Cat urine stain on Nubuck leather couch

[mdmerkey]

My female cat urinated on my nubuck leather couch within the last ten days. I attempted to remove the stain my self but was unsuccessful. I used a product called nature's miracle on one of the cushions (ingredients are: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate 1.50%, Cinnamon Oil 0.12%, Lemon Grass Oil 0.12% and water, sodium benzoate - 98.26%) and I also used vinegar and baking soda on the same cushion. The other cushion I only used baking soda and did not use the other products because they did not appear to work on the first cushion. I have recently purchased the Kit-N5.uk : Nubuck - Urine Odor Killer and should receive it in 4-8 business days. Please tell me I have not ruined my couch and will be able to restore it!!!
Thank you in advance.

[Roger Koh]

Looking at picture 2 and 3 shows presence of both ‘whitening’ and ‘darkening’ effect, a sign of leather denaturing or reverting to rawhide.
Leather is an amphoteric protein material and any solution higher than pH 7 will have an adverse effect weakening the ionic attraction between the ionic positive (+ve) protein fiber and its other ionic negative (-ve) leather constituents like the tanning agent, dyestuff and fatliquor. Whitening appearance is the displacement of the original fatliquor and the darkening effect from the tanning agents. Discoloration of the dyestuff may be camouflage at this moment merged with the darkening effect.

Smell is what the picture can’t show and is another issue besides appearance and structure integrity. Putrid odor is the fermenting of the uric acid or protein and the ammonic odor from the ammonia salt contents. When ammonic odor is detected the pH value would have reach almost 10. When the smell of ‘mercaptan’ is detected it has gone beyond pH 10.
The boosting effect that worsen the denaturing leather structure and odor issue is from adverse products that has a pH value higher than 7. Both the sodium benzoate and the baking soda are alkaline with pH higher than 7 that compounded the situation.

A quick control would be using vinegar to saturate the overall contamination, lay tissue paper over it (for a reverse transfer of foreign contamination) and cling wrapped it – until the appropriate kit arrived. The three interrelated issues are the structure integrity, the categories of smell and the appearance in order of priority. Kit-N5.uk takes care of the 2 important issues of structural integrity and the smells, while Kit-N7.cl takes care of appearance from this link: http://www.leatherdoctor.com/kit-n7-...finishing-kit/


For your general readings:

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 Rinse-3.0 (pH 3.0), uric acid removal with d’Protein-10 (pH 10), pH balance with Acidifier-2.0 (pH 2.0) recharging the protein fiber ionic positive (+ve) and neutralizing the ammonium salt with d’Urine-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.

Nubuck:
Nubuck is top-grain cattle leather that has been sanded or buffed on the grain side, or outside, to create a velvet like texture or nap. It has the characteristic of a slight nap, with the softest “hand” or tactile feel. Although nubuck is aniline dyed through and sanded it is commonly finish with a surface dye sometimes incorporating micro-pigment to cover up some natural blemishes. It looks similar to suede, but the difference is that suede is created from the flesh side of leather, whereas nubuck is created from the grain side of leather. As both nubuck and suede are napped leather, it is often incorrectly identified as suede. Leather is both hydrophilic and oleophilic, nubuck especially with its open nap absorbs both water and oil more readily, than any other smooth leather. It is generally more expensive than suede; fashion types include embossed, oil and wax pull-up effect. Fatliquor plays an important role when comes to maintenance to both reduce ingress of waterbased and grease stain; plumps the leather with fullness, reduces creases, and wrinkles. Leather protein-fiber component is amphoteric therefore, a leather-safe (pH 3 - 5) care product system is highly recommended to keep them clean while maintaining their chemistry integrity

Nubuck Leather Problem Solving Guide


Questions you may have?


Roger Koh
Leather Care System Formulator / Practitioner / Consultant / Instructor / Coach

[mdmerkey]

Do you think putting vinegar on the leather and wrapping it in tissue and cling wrap would be helpful until the cleaning products arrive? And do i need to order the other kit now because the first kit will not fix all the problems?

[mdmerkey]

After seeing the pictures - this is still salvageable right? I want to make sure i use the products correctly when i receive them. Could you please give me a step by step instruction so i do it correctly. I want to get the best results possible and salvage my couch!

[Roger Koh]

>>> Do you think putting vinegar on the leather and wrapping it in tissue and cling wrap would be helpful until the cleaning products arrive?

Additional vinegar present is to pH balance or neutralize the sodium benzoate and the baking soda from weakening the ionic positive (+ve) attraction of the protein fiber.
Let's see some pictures if you are doing it right.


>>> And do i need to order the other kit now because the first kit will not fix all the problems?

Not necessary, not too late until the leather structure and smells are restored.


>>> After seeing the pictures - this is still salvageable right?

Without the two adverse products mentioned, in most cases they are salvageable to a degree.


>>> I want to make sure i use the products correctly when i receive them. Could you please give me a step by step instruction so i do it correctly. I want to get the best results possible and salvage my couch!

Post some pictures of the worst condition when you receive the kit and we go from there.
Meanwhile keep the treatment in a cool place without freezing it.

[Roger Koh]

>>> Could you please give me a step by step instruction so i do it correctly.

The step-by-step instruction is about the same except to note the difference of the stain and the different between nubuck and aniline.
An example of the processes . . .
http://www.leathercleaningrestoratio...-from-dog-peed

Any questions you may have?