|
Treating
Odors On Leather — In A Car Or In Your Home
We get a lot of
inquiries asking if DooDoo Voodoo is (a) safe and (b) effective
for treating odors in leather. The answers are,
respectively: (a) yes, with precautions and (b) yes,
according to our customers.
Many people write to
tell us
that their kitty peed on their leather couch or chair. From
our customers' experiences, it seems there's something
about leather shoes, handbags, furniture, etc., that entices cats to
pee there. I think the cats
sense that the material is, uh, organic (alive, or used to be) and
to them it somehow seems
either comfortable or a threat, hence their desire to mark
their territory. I may be guilty of playing cat
psychologist without a license, but that's my sense after
decades of involvement with cats.
We also have heard
from a number of customers that they successfully treated odors
in their leather automotive interiors. The same
precautions apply with regard to how to treat the areas as would
apply to treating leather furniture or other household items and
clothing.
Here are some tips to keep in mind so you attain the best
possible odor control...and do the least amount of degradation
of your leather surface. Note: I am NOT saying that
using DooDoo Voodoo on your leather will inherently degrade your
leather. I've used it on leather many times without any
degradation at all. However, if your surface is already
degraded, you may need to do some touch-up of the surface once
you've treated with DooDoo Voodoo.
Remove As Much As
You Can To Start With
Obviously,
removing as much of the odor-causing material as you can
is imperative. Do whatever you need to to remove
it, but be sure you use only SOFT cloths, not paper
towels, as these are too rough and will damage the
integrity of the surface of your leather. If you
have a carpet extractor with an upholstery wand, feel
free to use it.
Don't Apply
DooDoo Voodoo Then Leave It To Dry On Its Own
Leave DooDoo Voodoo on for 5 minutes, then wipe it up
with a SOFT cloth (not a paper towel). Re-apply as you
deem necessary, but allow p-l-e-n-t-y of drying time in
between applications. Treating too soon, before
the area fully dries, seems to make the odor last
longer, not shorter. We can't tell you how long
your particular leather will take to dry, but don't
treat, wait a few minutes, treat again, etc. By
rushing it like this, you'll actually have
longer-lasting odor. Letting the surface fully dry
in between allows DooDoo Voodoo to better do its job,
thus shortening the odorous period. Use a fresh
towel or washcloth for each application.
 Apply
A Leather Conditioner Afterward
I recommend
using a leather conditioner on the area after treatment
is finished and the area is FULLY dry. Don't rush into
this step, especially if you've re-treated (see tip #1
above). This not only helps rejuvenate your
leather, which will likely be drier after treatment with
DooDoo Voodoo, it seems to help seal in any residual
odors that might linger. A good leather
conditioner can be found online or at auto parts stores
or tack (horse-related) stores. I've used Lexol
brand, shown here. Be sure to get the conditioner,
which is in the brown bottle, not their leather cleaner,
which comes in an orange bottle.
However, if
your leather is in need of repair or re-dyeing, don't
treat with conditioner after you've finished treating
with DooDoo Voodoo. Save the conditioner for the
very end after you or a professional have repaired
and/or re-dyed your leather.
How To
Repair & Re-Dye Your Leather If Needed
If
your sectional, car seat, purse, etc., is in crummy
condition, you might need to repair its surface, or at
least re-dye it, after treating with DooDoo Voodoo.
Don't sweat it, though: this is easier and more
affordable than you might think.
 I'll
provide you a weblink in a minute where you can learn
all about how to do these repairs and re-dyes yourself,
but here's a short overview. To do it yourself,
you generally wipe down the area with isopropyl alcohol
pads that come in little disposable packets. These
are available at the warehouse clubs or any pharmacy.
Once you've cleaned the area, you use special "putty" to
fill any cracks, tears or holes, possibly after stuffing
cotton balls or foam rubber into the holes. In the
case of tears, you may tuck some special mesh inside the
tear to use as a bond. Once the putty dries (which
is quickly), you sand it smooth with some extra-fine
black (wet-type) sandpaper. You then clean up the
dust caused by the sanding, and wipe down the area again
with more alcohol pads. Once the area is dry, you
paint on (with a foam brush) or spray on (with an
inexpensive spray device called a
Preval Sprayer)
the new dye. You can do multiple coats, sanding
lightly and wiping with alcohol pads in between coats,
then finishing with a treatment with leather
conditioner. They even make "grain pads" you can
use to stamp leather grain into the putty, thus making
your repaired areas look more like the original leather.
I've seen some repairs where the grainwork was so good
you couldn't tell where the repairs were.
I've used
products from this company many times with great results
and at low cost:
http://www.leatherrepairkits.com/.
I've not used their stuff on furniture, but I've used it
in multiple Lexuses with awesome success. It's much
easier to do than you might think, and could help seal
in the odor if there's any slight residual. Treat with
a leather conditioner after doing the
repairs/re-dyeing. To go directly to the page on
their site where you pick your colors and place your
order,
click here.
If you'd
rather not buy online and your leather just needs
re-dyeing, not physical repair of holes, tears, etc.,
you can probably find dyes that will work at an
automotive (wholesale and retail) paint supplier in your
area. These types of shops *may* not have the
repair putty that you use to fix tears and holes, but
they should have a good selection of dyes (which come in
spray cans or bottles; you apply the latter with a foam
brush, available at any hardware store). The major
brand of dyes you might find in such stores is
SEM.
If you're
not the DIY (do it yourself) type, but need someone to
repair and/or re-dye your leather, I suggest you call
the nearest luxury automobile dealership (Lexus, BMW,
Infiniti, Mercedes, Cadillac, etc.) and ask for the name
and phone number of the person who does their leather
work. These folks are typically subcontractors who
come to each dealership at a specific day/time each
week, so you might be able to drop by there to speak
with them. They're typically phenomenal at what
they do and can probably repair and re-dye your leather
quickly and more inexpensively than you'd expect.
Offer to pay them cash and I bet you'll get a better
price.
I've used
DooDoo Voodoo in multiple Lexuses and other vehicles of
ours over the years with great success. Customers
report similar experiences, too, in their BMWs and other
top brands. Professional car detailers also have
reported excellent success with DooDoo Voodoo, so I
believe you'd be happy with the results on your
sectional...or in your car.
Good luck.
Let us know how your project goes!
|
