Occasionally, accidents happen where our loved ones spill their bladders on our beloved leather seats.
It’s not the end of the world, but we need to act quickly because urine has been shown to stain and damage the fibers in the leather.
Learning how to quickly clean up these little accidents has saved me a lot of time, energy, and stress.
Enzymatic cleaners release cultures that eat the urine, leaving leather seats sanitary and smell-free once dry. Many non-protein-based carpet and fabric deodorizers alone won’t be able to handle the robust and pervasive odor of urine
Table of Contents
Removing Recent Urine From Leather Car Seats
Cleaning urine that has not penetrated the leather is much easier than trying to remove deep stains.
Urine contains Uric acid, which requires an alkaline (basic) product to neutralize the acid. Uric acid is corrosive and could discolor or stain leather surfaces if not neutralized immediately. Once the stain has been removed, treat the area with a disinfectant.
I often see people talk about using vinegar to clean everything, and I believe it is an excellent green wise cleaner. I’ve even written an entire article on the effectiveness of using green-wise cleaners on leather.
However, uric acid is secreted in urine, and acids are neutralized with a base. Or in other words, acid and bases cancel each out.
The most common alkaline products (bases) used for cleaning urine from leather are baking soda and soaps.
The baking soda soaks up the moisture and neutralizes the acid. Finally, disinfectant wipes are used to prevent any bacteria from growing.
Materials Needed:
- Baking Soda
- Mild Soap
- 2 small towels
- Bucket & Warm Water
Steps to Neutralize Urine from Leather Seats:
- Sprinkle some baking soda on the area
- Lether the seat rest for 30 minutes
- Wipe the area with a dry towel.
- Disinfect the area with a Clorox or Leather Wipe
Removing Urine Stains From Lether Seats
The best way to remove urine stains from leather seats is with soap and water or steam cleaning.
Soap and Water
Any mild soap will do, but I prefer saddle soap. You can get the liquid version of saddle soap and spray it on the affected area.
For the solid version of saddle soap, you simply rub the end of the towel in the soap and then dip it in the water. A lather will form once you begin rubbing it on the surface of the leather.
Materials Needed:
- Bucket of warm water
- Mild soap
- 2 towels.
Steps to Remove Urine Stains
- Add a mild soap to a warm bucket of water
- Insert the towel into the bucket of warm water | squeeze out excess water
- use the towel with hot soapy water to wipe the seats
- Wipe the seats a few times with the damp towel
- Dry the seats with a towel
Steam Cleaning
Another great way of removing urine stains is by steam cleaning. I think a video is much better than words. Check it out to get all the details.
Removing the Smell of Urine from Leather Seats
If you have cleaned your leather seats and the smell persists, the urine probably seeped down into the foam. You have two options: Clean the foam or replace the car seats.
Replacing the car seats can be expensive, but cleaning the foam will require blood, sweat, and tears.
You’ll need to find a way to remove the leather covering from the car seats. Now for the blood, sweat, and tears.
You’re probably going to have to remove the seat from the vehicle to remove the leather cover safely.
I’m sorry… that’s the best way to get to the foam.
Once you have foam exposed, you will need to soak it in a cleaner designed to break down urine crystals.
There are two major products that I recommend for cleaning the urine-soaked foam of your leather car seat. Multi-Clean Bio-Power Plus or Meguiars D116 Protein Stain Remover
Multi-Clean Bio-Power Plus
This stuff is awesome! It uses microorganisms to do all the heavy work.
The microorganisms send out enzymes that chew up a ton of organic material, such as urine stains, while eliminating their resulting odors. After the enzymes eat up the urine and the by-product is oxygen and water.
Just mix it with a bit of water and soak the foam in it.
Then “Voila!” No more urine stains or smells. And guess what, it also works on carpet and upholstery. It sounds like a “win-win” situation to me.
Ok… so what’s the downside? It sounds too good to be true
You’re right, all of this is great, but the product is a little expensive because you typically have to buy it in bulk. You can get 12 quarts (946mL) bottles or 3 Gallons for $100.
I have found a few places that sell a gallon for about $30, and I have come across a single quart for approximately $16 on eBay. But I had to search for them.
And for the other bad news. You’re going to have to re-install the leather covers and put the seat back in the car.
Fun times
I know you won’t need all of this to clean your seat foam, but it cleans a ton of other things such as:
- Vomit
- rotting garbage
- blood stains
- blood stains
- septic waste
So, yeah. I think it’s worth it.
If the Bio-Power plus is too much of a hassle, another great product is Meguiars D116 Protein Stain Remover.
It is a specially formulated works to dissolve urine stains and neutralize putrid urine odors. It also works well on fibers making it an excellent choice for softer fabrics as well.
Whether you choose to use the Micro-Clean Bio-Power Plus or Meguiars you will still need to disinfect the
Then disinfect to kill any bacteria that cause odors with a quaternary disinfectant such as a Clorox or Lysol wipe. If you are concerned about using one of these disinfectant wipes, I have an entire article that explains how to use them on leather surfaces properly.
Can Animal and Human Urine Be Cleaned With the Same Product?
Dogs, cats, and human urine can be cleaned with the same products because they have a similar urine composition. The urine composition approximately 95% water. The remaining 5% is uric acid, proteins, inorganic, and organic compounds. There are slight differences in the concentration of the 5%, but not enough to used different leather cleaning supplies.
Will Febreze Eliminate the Smell of Urine from Leather Seats?
Febreze will not eliminate the smell of urine from leather seats. It only masks the smell of urine. Most urine cleaners use enzymes that consume the organic materials that produce the urine orders, eliminating the odor
