How can i get rid of leather odor?

[garlicbreadman]

Hello

I acquired a used car and the leather has a non pleasant stench to it. I want to attack the source of the stench and not cover it up with an air freshener. In fact, i did get an air freshener and the smell over powers it. Do you have any leather safe home remedies or cleaners to suggest?

Car is an 06 acura rsx-s. I dont believe it is real leather if that matters.

Thanks.

 

[Gasbuggy]

leatherique

 

[sleddriver]

So is it leather...or not? You started out "is", then ended with "maybe not".

 

[EdwardC]

It's probably coated leather. Have you tried anything to clean the seats? That in itself might help a lot. I would probably suggest cleaning all the leather with some kind of off the shelf product, like Lexol or Meguiars, plus shampooing the carpets.

 

[650NutKase]

You'll need to clean them. A good cleaner, such as Lexol, can get the stains and human slime out. Then condition them once all the excess cleaner is removed. Lexol again, or any one of you favorite conditioners will work. Most likely, it's sealed leather (leather that has a polymer coat) so you don't have to worry about darkening or lightening.

 

[raytseng]

after cleaning, if it still smells after you air it out for a couple days, you can use an ozone generator.
you will need to call around to places that rent commercial tools like pressure washers air dryers and so on, and see if they have it avail for rent. and or water/fire remediation places to see what's available..

maybe start at home depot and lowes.

 

[Mr Nice]

Does Damp Rid take away odor ?

 

[raytseng]

no damp rid only takes away moisture.
If your damprid isn't contained and spills then you got a more serious mess.
If your car is so moist that mold/mildew grows so you need damprid, then you have a problem with moisture control and you need to run the A/C more instead.

If it's smell, the better cheap solution is to use baking soda, like the arm and hammer orange boxes, or fridge boxes. If you know the smell is in your carpet and you are taking action, you can liberally sprinkle a lot of baking soda onto the carpet, leave it for a night, then vacuum it all up the next day.

 

[garlicbreadman]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
It's probably coated leather. Have you tried anything to clean the seats? That in itself might help a lot. I would probably suggest cleaning all the leather with some kind of off the shelf product, like Lexol or Meguiars, plus shampooing the carpets.


I have some acura leather solution(very mild) but it's not strong enough to remove odor. Still smells like the previous owner.

I will try lexol next.

 

[MajorCavalry]

Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
leatherique


X20! The oil soaks into the leather to push out sweat, oil and dirt. The cleaner removes the filth. Not a wipe on wipe off product. Leaves the leather like new. Not oily or sticky.

 

[285south]

Great, I was going to ask what is a great leather cleaner and leather conditioner but found this thread.

 

[NJ_Car_Owner]

For odor try using ozium. It is what Coroner's use to get rid of odor. Close the car up, spray it and leave the car closed for a day or so then open the windows and let it air out.

As far as cleaning leather, I would follow the advice of the guy on YouTube, Auto Fetish Detail, as he seems to take care of some very high end autos. He talks a lot but IMO he is trying to educate and impart his knowledge... I've been known to do the same thing. Basically he uses professional grade Maguiar for cleaning and Ultimate Spray Wax for conditioning.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
after cleaning, if it still smells after you air it out for a couple days, you can use an ozone generator.
you will need to call around to places that rent commercial tools like pressure washers air dryers and so on, and see if they have it avail for rent. and or water/fire remediation places to see what's available..

maybe start at home depot and lowes.


That was my thought as well. I would try to clean the entire vehicle as much as you can. It might not be the leather but a thorough cleaning of the vehicle will help. For the non leather items I would recommend odoban. it is a general purpose cleaner but boy does it do a nice job cleaning and removing odors. For the leather I would use a dedicated leather cleaner. Leatherique is expensive very good. If these don't work I would consider renting or having an ozone treatment done. It will remove just about any odor.

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: NJ_Car_Owner
For odor try using ozium. It is what Coroner's use to get rid of odor. Close the car up, spray it and leave the car closed for a day or so then open the windows and let it air out.


Doctors use it in the ER as well. They sell it in the auto parts section at Walmart, little spray bottle is about $3.50. It worked so well when my dad was in the ER I had to ask the doctor what product he used.

 

[NJ_Car_Owner]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: NJ_Car_Owner
For odor try using ozium. It is what Coroner's use to get rid of odor. Close the car up, spray it and leave the car closed for a day or so then open the windows and let it air out.


Doctors use it in the ER as well. They sell it in the auto parts section at Walmart, little spray bottle is about $3.50. It worked so well when my dad was in the ER I had to ask the doctor what product he used.


I used it years ago when I got a company car that stunk of old cigarettes. Did exactly as I stated and it worked great. I then had to proceed to get rid of all the residue from the windows ... it was really nasty. I think I've used it once after that and it worked as well. I did just see it at Walmart as well.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: NJ_Car_Owner
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: NJ_Car_Owner
For odor try using ozium. It is what Coroner's use to get rid of odor. Close the car up, spray it and leave the car closed for a day or so then open the windows and let it air out.


Doctors use it in the ER as well. They sell it in the auto parts section at Walmart, little spray bottle is about $3.50. It worked so well when my dad was in the ER I had to ask the doctor what product he used.


I used it years ago when I got a company car that stunk of old cigarettes. Did exactly as I stated and it worked great. I then had to proceed to get rid of all the residue from the windows ... it was really nasty. I think I've used it once after that and it worked as well. I did just see it at Walmart as well.


Wish I'd known about that when I bought the Lincoln 10 years ago. It absolutely REEKED of cigarette smoke. I went to great lengths to scrub everything I could get at, including pulling off interior panels and the like. At the time, my parents had a home ozone generator and I'd stick that in and run it on the highest setting for a few hours at a time. It got better, but would still return with a vengeance on hot days. It finally faded off after 2-3 years and is gone now.

At least, though, the smell WAS a huge bargaining chip when I bought the car.

 

[aquariuscsm]

I wish you could walk into a store and buy Leatherique. I can't stand having to mail order stuff.

 

[Nissan101]

i use dish washing liquid and some water followed by leather conditioner.