How to remove pet stain/odor off leather seats

[wing122]

Hi guys,



Dropping a question here. My dog did something that I was afraid off for a long time. He had almost a full blast diarrhea on my passenger leather seat and then the carpet. When I tried to get him out of the car, he jumped onto the driver side and left some there too. :bawling: :bawling:



I didn`t have enough paper towels at the time to clean everything off. More importantly, I cleaned the driver seat first, because I wanted to drive home ASAP to clean things off. I left his crap on the passenger seat and carpet for around 30 mins.



I went home and tried to clean everything out. I`ve used Meguiar`s gold glass cleaner/conditioner around 2-3 times at the area. Now, if I put my nose an inch off the leather seats, I can still smell the odor.



Is there any *safe* products to use to remove this odor on *leather* seats? Most of the pet stain/odor remover I see out there is not safe for leather. I`ve been thinking about Nature`s Miracle



How about steam cleaner? Will this lift up the crap that`s causing the odor?



Please help, temperature`s rising now. I don`t want it to reek.

[subygirl]

I personally would try either a steamer or a good brushing with a woolite solution first to get off as much as possible. I would follow up with something like Leatherique rejuvenator oil (if you have it) since it is meant for leather and works by penetrating deep down and lifting out the dirt/crud. You are definitely going to need to use something that will penetrate down into the leather. If you don`t have leatherique, maybe try the natures miracle on an inconspicuous place on the leather to try it out? That stuff has worked wonders on my carpet with pet stains.

[Quality Leather]

You might be out of luck. I have had varying degrees of success getting odors out of leather. You could try a product like ohogwash.com. It won`t damage the leather.

[wing122]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.



I`ve been thinking if the steamer would push the substance further down or lifting it up? Since I don`t have one, if this is really the way to go. I will go and get one.



I`ve already cleaned the surface of the leather to the point that it looks like nothing has happened.

[Rtom]

Steam always seems to be a good option for stains and smells.



However, if you don`t happen to have one, try an enzymatic cleaner to remove the smell. My dog sheds, drools on everything and rubs his dirty arse on anything that he can. My solution is a good scrub brush, a versatile APC/Shampoo, rubber gloves, and an enzymatic cleaner.



... Then again, I haven`t had any diarrhea accidents (yet). You must be a VERY calm guy because I would`ve just dumped a gallon of lysol on the spot immediately :grinno:

[wing122]

Steam always seems to be a good option for stains and smells.



However, if you don`t happen to have one, try an enzymatic cleaner to remove the smell. My dog sheds, drools on everything and rubs his dirty arse on anything that he can. My solution is a good scrub brush, a versatile APC/Shampoo, rubber gloves, and an enzymatic cleaner.



... Then again, I haven`t had any diarrhea accidents (yet). You must be a VERY calm guy because I would`ve just dumped a gallon of lysol on the spot immediately :grinno:



The only thing preventing me from using those enzymatic products is that most of them suggest not to be use on leather surface. How would I use say natures miracle? Don`t they need to set in to eliminate the odor? I can`t drench the leather surface with this...



Calm is a good word to describe it. The whole 30 mins of going home, I thought I worked in the plumbing business. I used up all the Lysol I had before this occurrence. I resorted to empty 1/3 of a bottle on the carpet and cleaned/soaked the removable carpet with laundry detergent. Carpet smells fine now, but I don`t have the ability to soak the leather seats.

[judyb]

You need to use an enzyme cleaner for this type of problem. Regular cleaning products will not destroy any bacteria that will casue smells etc. I only know of one that has been tested successfully on leather and will not damage the finish but has been successful with odour removal. As it is the only one on the market I will name it (Em Clean) and hope that the moderators will allow it to remain.



Hope this helps

[wing122]

You need to use an enzyme cleaner for this type of problem. Regular cleaning products will not destroy any bacteria that will casue smells etc. I only know of one that has been tested successfully on leather and will not damage the finish but has been successful with odour removal. As it is the only one on the market I will name it (Em Clean) and hope that the moderators will allow it to remain.



Hope this helps



Thanks so much. I see that you`re leather consultant. I guess from your comment. Natures miracle is not safe then?



Doesn`t seem like they have this cleaner in Canada.

[Accumulator]

wing122- Nature`s Miracle *does* have to be left in contact with the source of the problem to do its thing. I somehow suspect that the leather is less fragile than you`d think and that this won`t be a big problem, but if the [stuff] has gotten into the padding/etc. of the seat this is gonna be a challenging project.



You might have to take the leather off the seats, which isn`t always as huge a job as it sounds.



I dunno if these places ship to Canada, but maybe they`ll have something: Top of the Line Auto Detailing Supplies (http://www.topoftheline.com/index.html) and/or http://www.autoint.com .



[After-the-fact advice from a fellow dog owner: get some seat/floor/you-name-it covers for the dog-hauling vehicle; [stuff] happens, sometimes literally, and you don`t want to go through this again ;) ]

[wing122]

wing122- Nature`s Miracle *does* have to be left in contact with the source of the problem to do its thing. I somehow suspect that the leather is less fragile than you`d think and that this won`t be a big problem, but if the [stuff] has gotten into the padding/etc. of the seat this is gonna be a challenging project.



You might have to take the leather off the seats, which isn`t always as huge a job as it sounds.



I dunno if these places ship to Canada, but maybe they`ll have something: Top of the Line Auto Detailing Supplies (http://www.topoftheline.com/index.html) and/or http://www.autoint.com .



[After-the-fact advice from a fellow dog owner: get some seat/floor/you-name-it covers for the dog-hauling vehicle; [stuff] happens, sometimes literally, and you don`t want to go through this again ;) ]



Just as I thought.



I am not sure if it went through the leather down to the padding. Although I like to stay away from taking the leather cover off because it has slits to form a pattern and I`ve read the service manual which involves quite a lot of steps to take them off. I also heard that even dealerships sometimes have problem putting it back together to look like from factory...



Will baking soda/vinegar also help if I leave them in the car near the seat or under the seat?



If I were to make it a multistep clean up. Should I first steam clean? See if it lifts up the stuff from the padding closer to the leather surface and then use nature`s miracle?

[Accumulator]

I am not sure if it went through the leather down to the padding. Although I like to stay away from taking the leather cover off because it has slits to form a pattern and I`ve read the service manual which involves quite a lot of steps to take them off. I also heard that even dealerships sometimes have problem putting it back together to look like from factory...





Yeah, I understand. Heh heh, there`s sure no way I`d want to try it on my Audis :D I just worry that the [stuff] might`ve gotten down through the stitching or something like that.




Will baking soda/vinegar also help if I leave them in the car near the seat or under the seat?



I wouldn`t expect so. If the combo were in contact with the source of the odor it *might* help effervesce it out, but otherwise I don`t see it being beneficial.




If I were to make it a multistep clean up. Should I first steam clean? See if it lifts up the stuff from the padding closer to the leather surface and then use nature`s miracle?



Yeah, I`d try the steamer, but don`t overdo it and damage the leather. I`ve had steam work fine on some pet messes...the hot steam apparently killed off whatever was making the odor. Then yeah, I`d try the Nature`s Miracle, even though the thought of drenching the area with that stuff and just leaving it that way sure rubs me the wrong way just as a matter of principle.

[wing122]

Yeah, I understand. Heh heh, there`s sure no way I`d want to try it on my Audis :D I just worry that the [stuff] might`ve gotten down through the stitching or something like that.





I wouldn`t expect so. If the combo were in contact with the source of the odor it *might* help effervesce it out, but otherwise I don`t see it being beneficial.







Yeah, I`d try the steamer, but don`t overdo it and damage the leather. I`ve had steam work fine on some pet messes...the hot steam apparently killed off whatever was making the odor. Then yeah, I`d try the Nature`s Miracle, even though the thought of drenching the area with that stuff and just leaving it that way sure rubs me the wrong way just as a matter of principle.



I`m also worried about nature`s miracle too :nervous2:



I think if i`m going to apply that on the leather, I`ll let it sit for a bit, before it dries out. I`ll wipe it off with a wet cloth. I hope this way, it will seep through the stitching a bit and hopefully do some good down there.

[teacherray]

I used to work for a commercial cleaning company. When confronted with odors deep in the foam of a chair, sofa etc we would inject the enzyme into the foam using a hypodermic syringe and needle. I never did leather so holes were not a problem. Holes in leather are probably undesirable (I think :lol). Since the bottom is unseen perhaps you could access the foam from underneath or along the seams. We would insert the needle into the foam as deeply as possible then inject a small amount of solution then withdraw the needle 1/4" and inject again continuing until out of the foam. Do this in several spots around the odor causing stain and let it work. If the odor persists repeat the process. While waiting for the foam to dry keep air moving with a small fan, you don’t need a lot of air just keep it moving. We had some outstanding results that way. We got the enzyme and hypodermic supplies from a commercial carpet cleaning supply house.

[Accumulator]

I`m also worried about nature`s miracle too :nervous2:



I think if i`m going to apply that on the leather, I`ll let it sit for a bit, before it dries out. I`ll wipe it off with a wet cloth. I hope this way, it will seep through the stitching a bit and hopefully do some good down there.



Hmm...OK. As long as you don`t need it to dwell on the leather that should be beneficial.



I can`t help but think "automotive leather is pretty impervious to stuff.." but it`s easy for me to say that, huh? ;) I`ve doused GM leather pretty good with various stuff in situations like this (before I wised up and spent some $ on "Wet Okole" seatcovers, "Canine Covers", and "Hatch Bag" products) with no problems.

[wing122]

I used to work for a commercial cleaning company. When confronted with odors deep in the foam of a chair, sofa etc we would inject the enzyme into the foam using a hypodermic syringe and needle. I never did leather so holes were not a problem. Holes in leather are probably undesirable (I think :lol). Since the bottom is unseen perhaps you could access the foam from underneath or along the seams. We would insert the needle into the foam as deeply as possible then inject a small amount of solution then withdraw the needle 1/4" and inject again continuing until out of the foam. Do this in several spots around the odor causing stain and let it work. If the odor persists repeat the process. While waiting for the foam to dry keep air moving with a small fan, you don’t need a lot of air just keep it moving. We had some outstanding results that way. We got the enzyme and hypodermic supplies from a commercial carpet cleaning supply house.



Hmm....that`s actually not a bad idea.

I`ll have to find these syringe and probably poke them through the seams and stitching and inject half a bottle of these stuff in. Whatever it takes to get rid of the smell without ripping out the seats is fine with me.