaked into the padding, the smell may return after a few days. In that case, repeat the process patiently. Fresh air, a dry cloth and a little time usually do the trick.
