My saddle has mold on it, something better than "leather cleaner" to kill spores?

Question

I feel so bad for letting it get moldy and I want to clean it really well to get rid of as much of the mold as possible. Is leather cleaner enough to do the job?

Answer 1

Take the saddle outside, or out of the tack room to clean it. Brushing off the mold in the tack room will spread the spores everywhere.
Clean with brush, rag, soap & water, or saddle soap. Then either dispose of the rag or seal it up, or take it away from the tack room.
Dry the leather, then let it sit in the sun for a while. The sunlight will help kill the mold spores.
Then treat the saddle with Leather Therapy Cleaner & Conditioner.
Each time the saddle is used make sure it is dry before putting it away. A little time in the sun will help.

Answer 2

You can use just about anything to clean leather without harming it, as long as you condition it really well. I am in Pony Club and alway get comments by judges on how amazing my tack is. What I do to really dirty or moldy leather:
First, clean all the dirt and mold off. Castle or Ivory soap work wonders, don't be afraid to get the leather really wet. I sometimes have to run it under warm water in the sink. Scrub dirty spots with a tooth brush to really lift off the dirt. Warm water helps open the pores and the soap lather lifts the dirt away.
Second, condition,condition, condition. I use a pint size of Neatsfoot oil (at least) on new saddles or ones which are stiff. Pour the oil into a dish and use a 2" paint brush or something similar to apply it to the saddle. Really coat the lather, and roll the pieces back and forth to help it absorb. You can go all out except on the billets and stirrup leathers, they will stretch too much if you really oil them. Let the saddle set a couple minutes. I f it absorbs all the oil, oil some more. You want it to be able to sit about 5 minutes without absorbing oil. Then use a rag and wipe the excess oil off.
Third and final step. Polish all over with a glycerin based product. This helps seal the pores and waterproofsthe saddle to some extent. It's what gives really clean saddles their gleam.
After conditioning tack like this, to maintain it use Leather Therapy wash. It is formulated to prevent mold growth, and comes in a convient spray bottle. It really cuts through dirt and greasy biuld up without stiffening the tack. I usually clean my tack really well with the three steps two or three times a year and then maintain it with the spray the rest of the time, and hardly have problem with mold. I store my tack in my trailer, so it really proves that it prevents returning mold. Also, use a clothe saddle cover or bag, the nylon and plastic covers hold moisture next to the saddle and encourage mold and bacteria growth.

Answer 3

You n eed to use a specialist mold killer for leather. Em-clean is one. This is an enzyme cleaner which will kill the spores which is what you need to do. Just cleaning leather will not do this and it will just keep coming back.

Mold will damage leather if it left to grow there. Once you have got rid of the mold you can use saddle soap as it is a saddle. Saddle soap should not be used on leather furniture but it is great for the job it is supposed to do.

Answer 4

A mild acidic solution will kill the mold spores, and help keep it from coming back. I use 1/4 vinegar 3/4 water, and wipe the saddle down thoroughly and wipe it dry. Then follow that with a good cleaning...I use Murphys oil soap, and have for 30 years. It really keeps leather nice and supple. Put it on a damp sponge and rub up a light lather, then rinse out the sponge and wipe off the lather. Smells good too!

Answer 5

Believe it or not, mold is harmless to leather. It will wipe right off with a dry or damp cloth. Any type of leather cleaner will do just fine.

The more moist you keep your saddle, the more mold will grow. Cleaning your saddle often to keep the leather supple will actually ENCOURAGE mold. But again, it's harmless to the leather.

You should clean it outside, though. I don't think this type of mold is harmful to humans but it's better to be safe.

Answer 6

You can scrub it down all over with rubbing alcohol and a sponge or rag and toothbrush. Then, go over the whole thing again with saddle soap. Rinse well, THEN, use a pure neetsfoot oil to recondition the leather. (Yea, I was thinking the same thing, "What are you, NUTS???" when this was suggested to me, by a saddle repair lady at a local tack shop, I had bought a Never-been-used pony harness for $50, because it had been stored in an old barn, was covered in mold. Worked great, now it looks brand new.)

Answer 7

I'm not totally sure if its the best to use but I did. I bought an old saddle that had sat for a while and I used some saddle soap on it and also some saddle cleaner (spray) and it came right off! I didn't have any problems after either. But I got taken, Someone had broken the tree and half *** fixed it up under the leather where you couldn't see and it broke and fell off my horse right after a trail ride. I was lucky it didn't while I was on the ride! I would have died! Good luck and I hope you can get it as good as new. :D

Answer 8

the best thing for your saddle is to keep cleaning it mold is only damp unless it is black the saddle soap will work in the end and oil it that will stop the damp getting in to the leather

Answer 9

Yep, for all the finished leather use a leather soap (not on any roughout) and then you may want to finish with a conditioner.

Answer 10

http://www.infohorse.com/html/moldytack.asp

I've also heard that washing the leather thoroughly with a solution of Lysol helps.