How to Clean Your Pets Urine from a Leather Couch?

You may love your leather couch for its durability and style. And you may love your pet for its companionship and company. Unfortunately, pets and leather don’t make for the best mix. Because cleaning leather is not the most relaxing task in the world, having to deal with urine on your leather couch sounds like a pretty taxing ordeal. Fortunately, the process is fairly quick and painless.

The hardest part is catching the mess before it has time to soak in and dry.

Cleaning pet urine on a leather couch requires a few basic household products and some paper towels or a soft cloth. Most of the work involves soaking up the excess urine and then applying a cleaning product for a thorough clean.  

If the Urine has Dried Is It Too Late?

If the urine has dried, this increased the chance of it leaving a stain and odor. All is not lost, however, as there are cleaning products that may restore the soiled spot even after the urine has dried.

How to Clean Urine from a Leather Couch in 5 Steps

1. Blot the Spot

Using a paper towel or soft cloth, soak up the excess urine. Don’t scrub it in.

2. Remove the Foam Cushion

It’s possible the urine has soaked through, so you’ll need to check. This is easy if your sofa cushion is easily accessible by undoing a zipper, if not you may have to cut or unstitch in a hidden area and sew it back together. This is only if you believe the urine has gone through the leather into the cushion.

If required, you can have a professional furniture company install new cushions if needed.

3. Clean the Spot

You can use cleaning products specifically formulated for leather. However, a simple mixture of 1 cup of vinegar and 2 cups of water works fine. With the mixture and paper towels or a soft cloth, begin cleaning the soiled spot. You can scrub lightly if necessary, but be very careful not to be too rough. Once the urine has been cleaned away, dry the area well with a fresh cloth.

4. Wash Foam Cushion

It’s best to do this by hand with an enzymatic cleaning agent, then you can set it to air dry. A popular enzymatic cleaning agent for pet urine is Simple Solution Pet Urine Destroyer, you can check it out on Amazon. Once cleaned with a cleaning product you can rinse with water and let the cushion fully dry before use.

5. Condition the Leather (optional)

It won’t hurt to apply a leather conditioner to help restore the leather to a nice, clean finish after cleaning.

Leather Cleaning FAQs

Does Urine Damage Leather?

Urine can stain leather and leave an odor if it isn’t cleaned right away or treated properly. Another problem with urine on leather is that the leather may become damaged in the cleaning process.

What Products Should I Avoid Using to Clean Urine from Leather?

Many common cleaning products can damage your leather. The two main culprits are alcohol and acetone. Any cleaning product you use that is not specifically designed for leather, be sure to check for these two ingredients.

There are many other ill-informed cleaning solutions for soiled leather furniture, such as using leather shoe-polish. But because not all leather is made the same way, it’s important to make sure that the “leather cleaner” you’re using is meant specifically for furniture. As for other “home remedies”, we suggest proceeding with caution and doing plenty of research beforehand.

Can You Use Urine Gone on Leather?

Urine Gone is a cleaning product designed for use on a variety of surfaces and fabrics. It’s considered to be safe for most types of leather. However, you’ll definitely want to spot-check this product to be sure it doesn’t cause discoloration on your specific item.

How to Get Rid of Urine Smell from Leather?

There are cleaning products in powder form that are designed to absorb odors from leather surfaces, even if the odor comes from dried-up pet urine. You’ll simply sprinkle the powder on the spot and let it sit overnight. Then, you’ll vacuum the loose powder and gently rub the remaining powder into the spot before wiping it up with a damp cloth.

For a natural alternative, mix 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, and ¼ cup of baking soda in a spray bottle. (Mix carefully, as overflowing may occur). Apply this to the leather and then gently rub the mixture into the leather until the spot is thoroughly cleaned.

Final Thoughts

If you see a puddle of pee-pee on your beloved couch, don’t panic. Simply remember the first and most important step, soaking up as much as you can. Once you’ve prevented any further damage from occurring, you can then take your time moving on from there.

If you want to do a quick clean, when not dealing with urine you can clean leather with soap and water, read our guide on that too for easy home care.

And the key rule-of-thumb: always double-check the cleaning product you use, and always do a spot check first. Good luck!