How to remove odor from a leather couch

Leather sofas tend to have a strong smell after prolonged use. Several reasons can explain why your leather sofa smells.

Things like cigarette smoke, human sweat, cat urine, dog smell, hair gels, perfumes, and more can accumulate on the couch and produce a bad odor.

You need to know how to remove odor from leather couch regardless of what is causing the stink.

It is sometimes challenging to get smells out of leather couches. That is because some specific methods that may seem ideal for the process may damage the leather.

Furthermore, cleaning the sofa may require repeated attempts until you get the right approach. Overall, there are many options of getting rid of musty smells from a leather couch.

Getting smells out of a leather couch

The most effective methods of removing bad odors from leather furniture are:

1. Drying the furniture in indirect sun

If you notice the sofa is wet because of cat urine, milk, juice, or any other liquid, dry it out immediately. You should do the same when you notice the formation of mold.

Taking the couch out to indirect sunlight will get rid of the dampness fast. Don’t place it under direct sunlight since it will damage the leather.

Drying out your couch helps to prevent accumulation of moisture which can destroy the leather for good and create an odor that may be challenging to remove.

2. Using vinegar

A vinegar solution is one of the best home remedies that can help you to get rid of musty smell out of leather couch. Vinegar is acidic and using it to clean the sofa will neutralize the odors. For the best results on your leather couch, I recommend using Green Gobbler ultimate vinegar.

Although vinegar also has a characteristic smell that may put some people off, the acid in it will break up other smells in the couch. You should only use water and distilled white vinegar to clean because the acid may discolor the leather.

The process for cleaning your couch using vinegar is provided in the instructions on the product. Make sure to follow the process carefully for the best results.

3. Using leather cleaners

Get a professional leather cleaner that is specially formulated to clean your sofa. For this purpose, I recommend either Rejuvenate Leather & Vinyl Conditioner or Hide Bracer.

Any of these products are safe to use and guarantee a 100% removal of bad odors from your couch.

Products such as silica gel and leather conditioning can also help you to remove cat urine from the sofa. Ensure to follow the instructions when using them for cleaning.

4. Consider leather conditioning

When your leather smells like chemicals, consider conditioning it. Conditioning not only removes bad odors but also maintains the luster and color of the leather.

Consider the naturally-occurring linseed oil or liquid shoe polish with carnauba wax.

5. Hire a professional

Perhaps the best remedy to remove dog smell from leather couch is to hire a professional. It may be the most expensive option you have, but it guarantees the total removal of bad odors from your sofa.

A professional will clean and condition the couch using safe products that will not harm the leather. Shoe cobblers are a great example of professionals you should consider.

Keep your leather furniture clean

If your leather couch smells like urine, you need to remove the odor immediately before it destroys the sofa. You can use home products like baking soda or vinegar to clean it.

Also, silica gel and leather conditioning are other options at your disposal. But if home products and chemicals do not work, hire a professional to do it for you.

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