Leather couches are loveable, as they come with excellent features ranging from their incredible texture and cozy feel. However, how to get odor out of leather couch seems prevalent amongst various leather sofas owners. Like most furniture, leather couches may develop some offensive smell after a while.
Not to worry, with some more care and excellent means of removing the smell, they would be okay again. Besides leather couches, other products like a leather handbag and leather backpack also develop an odor if not properly cared for. Thus, it would be quite helpful to get the right cleaning agents handy and get started with the odor removal process.
There are excellent products in the leather repair kits that can also help prevent leather couch from developing an odor. You can also use some good quality leather air freshener or sent available in your home to help your leather couch smell nice again.
What Causes Bad Odor in Leather Product?
There are various causes for developing leather odor, and as for couches, they tend to hold onto certain smells. The smell from sweats, pets, food, and smoke tends to linger on the leather couch. Some of the significant causes of odor on leather sofas include:
Moisture
Water is suitable for cleaning leather but keeping your leather wet at all times may cause it to smell. Even after washing your leather products with damp clothes, you should always ensure that you get them dry. Microbes can thrive on wet leather products and can make them smell musty or like mildew or mold. Thus, it is highly advisable to move all leather products from damp places and keep them in a dry and clean area.
Urine
Little children and pets can often pee on leather products, especially leather couches. This smell can stay on for a while, and it can be quite offensive. Aside from this, a lot of leather products come treated with animal urine. From urine, producers can get ammonia (from the degraded urine containing substance, urea).
A mixture of ammonia and water would help degrade organic material and make the leather soft. These urine treated products are commonly found cheap in the market, and that smell can linger for a while. You may not get to perceive the urine smell at first after buying those treated leather products.
The smell gets concealed after these manufacturers soak the product in saltwater for almost 5 days. Thus, you would start perceiving that smell after a short while, as you use them.
Smoke
The smell from smoke can easily penetrate into leather products, much more if they frequently contact the leather. The musty smoke smell can seem unpleasing, but you can conduct thorough cleaning from time to time to help remove such a smell.
Leather Treatment with Cheap Fish Oil
Sometimes, your leather products may start smelling like fish. Well, it would interest you to know that some leather products get treated with cheap fish oil. These oils can also help degrade leather. After purchasing such treated leather products, you may not perceive such a smell.
After a while, the chemical interaction that results in the oil breakdown takes place, and you would start perceiving that odor. You can also fix this smell using some excellent procedures explained in this guide. However, you won’t find quality leather products treated with cheap fish oil.
How to get odor out of leather couch Step By Step Guide
The leather odor is one of the common issues associated with leather couches, and there is more than one way to eradicate this smell. Getting that awful smell out of leather couches may seem like a daunting task, but it is relatively easy. You can follow the steps below to get started on how to remove smells from leather.
Cleaning with the aid of a leather cleaner
Leather cleaners come with the right formulation that keeps odor off from leather couches. You can get a suitable odor neutralizing leather cleaner and applying it as you clean the sofa. These cleaning agents are available in various stores, and you can quickly get one online.
With the balanced pH in this product, you can spray them gently, and they would work well on smaller pores to help treat smell. They work well on various leather types, including grain leather. Whether your leather smells like poop or have some other awful smell, this excellent odor remover spray would eradicate it.
Drying the Leather
Drying your leather sofas is one excellent way to get started on how to get the sick smell out of leather products. You can use any of the drying methods below.
Putting smell out with the aid of sunlight
Does your leather sofa smell musty? With the aid of sunlight, you can get that awful smell out, as sunlight would dry those dampen features out in no time. Take out your leather couch to a spot where lots of sunlight would reach and allow it to get the heat for some hours.
It would be best if you take them outside so they can get adequate ventilation along with the sunlight. However, if you can’t take the couch out, quickly bring it to a side of the room that gets sunlight.
Using Dryers
Dryers are also useful for eradicating smell from leather couches, as they quickly dry up moisture that can cause the leather to emit a smell. They are perfect alternatives for sunlight and are excellent for drying sofas that may not get enough sunlight. Simply take your blow-dryer and get it fixed on low heat, as excess heat can cause the leather to get burnt.
Try condition the leather couch
After cleaning your leather couch, it would be quite useful to condition your leather using suitable products. This action would help put the awful smell out and also keep the leather color in perfect condition.
Leather conditioner
You can use a good leather conditioner for leather products to help remove odor effectively. They don’t just strengthen your leather couch, but their excellent formulation can help keep dirt and smell out of the sofa. Get started by applying it all over the leather surface, and get the couch dry by wiping it with a dry cloth.
Shoe Polish
The use of shoe polish for conditioning leather is one of the oldest methods of keeping leather in good condition. Thus, you can apply liquid shoe polish that comes produced with quality materials.
For natural leather, make use of polishes that contains natural ingredients and carnauba wax. However, shoe polishes are not entirely advisable, as they may also end up being in a mess.
Linseed Oil
Linseed oil is an alternative for conditioning leather products, as a high-quality oil from linseed can help maintain leather products. Simply get a clean cloth and damp it with some portion of the linseed oil and wipe the sofa gently.
Please note that using saddle soap for leather may not be suitable, as you would need to rinse it thoroughly, and the leather may become sticky at the end.
Using Vinegar
The acidic nature of vinegar is an excellent feature that makes it suitable for removing odor from leather. Since bacteria is one of the significant causes of smell, they breed on the leather couch’s contaminants. To get started, you should get a spray bottle and mix some parts of vinegar with water; a 50/50 mixture would do.
Mist the mixture onto the leather couch and start creasing the surfaces that are affected by the smell. After spraying, use a suitable towel or absorbent paper to get the wetness out. The antimicrobial properties of vinegar would get the odor out of the leather couch. Please note that you should only spray the mixture lightly and not allow the sofa to get excessively wet.
Employing Baking Soda
Baking soda has some super antimicrobial properties that can help eradicate smell from leather products. Using baking soda on the leather couch would also help remove those unpleasant smells from the sofa.
You can get a small portion of baking soda from your kitchen and sprinkle them directly on the leather couch. After spraying, employ a dry brush to rub in the baking soda gently. Then, remove all particles of baking soda using a vacuum cleaner on the leather couch.
How to Prevent Odor from Leather Products
Leather products may develop some awful smell, much more if you subject it to constant use. Again, continuous contact with smoke or other horrible smell can make such an odor penetrate the leather products. Does your new leather purse smell bad? Or are you searching for how to remove smells from leather products? Well, there are a variety of means to remove these awful smell. However, there are some excellent means to prevent leather products from developing odor, and they include:
- Whether top grain leather or bonded leather products, wipe off dirt and dust from time to time. You can do this using either a soft cloth or brush. For leather couches, you can create a frequent cleaning schedule, like once a week. You can also clean dirty leather car seats using suitable cleaning products.
- Does your leather shoe emit smell? You can rid of shoe odors if you clean leather shoes and keep them well-ventilated.
- Leather insoles would require enough ventilation, as the feet has many sweat glands that can cause it wet. To keep it clean and dry is the perfect means of making it free from odor.
- When it comes to leather, constant contact with water is not advisable. With the leather material being wet, some microbes can thrive on it and cause it to smell. Thus, it would help if you keep your leather products clean and dry.
- You can also consider waterproofing leather products to ensure that they are secured from moisture. This would make your leather products last longer and keep them free from smell.
- Whenever you store your leather products, ensure you keep them in a well-ventilated area. This act can help prevent them from developing odor as they stay dry. Plastic storages are not advisable, as they provide very little ventilation.
- Try to keep your leather odor-free by using a suitable leather conditioner. There is various conditioner available, and these products come with the right formulation that strengthens the leather products.
- Try disinfect the leather from time to time; you can employ a steam cleaner but make sure the leather product gets dried.
- A suitable slipcover can help protect your leather sofa and prevent it from an awful smell.
FAQs
How do you get the smell of smoke out of a leather couch?
Whether your friends hang out on your couch and smoke or you smoke from time to time, you can easily eradicate the smell. Using a suitable leather cleaner, you can get off the smoke odor. You can also make use of an appropriate leather conditioner to strengthen and keep the leather. Aside from these, there are more straightforward options, as you can clean the leather couch with a mixture of vinegar and water or simply dry the sofa with the aid of sunlight or a dryer.
How do you get dog pee out of a leather couch?
Having your pet around is exciting, and you may not necessarily keep them off your sofa. With your dog around, your leather couch may get wet with urine. This smell of pee may linger around for a while. It may seem offensive, much more when your friends come visiting, and the regular cleaning may not get it off entirely.
You can clean the leather couch with a leather cleaner or a leather conditioner. A mixture of vinegar and water, spraying it on the sofa. Then, wipe dry with a cloth. Furthermore, baking soda on the leather couch can help remove that awful smell.
Does vinegar remove urine odor?
Yes. Vinegar has antimicrobial properties, and as such, it can altogether remove microbes that cause the offensive smell. It works perfectly for even synthetic leathers including pu leather. With vinegar, you can effectively remove that urine odor on your leather couch. Mixing an equal portion of vinegar and water in a spraying bottle would serve as a cleaner. Gently spray it on the leather couch and wipe it with a dry cloth to get the odor of urine out.
What kills the pee smell?
Pee smell can be really offensive, and perceiving it on your leather couch can be quite unpleasant. However, you can get that pee smell off the leather couch by thoroughly cleaning it. If your leather couch smell like urine, you may need a leather cleaner or conditioner.
These products can help you to get this smell out. Alternatively, you can use baking soda or a mixture of vinegar and water. After using baking soda, you have to vacuum the sofa to remove baking soda’s remains.
What laundry detergent is best for urine odor?
The regular detergent for household laundry may not be suitable for removing urine odor from leather. However, there are excellent detergents formulated for cleaning leather effectively. They come with a balanced pH, and some of them come performs the task of leather cleaners and leather conditioners. With their excellent capabilities, they can also remove urine odor from leather products.
Final Words
Leather products are unique, and leather couches provide a comfortable feel. However, some leather sofas owners often complain of some offensive smell and continually search for means to get the odor off. There are various means of removing smell from leather couches—checkout our guide for excellent tips. You can effectively learn how to get odor out of leather couch. You can follow these steps and enjoy an odor-free leather couch.
