|
|
Leather Care Advice for Saddles, Car Interiors, Etc.Jul 14 '05 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line preventive maintenance is the key to keeping leather "healthy"; glycerine bar soap and Lexol work well Having been involved in the "horse world" for over 20 years, I have had many "opportunities" to clean leather -- girths, bridles, saddles, breastplates, harnesses, martingales, boots, you name it. I have also owned cars and trucks with leather interiors. I have seen many people clean their tack (horse "wear"), and seen the multitude of products they have used to make the leather cleaning event as 'short and easy' as possible. It seems that the 'easier' the application (cleaner plus conditioner in one, etc.) the worse it is on the leather. In addition, a lot of "cleaners" will eventually darken the leather, and you know it won't do it evenly, so you'll end up with a spotted, darker shade of leather that just looks awful years down the road if you try the shortcuts. I talked to a PhD leather chemist to determine the best way to clean and care for leather (horse tack doesn't come cheap), and he basically said that since leather is/was animal hide, it's like our skin--if you put the product on your skin and leave it there for a couple of hours, what does it do for you? Does your skin become dry, red, soft, supple, what? Made sense. Anyway, to make a long story short, he suggested first taking a damp cloth and wiping any dirt/sweat/etc off of the leather (you should do this every time after you ride for horse tack) to keep from grinding it into the leather before cleaning it, and periodically to protect the leather anyway. After wiping the leather with a damp cloth (and not just the top surface, but every leather surface you can reach --on horse tack, this would include underneath the saddle flaps, both sides of the stirrup leathers, etc.), use a clean damp sponge or cloth to apply a leather cleaner (preferably Lexol or glycerine soap (available in a long amber bar) is what he recommended and I have never had either of them darken or discolor any of my leather). Both products will foam a little. I work the cleaner into an area and then use a clean damp sponge or cloth to wipe the cleaner off until the sponge comes off clean (you'd be surprised how long this takes, depending on how long you go between cleanings). After you've cleaned and "rinsed" your leather (don't ever let it get soaked or it will show later), now it is ready for conditioning if you so choose. Lexol leather conditioner or neatsfoot oil (light or dark, depending on the color of your leather) is best for this. A light coat will do. If the leather is very dry and gets immediately soaked up by the leather, you may need more than one light coat. I oil leather until it has a nice supple feel, not dry and not too moist, just slightly damp and supple. Then I wipe it with a clean cloth to get any areas that may have been over-oiled, and let the leather sit awhile untouched, so I don't get my clothes "oiled" and the conditioner gets a chance to work in. With leather care, it's mostly preventive maintenance. If leather gets wet (rain, spills, sweat, etc.), immediately wipe it off. In the case of horse tack, wipe off sweaty girths, etc. immediately after use. Don't store wet leather, or store leather in humid environments, or it will mildew. If leather is getting dry to the touch, sticky to the touch (from a buildup of dirt/grime/skin oils/lotion/etc), or you see mildew on it, you are way past cleaning time. I highly recommend using Lexol products and glycerine bar soap with sponges and/or clean towels (washcloths are great) for cleaning. Stay away from anything that promises to make leather care easy or "one-step". Good leather care takes a little work, but the leather will last for years. I'm still riding in the same saddle I bought used almost 20 years ago, and it's in great shape (and it gets used all of the time).  |
| Read all comments (1)|Write your own comment |
|
