How to un-stink a leather holster/belt? - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How to un-stink a leather holster/belt?

Posted: 5/23/2015 5:51:50 PM EDT

I bought a leather belt from a guy, and apparently he's a smoker. I can't get the cigarette stink out of it, even after spraying it with FeBreez and hanging it in the sun/wind for a couple days. How do I de-stink this thing?

Posted: 5/23/2015 9:22:59 PM EDT

[#1]

You need a good old fashioned leather conditioner such as mink oil or saddle soap.

Posted: 5/23/2015 9:26:18 PM EDT

[#2]

That would be my recommendation too.

Posted: 5/23/2015 10:25:09 PM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:
You need a good old fashioned leather conditioner such as mink oil or saddle soap.

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Won't that make the holster soft and cause it to lose it's form?

Posted: 5/24/2015 9:07:29 AM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:

Won't that make the holster soft and cause it to lose it's form?

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Quoted:

Quoted:
You need a good old fashioned leather conditioner such as mink oil or saddle soap.

Won't that make the holster soft and cause it to lose it's form?

I have found Mink Oil to make my leather dirt bike boots soft.

Try soaking the belt in white Vinegar over night in a ziplock. Then wash with Dawn or some such product. The vinegar smell will go away in a couple days. ( Worked for my nasty gym shoes and leather gloves )

Then maybe treat the belt with Sno Seal's Bee's Wax.

Posted: 5/24/2015 12:44:24 PM EDT

[#5]

Absolutely do not ever put oil on a leather holster, or a belt, or anything else that isn't supposed to be soft and supple.

To de-stink it, I would soak it in warm (not hot) water, then put in front of a fan or a vent until it's dry. Leave it in the air for a couple weeks. Soak it again if you need to. If the holster loses its shape, stick the (unloaded) gun* in it for the last soak/dry cycle.

When it is mostly de-stinked, get some Fiebing's Resolene. It's a water-resistant acrylic finish. It should seal the leather, so it won't smell any more. Just mix it half and half with water, then soak the holster and let it air dry. Get a wire, bend it into a hook, and hang it from a ceiling vent, so it doesn't get marks from sitting on a surface.

*wrap the gun in a layer of grocery bag to keep it from rusting. Unless it's a Glock, then it'll be fine.

edit: I owned a leather holster business for around seven years.

Posted: 5/24/2015 2:17:45 PM EDT

[#6]

Lexol will clean and condition leather without softening is what I read. Galco holsters recommend it. I have no experience with it.

http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/defensive-carry-holsters-carry-options/71412-cleaning-leather-holsters.html

ETA Also try putting the item in a bag with an open box of baking soda for 24 hours.

Posted: 5/24/2015 3:53:14 PM EDT

[#7]

Thank you for tips. I'll get to work on it.

Posted: 5/24/2015 4:15:19 PM EDT

[#8]

Just take up smoking

Posted: 5/31/2015 9:14:55 AM EDT

[#9]

Gave it a 24 hour vinegar bath, scrubbed it down with water, and it's been hanging on a bathroom rack ever since. It still smells like cigarettes, with a little vinegar accent. I think I'm going to hang it outside for a few days, to see if that helps.

Posted: 5/31/2015 10:01:51 AM EDT

[#10]

Cigarette smoke is very hard, if not impossible to get rid of. It gets into everything. Look at vehicles previously owned by smokers. New owners of the vehicle will have it steam cleaned and clean the vents and it will still stink.

Posted: 5/31/2015 3:03:58 PM EDT

[#11]

Get a little spray can of Ozium from an auto parts store. Spray the leather in a bag and let it set for a day.

Posted: 5/31/2015 4:35:35 PM EDT

[#12]

Sealed bag with as much air out of it as possible and an open box of baking soda... Check it after a few days, be prepared to leave it in a couple of weeks...

Posted: 5/31/2015 11:26:16 PM EDT

[#13]

I'll look into the Ozium and baking soda, once it's been outside for a few days. Maybe sun and wind will help too.

Posted: 6/1/2015 9:10:51 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:

I'll look into the Ozium and baking soda, once it's been outside for a few days. Maybe sun and wind will help too.

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You would be surprised at how well the sun can pull odors from material. I remember (back in the day) having to "air out" my suede leather jacket after forgetting to leave it in the vehicle before hitting the bars.

Posted: 6/1/2015 5:31:25 PM EDT

[#15]

If you have a buddy that is a fire fighter. May want to see if they have an ozone machine he can throw it in there next time they do stuff.

Posted: 6/1/2015 7:03:56 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
Gave it a 24 hour vinegar bath, scrubbed it down with water, and it's been hanging on a bathroom rack ever since. It still smells like cigarettes, with a little vinegar accent. I think I'm going to hang it outside for a few days, to see if that helps.

View Quote

You can't get rid of smoke, its like a fucking democrat......just keeps lingering around.

Go buy a new one.

Posted: 6/1/2015 9:36:17 PM EDT

[#17]

Smoke leaves a layer of goo on everything it touches. Might help to wash the surface with some gentle dish soap, too.

Posted: 6/2/2015 12:40:32 PM EDT

[#18]

Still airing out for a while. We're supposed to have some hot/sunny days this week, so that should help.

Posted: 6/12/2015 11:59:00 AM EDT

[#19]

I brought the belt in last night, and it still stinks.

It's been through thunderstorms, hot/sunny days, and all day rains, and the best I can say is that the stink isn't as strong. Time to try some of the other ideas.

Posted: 6/12/2015 1:06:27 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
I brought the belt in last night, and it still stinks.

It's been through thunderstorms, hot/sunny days, and all day rains, and the best I can say is that the stink isn't as strong. Time to try some of the other ideas.

View Quote

Try what I suggested...

Posted: 6/13/2015 9:49:16 AM EDT

[#21]

I plan to get some baking soda today.

Posted: 6/13/2015 10:42:33 AM EDT

[#22]

I wonder how Febreze would do....

or Vamoose

Posted: 6/14/2015 8:55:42 AM EDT

[#23]

FeBreez was the first thing I did.

Posted: 6/14/2015 10:09:56 AM EDT

[#24]

Try sealing the leather. What little leather work I do I have picked up on some nifty little tricks from the leather workers forum. Best leather sealer I've found so far is....... Mop and glow. Mix 50-50 with water. It's the same stuff chemicaly as the water based sealer Tandy leather sells.
Basically put it in a spray bottle spray it down let is set and buff (once dry) with an old sock turned inside out.
Word of caution. Once sealed it'll be fairly impervious to further "treatments".

Beyond that I a Ozone treatment maybe. Call an auto detailer and see if they can throw it in a car they'll be treating.

Posted: 6/14/2015 8:21:45 PM EDT

[#25]

It's now in a bag, with a box of baking soda.

Posted: 6/14/2015 11:34:23 PM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
It's now in a bag, with a box of baking soda.

View Quote

Did you seal the bag?

Posted: 6/15/2015 10:28:02 AM EDT

[#27]

I put the box on its back, and cut out the front to expose more surface area of the baking soda. Then I loosely coiled the belt in there, and tied the bag shut.

Posted: 6/15/2015 10:46:08 AM EDT

[#28]

I would listen to this guy about how to bring it back to a nice holster. I would probably give the holster an acetone bath though. Acetone will suck any and all oil and saddle soap that is laden with nasty smoker shit and clean it out of the leather. It will have to be reconditioned with saddle soap after. I would probably do that by reapplying saddle soap and using a heat gun to drive it in.

Quote History

Quoted:
Absolutely do not ever put oil on a leather holster, or a belt, or anything else that isn't supposed to be soft and supple.

To de-stink it, I would soak it in warm (not hot) water, then put in front of a fan or a vent until it's dry. Leave it in the air for a couple weeks. Soak it again if you need to. If the holster loses its shape, stick the (unloaded) gun* in it for the last soak/dry cycle.

When it is mostly de-stinked, get some Fiebing's Resolene. It's a water-resistant acrylic finish. It should seal the leather, so it won't smell any more. Just mix it half and half with water, then soak the holster and let it air dry. Get a wire, bend it into a hook, and hang it from a ceiling vent, so it doesn't get marks from sitting on a surface.

*wrap the gun in a layer of grocery bag to keep it from rusting. Unless it's a Glock, then it'll be fine.

edit: I owned a leather holster business for around seven years.

View Quote

Posted: 6/16/2015 12:30:37 PM EDT

[#29]

I'm trying the easier ways first, but if those don't work I'll step it up.

Posted: 6/16/2015 3:03:23 PM EDT

[#30]

Well you could always hang it next to a camp fire for several nights. It will still smell like smoke but at least it won't smell like cigarette smoke.

I think masking it with a different kind of smoke might be the only way to really make it not smell like cigs.

Posted: 6/16/2015 5:42:09 PM EDT

[#31]

Could work, but I'm not sitting out there tending fires this time of year.

Maybe in November...

Posted: 6/17/2015 7:14:51 PM EDT

[#32]

Maybe try the grill

Posted: 6/17/2015 8:28:37 PM EDT

[#33]

I prefer to use a little patience in this, which is totally out of character for me.

Posted: 7/7/2015 1:58:54 PM EDT

[#34]

I just took it out of the baking soda bag, and it smelled OK. After airing out I'll see if it still stinks, and if it does, I'll try the Fiebing's Resolene or the Mop-n-Glo as suggested. If that fails, I'll probably shoot it and throw it away.

Posted: 7/8/2015 10:06:41 AM EDT

[#35]

try an acetone bath before you shoot it...

Posted: 7/10/2015 8:54:50 AM EDT

[#36]

Try Ballistol, it is claimed to do everything by the WW1 German army, including leather conditioning.

Posted: 7/10/2015 9:27:17 AM EDT

[#37]

Quote History

Quoted:
Try Ballistol, it is claimed to do everything by the WW1 German army, including leather conditioning.

View Quote

I think I'd rather have my belt smell like smoke than ballistol.

Posted: 7/26/2015 5:46:39 PM EDT

[#38]

After I aired it out again, the smell was almost gone. I gave it a good soak in slightly diluted Pine-Sol, wiped it down with a rag, and then hung it to dry again. It smells very *piney* now, which I can live with.

If it should wear off, and get funky, I still have the options you guys gave me in this thread.

Thanks, everyone.

Posted: 7/26/2015 6:01:00 PM EDT

[#39]

Quote History

Quoted:
After I aired it out again, the smell was almost gone. I gave it a good soak in slightly diluted Pine-Sol, wiped it down with a rag, and then hung it to dry again. It smells very *piney* now, which I can live with.

If it should wear off, and get funky, I still have the options you guys gave me in this thread.

Thanks, everyone.

View Quote

Should have just put it back in the bag for another couple of weeks...

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How to un-stink a leather holster/belt?

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