How to Get Cat Pee Out of Leather (Couch, Purse, Boots, etc.)

Clean cat urine out of leather couch

Leather is expensive, and your cat can ruin it very fast if they pee on it because cat pee is extremely difficult to remove from any fabric. However, your leather furniture or items aren’t necessarily ruined if your cat does decide to go to the bathroom on them, and we’re going to give you several step by step guides on how to get cat urine out of leather.

We understand that you love your cat and that you deserve nice things, and our tips will help you keep your leather looking beautiful, your cat happy, and your home smelling neat Whether it’s a leather couch, leather rug, leather jacket, leather purse, clothing, shoes, or even car seats our tips work on them all.

Why Cat Urine Lingers

Cat urine contains proteins, enzymes, and bacteria that start to break down and decompose if you don’t remove it from whatever surface your cat urinated on. Sadly, this smell does get worse over time, and most people don’t notice it right away until it starts the decomposition process.

The bacteria is your cat’s urine is what gives in that recognizable ammonia odor, and it also contains mercaptans, and these are the things that give skunks their powerful smell. Once the cat’s urine reaches the second stage of decomposition, it releases these mercaptans into the air. Additionally, the longer the urine sits, the more difficult it is to remove.

Method 1: Create Natural Solution to Remove Urine

This first way to remove cat urine from leather involves creating a natural solution that breaks down the enzymes in the cat urine and lets you soak it up before reconditioning the leather. You’ll need:

  • 3-percent hydrogen peroxide
  • Liquid soap
  • Baking soda
  • Small plastic container
  • Vinegar
  • Spray bottle
  • Leather conditioner
  • Rags and towels

Step One
Mix four cups of 3-percent hydrogen peroxide, a quarter of a cup of baking soda, and one tablespoon of liquid dish soap in a plastic container. Mix this together carefully, but the baking soda and peroxide will react to one another if you introduce too much air and overflow.

Step Two
Carefully add your combined mixture into your spray bottle and let it sit for a few minutes. While this settles, get paper towels and soak up as much of the cat urine as possible from your leather surface. Gently spray the area with cat urine until it’s slightly damp and let it dry.

Step Three
If you don’t want to use peroxide, baking soda, and water, you can add four cups of vinegar with four cups of water into a spray bottle and mist the area after you blotted the area dry. Wipe off any excess moisture after five minutes, and allow it to air dry.

Step Four
Once the area is completely dry, recondition it by working your leather conditioner into your leather surface. This will add moisture into the leather, and it’ll help to prevent it from cracking and drying out.

Method 2: Enzyme Cleaner to Remove Urine

You’ll use a cleaning agent with enzymes in it to help break down the enzymes in your cat’s urine. Not only will this help get rid of the smell, but it’ll also help get rid of the resulting stain. You’ll need:

  • Paper towels or a soft cloth
  • Enzymatic pet odor neutralizing cleaner
  • Saddle soap
  • Olive oil

Step One
Take your paper towels and soak up as much of the urine as possible, and wipe away any excess urine that may have ran down the sides of your leather item, the inside, and wipe around the general stain as well. When you have all of the excess urine soaked up, get rid of the towels.

Step Two
Take your enzymatic cleaner and spray the stain, making sure that you get just over the edges of the stain to help break the entire stain down. Let it sit for five minutes before you take a damp cloth and gently work the cleaner into the leather by rubbing it in a circular motion.

Step Three
Allow it to dry overnight until the leather isn’t damp to the touch anymore. Take your saddle soap and get a soft cloth damp with warm water. Work the saddle soap into the leather to condition it and to get rid of any lingering stains, and make sure to go just around the outside of the edges of the stain.

Step Four
The final step is to add moisture back into the leather to help prevent discoloration and cracking in the area that your cat urinated in. Take two or three drops of olive oil and apply it to a clean cloth. Gently apply it to the dry leather, and take another cloth to buff it out.

Method 3: White Vinegar to Remove Urine

This method to remove cat pee and save you leather involves white vinegar and a lot of sunlight. You’ll most likely have all of the items in your home so you may want to try this one first. You’ll need:

  • White vinegar
  • Sunlight
  • Leather cleaner
  • Water
  • Newspapers
  • Small bowl
  • Cloth or brush
  • Coconut oil

Step One
Once you notice the urine, immediately apply cloths or paper towels to soak up as much of the urine as possible. If you can, bring your leather items and place them in direct sunlight to air out because this will help make the urine odor less distinct as it dries.

Step Two
Take your brush or cloth and gently scrub or wipe at the affected area to remove any ground-in grime that may make it more difficult to remove the urine particles. Make sure that your cloth or brush is dry when you do this because water can make it smell more.

Step Three
Apply your chosen leather cleaner to the area. You can use a towel to gently work this into your stained patch by rubbing small circles over the area. Next, you can wrap your leather items in the newspaper for a few days to help the urine odor absorb into the porous paper.

Step Four
Unwrap your leather items and mix together two cups of vinegar with two cups of water in a small bowl. Use a cloth to work this mixture into your leather to neutralize any remaining odors and break down any stains. Wipe the excess away.

Step Five
Allow your leather item to dry completely before you take a cloth and some coconut oil and work it into the dry area. The vinegar and water will suck the moisture out of your leather, and this leaves it more prone to cracking. Wipe away any excess oil and allow your leather to dry one final time.

Method 4: Remove Old Urine Stains

Although it’s best to get rid of the cat urine before it has a chance to soak into your leather item, this isn’t always possible. If this is the case, this method can help save your item. You’ll need:

  • Paper towels
  • Enzymatic cleaner
  • Soft cloth
  • Borax
  • Saddle soap
  • Leather conditioner

Step One
Take your cloth or paper towels and soak up as much of the urine as you possibly can. Don’t forget to soak up the urine along the sides and on the bottom of your leather item as well as on the top.

Step Two
Take your enzymatic cleaner and saturate your cloth with it until it’s wet all of the ways through and lay this over your urine spot. You want to leave this on the urine spot for at least an hour, and you may need to spray it two or three more times to keep it wet.

Step Three
You should take your Borax and sprinkle a liberal amount over the urine before you leave it to sit for at least five days. Borax works to neutralize odors, and the five days it sits on your leather product is more than enough time for it to clean your leather.

Step Four
Wipe the Borax off of your leather product and apply saddle soap to a damp cloth before you gently work it into the leather. This will neutralize the odors and condition your leather. Finally, you want to wipe off any excess moisture and let it dry completely.

Method 5: Natural Remedies to Remove Cat Urine

This leather cleaning method involves several natural remedies that work to neutralize odors, remove stains, and restore your leather to like new condition. You’ll need:

  • Water
  • Citrus oil
  • Paper towels
  • Baking soda
  • Coconut oil
  • Essential oil of your choice
  • Plastic covering
  • Spray bottle
  • Newspaper
  • Ground cloves

Step One
Mix two cups of water with one cup of orange oil into your spray bottle and shake it very well. The oil won’t break down in the water, but you should be able to get it mixed enough to get it on the urine area .

Step Two
Get paper towels and soak up as much of your cat’s urine as you possibly can before applying several layers of newspaper to continue to soak it up. Leave this newspaper on your leather for two or three hours, and you may need to swap out the damp or wet newspaper for dry.

Step Three
Liberally spray the wet area with your water and citrus oil mix, and you want to almost soak the area to ensure that it breaks down the urine. Leave the spray on the leather for at least an hour, and you should notice that it starts to turn white as it dries. Repeat this process two or three times.

Step Four
Blot the area with a dry towel and apply a liberal coating of baking soda and ground cloves on, around, and under the wet area. Vacuum your leather item after 24 hours to remove the excess baking soda, cloves, and cleaner.

Step Five
Mix two or three drops of your essential oils with the coconut oil and work it into the leather to add moisture back, cover up any lingering smell, and prevent the leather from cracking. Cover your leather item with a plastic case for a month or so to help erase the last of the smell. This will dissuade your cat from urinating in the same area again.

Additional Tips for Remove Cat Urine From Leather

Along with our five methods we outlined above, there are a few other things that you can do to ensure that you completely remove the urine smell and stain from your leather products. They include but are not limited to:

  • Double check the area around and under the stain. If the urine soaks through, the smell won’t go away if you don’t treat any hidden stains.
  • You can deter a cat by placing a towel with essential oils around the area. However, some essential oils are toxic for animals, so be sure to double check before you use them.
  • Check with your veterinarian if your cats start urinating outside of their litter box. They’ll be able to rule out any medical problems.
  • You can deodorize the entire area by placing a small bowl of vinegar around the area where your cat likes to pee. It’s also possible to use coffee grounds instead of vinegar, but this scent tends to linger.
  • Routinely clean and moisturize your leather items to remove any debris and prevent cracking. Cracked leather allows urine to soak in farther than it normally would, and this makes it harder to get the smell out.

You love your cat and your leather items, and these five ways on how to get cat urine out of leather ensure that your leather items will look and smell nice for years to come. You may want to try one first and work your way through the list if it doesn’t work as well as you’d like. Keep working at it, and you’ll eventually remove the urine smells and stains.

Now that you have your leather couch cleaner, you might want to protect it with a couch cover to prevent stains from happening again.