Why Does My Leather Couch Smell Bad? 

First, leather surfaces are porous. This means there are several small holes (or pores) where solid dirt or liquid spills can go and accumulate. Physicochemical or microbiological activity in those pores can result in nasty or weird odours you smell on your couch. 

How to get rid of the bad smell from the couch 

Now that you know the cause, you’ve probably realised that a bit of cleaning will already solve the problem. If we remove the cause (the spill or dirt accumulated in those pores), most likely the smell will go away too. 

To accomplish that, generally there are two ways: 

• Physical treatment (manual removal of accumulated sticky dirt) 
• Chemical treatment (gentle chemical reaction with the substances causing the smell) 

In the physical treatment, you can vacuum or wipe off some or most of the dirt and substances from the leather surface. This might help remove some of the smell or make your couch look a bit fresher and cleaner. 

In the chemical treatment, you might need to use an appropriate cleaning solution (plus an antimicrobial solution and deodoriser) to make the couch smell fresh. You can readily buy these products online or from a physical store. Ensure that the cleaning solution is safe for leather surfaces (e.g. specifically formulated for cleaning leather couches and upholstery). 

You can also use gentle chemicals already available at your home. A bit of dishwashing liquid, white vinegar and baking soda can help remove the weird smells from your couch. They might react adequately with the substances causing the smell. However, they might not have enough power to completely remove the odours. Also, you still have to be gentle on using those home chemicals to avoid damaging your leather couch. 

If you want to ensure a safe deep clean, you can instead contact us here at LCS Sydney. Aside from removing the lingering odours, our professionals can also remove tough stains and allergens from leather upholstery. We can also apply antimicrobial treatment and deodorisers to make your couch smell fresh (especially if there’s an upcoming event in your home or the nasty odour is just intolerable).