Aniline Leather Couches to Clean, both of which our Cat Urinated on over a year ago!

The first two photos show the dry, dull leather of the corner of what I am calling the leather blanket part of the couch. The third photo shows the fabric bench from underneath the pillows that has absorbed the urine that dripped down between the cushions and needs treatment for its bad smell. The fourth photo shows you what I mean by the leather blanket that makes part of the back of the couch. The padding of this portion of the couch is stitched into it without a zipper.

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I seek your help in knowing which of your products to buy. I have two aniline leather couches to clean, both of which our cat urinated on over a year ago. He peed on the black leather couch was peed on again the day before yesterday. It is still damp.

Before I found your website a year ago, I consulted a local leather expert, who works with Fibrenew, who advised me to use Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer. I did and it has taken away the smell of the urine almost entirely, but of course, it left the leather dull and stiff. It is this man who informed me that both couches are aniline leather. I don't know what sort of finish they have.

Neither couch shows any stain. I am attaching pictures of each so you can see what type of aniline finish each has. The black couch with red trim looks a lot like the black leather pictured at http://www.leatherdoctor.com/aniline...atin-finished/. The couch with grey trim also does although the leather is more creased and the grey trim has a dull, soft finish.

I need to mention that I the foam interior of each couch holds some residual sweet urine odor. I can replace the foam cushions, but I cannot remove the interior of the black couch along its back (sort of a leather blanket that drapes over the fabric-covered cushion), which poses the issue of how to remove what remains of the now-sweet urine smell. More Nature's Miracle would work, but I don't want to further hurt the leather.

Here is one list I found on your website about what to buy based your chart at this URL (http://www.leatherdoctor.com/aniline...atin-finished/) and a read through the forum.:
Eraser-4 (for dry soil? What is dry soil?)
CleanUrine-1.5 or d'Urine 2.1 (is this for smell as well as stains?)
Acidifier-2.0

Rinse-3.0.
KillBacteria-3.7 (for smell?)
Hydrator-3.3.
Fatliquor LS-5.5.
Protector-B+, D+, S+ or W+. (optional?)
Elsewhere I read about a kit that has these and d’Protein-10 for stain, but as I said we have no visible stain on the black leather. So I don't think there has been any oxidized chrome tanning of the leather, except possibly along the red piping on the leather couch, which has turn darker red. So I do not think I need the products in line #15 at http://www.leatherdoctor.com/aniline...atin-finished/)
I apologize that my photos are out of focus. The lighting indoors today is very bad. First 4 photos in this email and the next are of the black and grey couch. Last two are of the black couh with red piping. The second shows a cushion with hardened leather. More photos to follow.

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Urine accident should be attend to it immediately as time will work against the leather - eventually the ammonia salt will crack the leather.

For your reading

Urine:
Urine is a compound waste discharge, comprises of urochrome, uric acid and the ammonium salt to deal with. When deposited urine attracts the natural bacteria from the atmosphere and starts to ferments, a putrid odor will develop from the protein component of the urine and ammonic odor will develop from the ammonium salt. When ammonic odor becomes present, the pH of the contamination would have shifted to 10. Such high pH above the neutral average 3 to 5 of leather causes the amphoteric protein fiber to shift ionic negative (-ve); that causes the protein fibers to repels its other ionic negative (-ve) constituents like the tanning agent, fatliquor and dyestuff. Behaving just like the attraction of a magnet, like poles repel. When the leather constituent breaks hydrogen bond with the protein fiber, the leather starts to denature and revert to rawhide. A typical appearance of an aged or compounded contamination is a darkening effect from the fugitive tanning agents, a whitening effect from the fatliquor. Fugitive dyestuff or bleeding is only apparent from a white towel detection and yellowing from the urochrome. The denaturing or reverting to rawhide effect of the leather is further confirmed by tackiness or in worst-case sliminess in the present of moisture. The leach out fatliquor results in stiffness and fugitive dyestuff results in discoloration. A systematic sequence of decontamination approach includes surface residue removal with CleanUrine-1.5 (pH 1.5), and rinse with Acidifier-2.0 (pH 2.0) recharging the protein fiber ionic positive (+ve) and neutralizing the ammonium salt with KillUrine-2.1 (pH 2.1). Utilizing such a low pH treatment retards bacteria activities from off gassing putrid odors, a natural pH control without the need to use bactericide or fungicide for mold prevention. Therefore, urine is a type of soiling that will require a biochemistry approach to decontaminate it. Restoring the leather begins after decontamination with Hydrator-3.3, a pH 3.3 multifunctional product that has ionic positive (+ve) charging abilities, an active surfactantcy essential for foreign water movement within the inter-fibrillary spaces to redistribute the leather constituents and purging foreign contamination to resurface. This is the last of the wet cleaning process to remove suspended urochrome yellowish compound through visible white tissue paper as an extension of the leather in the wicking process as the leather dries naturally. Only then, without a trace of the urine stain that Fatliquor-5.0 (pH 5.0) replenishing commences. The emulsified fat and oil encased water molecule breaks free when hydrogen bond attraction takes place between the fat and oil with the protein fiber, leaving a breathing space essential for leather transpiration to function naturally. The fat plumps the leather with fullness from easily collapsing into creases and wrinkles during stress or flex, while the oil lubricates the fibers so that they slide over one another like millions of inter-connecting hinges with smoothness. One important unique characteristic of leather is suppleness with strength and much depends on the fatliquor, in this holistic approach to effective leather urine decontamination and restoration. For severe neglected cases with finishes damages as seen in this picture, refinishing commences after leather suppleness restoration.

Here is the first stage urine contamination recommendation with Kit-L5.uk for your consideration . . .
The second stage is to take care of the appearance and refinishing will solve your darkening effect and gloss level.
Any further questions are welcome.


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http://www.leatherdoctor.com/kit-l5-...or-killer-kit/
Leather Doctor® Kit-L5.uk urine killer kit is specially developed to decontaminate urine problems for most smooth leathers. Aged urine is detectable with its characteristic ammonic odor. The presence of ammonic odor may indicate the shifting of pH value up to 10. The leather will most likely feel sticky or slimy when wet finger testing it. This sticky feeling is a sign of leather denaturing and reverting to rawhide. Stabilizing this sticky phenomenon is done with pre cleaning with CleanUrine-1.5 follows with Acidifier-2.0. KillUrine-1.2 treatment to neutralize the urine turning ammonic begins and it let to soak in contact for chemical reaction to take place and is very noticeable with a strong sour odor. This odor diminishes as it slowly evaporates. At this stage, the leather should feel squeaky after returning to its chemistry integrity of pH 3 - 5. Stiff leather is relaxed and sticks together fiber separated by Hydrator-3.3. The penetrated stain removing process continues with hydrating until complete satisfaction during a dry inspection prior to fat and oil replenishing with leather scented Fatliquor LS-5.5.In severe cases color refinishing is the last resort for a pleasing appearance. Note that the mentioned products suffix numbers denotes its pH value in this holistic approach for perforated-leather urine decontamination process.



Instruction



Restoration Cleaning - 1. Surface contamination is towel extracted and remaining soiling is removed with CleanUrine-1.5 (pH 1.5) in conjunction with detailing horsehair Brush-1 and terry towel extraction until towel shows clean. The remaining residue is further rinse off with Acidifier-2.0 (pH 2.0) in conjunction with Brush-1 and towel extraction until towel shows clean. Leather surface is detected for any tackiness and should return to a healthy squeaky feel once the leather is pH balanced.



Urine Treatment - 1 Apply KillUrine-2.1 and let it soak until natural dry. Sour odor will dessipate once it evaporates completely.



Hydrating - 1- Hydrator-3.3 is applied to soak into the leather to relax stiff and stick together fibers and to wick out suspended foreign contamination. 2- Wrapping the leather with paper towel and wet it out with Hydrator-3.3 is an advance technique to let the leather soak up the hydrator for slow ansorbent leathers. 3- The paper towel is left on the leather to dry naturally; this technique allows the wick soiling particulates to be trapped by the paper towel instead of remaining on the leather surface. Read more . . . http://www.leatherdoctor.com/hydrator-3-3/

Fat and Oil Replenishing - 1- Fatliquor LS-5.5 is applied and distributed with a foam brush until the leather is saturated. 2- Continuous second or third application is repeated each round the water contents evaporates until saturation. 3- Leave the leather natural drying for extra softness. Read more . . . http://www.leatherdoctor.com/fatliquor-ls-5-5/

Rub-Resistant Protection - 1- Protector-B+ is applied by mist spray and spread with paper towel. 2- For routine application, a paper towel is recommended to extract soiling simultaneously.

>>> Thanks, Roger. I see that the list in the post you sent me is shorter than the list I gathered from your website. Can you tell me how much of each to order to work on just the black couch to start?

Recommend that you have the Kit-L5.uk (fill version to save on shipping) and Protector-B+ would be sufficient but may not be sufficient for others, recommend that you order them in quart refills.


>>> I do not think that I pointed out that the couch is not sticky or slimy at all. All surfaces to which I applied the Nature's Miracle are smooth and dry to the touch. The leather is stiff and dull in finish.

Stiffness is the drying out of fatliquor (and rough handling will leads to cracks). Darkening discoloration is the sign that the tanning agent has leached out. Fugitive dyes may show when a white damp towel is used. All in all the leather has denatured from the ammonia salt of the urine.
Nature’s Miracle pH neutral contributes and compounds the problem evidently. Dull in finishes will require a topcoat refinishing with AnilineTop-76G.


>>> The only places I detect the sweet urine odor are in the blanket where there is the sealed-in padding/foam. This makes me think that the padding needs to be removed before I begin to treat the leather and then replace afterward.

Treat all padding/foam/fabric the same sequence as treating the leather. However, the products have to reach the entire thickness or follows where the urine have travel to clean and neutralized it. There is no need to replace!


>>> However, the description of CleanUrine 1.5 is that its purpose is to remove the tackiness of stale urine. Given this, do I need to use this product or should I begin (after removing the padding) with Acidifier 2.0?

CleanUrine-1.5 has a pH value of 1.5 that does the cleaning of residue and pH balance at the same time - so when follows with Acidifier-2.0 (pH value 2.0) completes the system for the leather/padding/foam/fabric cleaning and pH neutralizing process. When the leather/padding/foam/fabric surface feels squeaky thereafter KillUrine-2.1 is applied and let to dwell. This CleanUrine-1.5 > Acidifier-2.0 > KillUrine-2.1 ends the urine decontamination process.

Before the leather is completely dries Hydrator-3.3 > Fatliquor.Ls-5.5 > Hydrator-3.3 continues to take care of the suppleness of the leather when completely dry.

When dullness is to be address with AnilineTop-76G, it is perform after the end of Hydrator-3.3.

Coloring of the may be another consideration to take care of the darkening effect.

Protector-B+ ends with a leather-scent with a buttery feel that reduce wears to the topcoat.