Treating unpleasant leather odours

A pungent new-leather smell, sweat odour or a musty cellar smell: depending on the cause, the solution is completely different. This article classifies the three most common cases.

Unpleasant odour in new leather

Some new leather goods smell unpleasantly strong, sometimes of chemicals (dyes, binders, tanning agents), sometimes strongly animal-like, like a “goat buck”. Such odours often originate from exotic or inferior tanning agents or from fatliquoring agents that have become rancid, and often affect goods from certain manufacturing regions.

Honest assessment: there are no promising tips for this problem. First air the leather for a few days and check whether the smell subsides. If this does not work, which is usually the case, we recommend making a complaint to the seller (if possible) or exchanging the item. If difficulties arise, consumer protection or legal expenses insurance may possibly help, provided other people also consider the smell unreasonable. Unfortunately, such purchases often happen abroad at markets or bazaars, which makes a complaint impossible because the smell only becomes apparent once you are back home.

The often-heard statement that “the smell will disappear over time” is rarely true; at best you get used to it, but it very rarely truly disappears.

Last attempt if a complaint is not possible: pre-treat the garment with Colourlock Leather Fixative and clean it completely with Colourlock Leather & Fur Wash Concentrate. This occasionally helps, but only with a little luck.

Important note: commercially available odour neutralisers, including our own Fresh Up, unfortunately do not work for this particular problem. The smell is in the material itself, not just on the surface.

Odour caused by sweat, smoke or nicotine

This case is much easier to solve. Leather clothing that smells of sweat, dirt or nicotine is washed completely according to the washing instructions with Colourlock Leather & Fur Wash Concentrate. The odour is generally completely gone afterwards.

Shoes that smell of sweat can be cleaned and neutralised with our Colourlock Shoe Cleaner. Fortunately, these cases are straightforward to solve.

Musty odour caused by incorrect storage

If the leather smells musty or of mould, incorrect storage is usually the reason – too damp, too little air circulation. This is a separate subject with its own solution. Read our instructions for removing mould.