Hi Bill,
One of my longtime customers asked me to try my hand at cleaning his father’s leather chair that has been in storage. They have a cat in the house and the chair reeks of cat urine. Pee-u!!
Disheartened in Delaware
Your probability for success with this leather chair depends on the type of leather. If it is protected leather you can deodorize with Odorcide and clean with Chemspec Leather Cleaner. If the urine has soaked down into the cushion try to open it up to identify the source of the odor. Then use a hypodermic needle to inject the deodorizer down into the cushion. Use small quantities in several spots so it doesn’t permeate the other side.
If the leather is not protected leather … walk away. Sorry to be so frank. How can you tell if it is protected? Now that is an entirely new ball game!
Honestly, Disheartened, I encourage you to consider taking Jon-Don’s Upholstery Cleaning class. We cover leather and a whole lot more and we’ll definitely get hands-on. The Manual you take home from the class will be a great reference resource for you.
Bill
PS from Steve: One more point I would like to emphasize, Disheartened. Assuming you PERSONALLY did not urinate on this chair don’t let the customer’s problem become your problem. If you want to take a crack at it for the experience just be sure to pre-qualify in writing that “complete deodorization is not guaranteed”. Who knows, you might be a hero! But the odds are against you.