Skunk Cabbage and Other Stinky Things

We are now the proud owners of a leather couch and loveseat - compliments of craigslist! I'd been drooling over a Natuzzi couch at a local furniture store, but couldn't fork over the $1,700 just for the couch alone! I regularly check craigslist for a deal, but nothing seemed like a fit for us until these came along.

Ah, but there is a difference buying furniture used...there can be problems! : ) Ours came from a "non-smoking house", but apparently she smoked in the garage...which is where the couches sat awaiting a buyer for the last few weeks. I thought that since they were so briefly exposed that the odor would just go away...hahaha...ahem...NO! One of my friends told me recently that the smell reminded her of skunk cabbage...not so yummy...but oh so true! So after some research on Google, we decided to dump baking soda all over the sofas and leave it overnight. Below Exhibits A & B!



And surprisingly it did reduce the intensity of the odor. We vacuum off the powder and then wiped it down with some leather furniture wipes...getting better still. Now the sofas don't make the room smell, but if you bury your face in them you can still smell it...still hoping it lessens with time!

One of the cushions on the loveseat has a wear spot - where the leather is semi-sticky/waxy - whereas the rest of the couch is smooth and shiny. The previous owners say nothing was spilled on it, just from wear and tear. Anyone have any tips for dealing with a wear spot?


Alex wore a ball cap when he went golfing today - afterwards the girls insisted on both have a hat. Addie loved to pull it down over her face and then try to walk blind...silly girl~!