Why Moroccan Leather Smells Bad

When I spotted a beautiful leather backpack in a London shop, I thought the strong smell was from all the leather products in the shop. Usually, I love the smell of leather, but this seemed too extreme. But I loved the bag and figured the smell would go away. It didn’t. And it stank.

Later back in my hotel room, the whole room started to smell like a horse stable. Still, I thought it was because the bag was new (I had paid 35 British pounds for it), and that the smell would dissipate. A week later when I had to pack and take it back to the U.S., it still stank.

I also found that the leather shoulder strap smelled to the point that it would make whatever I had been wearing smell, too. And I had to wash my hands after handling the leather.

This is what I found about Moroccan leather and what you should know before you buy such a leather product and bring it home:

What is Moroccan Leather Made Of?

Moroccan leather is generally made from camel hide. The leather is usually soft and smooth and light, which is one of its best features. The color ranges from light brown, a color actually called camel, to a deep chocolate brown.

Why Does Camel Leather Smell So Bad?

The smell is not from the leather itself but from the tanning process — the procedure that softens the rawhide into useable leather to make bags, jackets, wallets, ottomans, camera cases, belts, and all sorts of products. In Morocco, the leather is treated with camel urine, a substance that is readily available and, therefore, cheap to use. Some tourists who have bought camel-leather products claim that more expensive shops use a different tanning process, resulting in normal-smelling leather. Apparently, the cheaper the shop, the more likely the leather was made using camel urine.

Why Do Some Leather Bags Start Smelling When You Bring Them Home?

This is a very interesting development, as many bags don’t smell that bad until you leave Morocco and get home to your own country. The answer is humidity. Morocco, being a desert nation, is quite arid. The dry environment somewhat inhibits the smell. But when you bring your bag home to a place that’s humid, the moisture helps release the horrendous camel-urine stink. This then explains why the backpack that I bought in London smelled so bad. I bought it when London had been engulfed by three weeks of nonstop rain. But like most people, I thought the smell would subside.

How Do You Get Rid of the Bad Smell?

Here are the trial-and-error methods proposed by other unfortunate tourists who have gotten stuck with smelly Moroccan leather:

– Stuff the backpack, for example, up with crunched up newspaper, which is an absorbent. Don’t forget any pockets or zipped-up pouches. Then, place the backpack in a plastic garbage bag. Again, thoroughly surround the leather with crunched up newspaper inside the plastic bag. Then, tie off the plastic bag so that no air can enter or escape. Stash the bag away in a dry place for about two weeks. Try taking the backpack out. If you’re lucky, the paper will have absorbed the smell. And the backpack will have lost a lot of the bad odor.

– Do the same as above, but use baking soda, instead. Depending on the size of your product, you’ll probably need several large boxes of baking soda. Fill the inside of the bag with the baking soda, put it in a plastic garbage bag and douse the outside of the leather with the baking soda, tightly sealing the bag afterwards. Don’t forget to put baking soda on the shoulder straps if there are any. After leaving it to set for a couple of weeks, open the bag, vacuum out the baking powder, and hope that the smell is gone.

– Apply a lot of leather protector oil (not spray) on the inside and outside of the leather product. Stuff several scented laundry dryer sheets in the bag and in all the pockets. Leave for at least 48 hours, and most of the bad smell should be gone.

– Spray the leather with Scotchgard Carpet Protector and leave the leather outside in the sunshine.

Some people report that one or another method worked; others were not successful. At the very worst, you’ll remember that the next time you want to buy a Moroccan leather product, don’t buy cheap.