How To Get Cat Pee Out Of Leather

There’s nothing worse than the odor that cat urine can leave behind on your treasured belongings. While there are several solutions to clean standard rugs and other furniture fabrics, things can get a bit tricky when it comes to leather. 

In this article we’ll dive into why the smell of cat urine is so challenging to remove, and multiple solutions to help you banish the urine smell from your leather items for good!

 

Why does cat urine smell so strong?

If you have a cat, you’ve likely experienced the potent smell of their urine. In order to understand why cat pee has such a strong smell that can linger well beyond the accident, we’ll need to dive into the components of cat urine itself. 

Urea is one of the main components in cat urine since it’s broken down by the cat’s kidneys. While urea itself does not have an odor, the ammonia it produces as it decomposes does. Ammonia is known for its intense odor that can catch you off guard as soon as you enter the room, and is made even worse due to the concentration of your cat’s urine. 

Standard cat urine alone can be quite smelly, but other components can make it even worse. For example, intact male cat urine has an extremely potent scent due to the testosterone that’s present in their pee. Bacteria from a UTI can also contribute to your cat’s strong smelling urine. No matter what, cat urine is just not a scent that you want lingering in your home. 

Different Options For Cleaning Cat Urine

When it comes to removing the strong smell of cat urine from the leather in your home, there are a few options to get the job done. Some of these options include:

• Enzyme cleaners
• Odor removal cleaners
• Homemade cleaners
• Natural homemade remedies

Now that you know which cleaning options are available to you, let’s cover some tips to help you clean effectively, and dive into cleaning solutions that will get the job done!

Tips Before You Start Cleaning

When it comes time to clean up the urine on your favorite leather item, there are a few tips to keep in mind to just make sure you address every possible stain or odor. These cleaning tips include:

• Thoroughly assess the area around the urine spot. Urine can soak through furniture and carpet, so you’ll want to be sure that you are tending to every single spot that the urine has touched.
• Keep in mind that you may need a few cleaning sessions to banish the odor once and for all. Lingering smells can encourage your cat to urinate in that spot again, so you’ll want to be sure that you come back to the area if you still sense a hint of a smell. 
• Like we just mentioned, cats tend to gravitate toward areas they have urinated previously. Due to this, it’s important to aggressively treat these areas to prevent future accidents. 
• Consider a couch cover if it seems like your cat is prone to accidents on your furniture. These furniture covers make it much easier to clean up frequent accidents

Now that you have some helpful tips on your side, let’s cover some effective cleaning methods to get cat pee out of leather. 

Homemade Cleaning Solutions

In order to create your homemade cleaning solution that will not damage your leather, you’ll need a few supplies. 

• 3 % hydrogen peroxide
• Baking soda
• Liquid soap
• Vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Leather conditioner
• Towels

Mix 3-4 cups  of 3 % hydrogen peroxide, ¼ of  a cup of baking soda, and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap into a small plastic container. Try to mix this careful and slowly, as the baking soda can begin to react and foam up when each of these ingredients are mixed together rapidly. Once you’ve made your mixture, pour the solution into a spray bottle. 

Once you have wiped up any wet urine from the affected area, you can spray this solution onto the leather. Once you have sprayed the area until it is damp, step away and allow this area to air dry. Once the area is completely dry, you can tend to the area with your leather conditioner to make sure the urine and solution does not leave any lasting stains behind. 

Store Bought Solutions

There are multiple store bought solutions that can help you clean your leather safely. While some of these tools focus on odor removal and bacterial removal, others target the urine odor by breaking apart the enzymes and getting to the root of the problem. We’ll list a few of our favorite store bought cleaning solutions below:

• Rocco & Roxie Enzyme Cleaner
• Angry Orange Odor Remover
• Pet Stain & Odor Miracle Enzyme Cleaner
• Nature’s Miracle Cat Stain Removal
• Nature’s Miracle Urine Destroyer

Each of these products will have their own instructions for cleaning, so be sure to follow their recommended instructions on the product. 

Natural Remedies For Stains & Cat Urine

Many people choose to take a more natural approach when it comes to cleaning within their home. Below we’ll mention a few natural options that are known to have antibacterial and cleaning properties:

• Citrus oil
• Coconut oil
• Baking soda

By combining these ingredients with water and an additional essential oil of your choice for added scent, many have found incredible results with this cleaning combination. Just combine the above ingredients with water and add into a spray bottle, and you can apply this mixture to your leather safely. 

Summary

We know how frustrating it can be when your cat has accidents within your home. Be sure to review the cleaning tips we’ve mentioned above for cleaning up cat urine on leather, and your home will be odor free in no time!