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How to get rid of the chemical smell in faux leather items?

February 17, 2018 by Jean-Marc Chateigner 18 Comments

Usually, the chemical smell in faux leather items is going to disappear within a period of three to five weeks after manufacturing, but sometimes, if the manufacturers are not careful enough, they are going to use more chemicals and low quality faux leather fabrics, these are totally okay to use, but they tend to be very smelly because they have not been treated with the right chemicals long enough.

Getting rid of the chemical smell in faux leather is a bit tricky and totally different from the process you would use for getting rid of the smell of real leather, but I’m going to share with you some amazing techniques that will not only work quickly for you, but will also give your faux leather items a great shine and look to them.

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The first way to get rid of the chemical smell in your faux leather items is by using odor eaters.

Odor eaters are amazing, they are going to simply absorb the excess smells very quickly and efficiently, what I really love about odor eaters is that they can be used for every “smelly” material!

They are also very cheap, they are made out of charcoal, and available in most stores.

Indeed, some of the most simple techniques can be really the best, and this is true when dealing with bad smells in your faux leather items, I don’t want you to use lots of chemicals to wash them or to rinse them over and over, I want you to start with the most simple techniques, indeed, they are the ones that are not going to require a lot of money from you and most importantly, they will not damage your faux leather items, of course, I’m going to share with you later on in this post other powerful techniques to get rid of the chemical smell from your faux leather items.

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Here is how you apply odor eaters to get rid of the chemical smell in faux leather:

Take a plastic bag, according to the size of your faux leather item, and fill it with odor eaters, it all depends on the faux leather item you want to treat, if it is a large one, like a jacket, use at least four odor eaters, however if it is a small one, use just one odor eater, then lay your faux leather item and cover it with odor eaters.

Next, close the plastic bag tightly and leave it in a dark place for two weeks.

I know that two weeks are going to sound like a lot of time, but the reality is that it is necessary to totally let the odor eaters absorb the chemical smells completely.

The next technique to get rid of the chemical smells, and only use this one if they are not that strong, is to apply vinegar.

Vinegar is also amazing at getting rid of nasty smells, what I like about vinegar is that it is very affordable and also available in most homes.

However, don’t apply fancy vinegars, like balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar!

These are not only useless and a waste of time and resources, but they are also going to stain your faux leather products and items.

The best kind of vinegar to use to disinfect and get rid of the chemical smells in faux leather is white vinegar.

Mix one glass of white vinegar with two glasses of warm water, then take a dry cloth and wipe the inside and outside of your faux leather item, if the inside is not accessible, don’t do it, just wipe the outside thoroughly.

Usually it will take you more than two tries to get rid of the faux leather chemical smell completely.

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These are the best advices and techniques you can apply to getting rid of the chemical smells in faux leather items.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ricky Locklear says

    April 4, 2014 at 11:49 am

    This doesn’t apply to the smell but my son has a “letterman” jacket. The construction is wool on the body and plastic (faux leather) on the sleeves. The sleeves have become tacky with some sort of residue. The jacket has not been stored in the heat. Please help as a lot of memories and Mardi Gras parades have been endured by this jacket and band mom & dad!

    Reply
    • Jean-Marc Chateigner says

      April 8, 2014 at 5:47 pm

      Don’t worry, your son’s jacket can still be saved! Don’t use water to clean it, instead, use this amazing upholstery cleaner: http://fauxleatherguide.com/Upholstery-Cleaner

      Reply
  2. Diana Lantow says

    February 27, 2015 at 2:29 am

    Some plastics (faux leathers) start to disintegrate after a period of time. I had a famous maker high quality shoe that had rubber/something /composite heels. After 1 year the heel wedge became tacky, and crumbled off in chunks. The shoe company took them back as many people had complained. Good luck!

    Reply
    • Jean-Marc Chateigner says

      February 28, 2015 at 3:49 pm

      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  3. Marta DR says

    May 20, 2015 at 6:33 pm

    Can I use either of the options you provided on shoes? I got a pair of black heels that i absolutely love but the chemical smell is pretty strong. They were made in China and there is actually a sticker that says something towards the smell that the shoes should not be licked or mouth – can cause reproductive problems, i cant remember exactly. This is super crazy i thought – never seen anything like this before. but since i dont plan on eating them i figure as long as i can get rid of the smell it should be fine. What do you recommend i do?
    Thanks in advance for your help!!

    Reply
    • Jean-Marc Chateigner says

      May 23, 2015 at 4:27 pm

      why don’t you get rid of them instead, I hate Chinese faux leather!! Most of it is cheaply made and can be very dangerous for your health, anyway, yes, you can use these options, just don’t wear these shoes for too long, the nasty stuff can be absorbed by your skin and pass into your system.

      Reply
      • Marta DR says

        May 26, 2015 at 11:36 pm

        Yikes!!! I can? Well thats scary. Maybe ill send them back then. Thanks

        Reply
  4. David whitaker says

    May 15, 2017 at 1:08 am

    I ordered shoes from China
    I wrapped them in newspaper after swabbing them thoroughly with wipes
    It has been a year and they are so toxic that it is like breathing dangerous paint fumes

    Reply
    • Jean-Marc Chateigner says

      May 16, 2017 at 12:31 pm

      So sorry to read this, please, try some of the nethods in this post, they’ll help you a lot.

      Reply
  5. Shafik says

    July 4, 2017 at 10:29 pm

    Hi, I bought an XXXL beanbag – material Faux Leather, it has a very strong chemical gasses smell and as soon as we used it for the first time our skin become itchy. Not sure is there any advise? Do you thing such beanbags are risky for kids? Is it possible to get red of the chemical gases smell and the leather become safe for the kids to use? Many thanks

    Reply
    • Jean-Marc Chateigner says

      July 7, 2017 at 7:14 am

      Yes, I think it can be quite bad for your health, my advice is to leave it in an open air area, don’t use it, the smell is caused by mineral and petroleum oils and chemicals used in manufacturing, it’s definitely a mediocre quality faux leather fabric, but when the smell disappear, it will be ok to use it again.

      Reply
  6. Razanne Shqeirat says

    September 26, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    Hi!
    I got this embroidery wallet from turkey and it smells like chemicals all the way. The inside is faux leather. Is there a way I can remove the smell without ruining the design?

    Reply
    • Jean-Marc Chateigner says

      October 1, 2017 at 10:13 am

      So, put it in a plastic bag with two odor eaters for three weeks, in a dark place, it will do the trick.

      Reply
  7. Jamie Beamon says

    February 1, 2018 at 9:53 pm

    I just bought a pair of faux leather brown boots and they smell of rotten fish so bad! I tried using vinegar to get the smell out and baking soda but it’s just not working. Should I try one more time or try rubbing alcohol? I did it both inside and out and its horrible! Please help

    Reply
  8. John Elscey says

    June 4, 2018 at 11:44 am

    I bought a brand new faux leather coat and when I opened the bag it stank of fish. I tried hanging it out for weeks and I could still smell it, how do I get rid of the smell?

    Reply
  9. Joanne says

    July 25, 2018 at 3:01 am

    We know now, inhaling chemicals, cause autoimmune diseases and cancers.

    We have no government protection against all the things sold with gassing off chemicals, including new cars.

    Reply
  10. Terri McCauey says

    August 5, 2018 at 9:11 am

    I just made a wool and faux leather tote bag. Came out beautiful but now it smells. I tried the white vinegar and airing outside on clothes line. Smell is still there. Darn it! Any other ideas, thanks.

    Reply
  11. Kenneth Eslinger says

    August 12, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    do these techniques work with polyurethane as well?

    Reply

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Hello, my name is Jean-Marc and I am a passionate French faux leather craftsman. I began very early in this craft, first I was working with real leather, but after seeing all the harm that was done to animals for our sake, I changed to faux leather. I would like to help people with their faux leather issues, from cracking and peeling to discolorations, you name it; I'm your guy :-) Read More…

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