Best saddle soap...?

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R-J Wilson

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Hiya! Looking for a good quality saddle soap and conditioner! The one my livery yard is using on my tack now makes it horrible and sticky so I'm looking for something that soaks into the leather and doesn't give it a horrid feel and makes it look nice and clean and supple. I am very OCD so I like my tack to always be in show condition! Any advice for products that would give good results would be much appreciated! Thank you!
 
I use Effax leather cream soap and follow with Effax leather balm, I really like them, they leave everything nice and supple and definitely not sticky.
 
Renapur leather balsam, absolutely love the stuff! I use baby wipes to clean off any grime then apply the renapur. A little goes a long way.
 
The way we've "always" cleaned tack is really outdated to be honest - glycerine isn't a great cleanser or conditioner and the ph of soap is wrong for leather. Some people will get on fine with it, and older pre BSE leather (since BSE all leather is from younger animals) will stand up to it better, but the science is what it is.

I recommend my customers to go buy old fashioned white woven dish cloths from the supermarket and clean with warm water, a good cleanser if necessary (and I only recommend Leather Therapy and Effax Ledercombi) but make sure to rinse off, and then use a conditioner after as and when needed. I like Effax Lederbalsam, Stubben Hamanol, Oakwood Conditioner and again Leather Therapy Conditioner. Others may be good but as they do not list their ingredients I stick with what I KNOW to be good and have no harmful ingredients like petroleum distillates.

One step products should be avoided - you wouldn't use a one step cleanser and moisturiser for your face so why for leather? Moisturisers/conditioners are designed to sink in, you don't want them taking dirt with them.
 
I make and repair bridle work and only use Leather Therapy or Wilf Whites to clean and Leather Therapy conditioner or Lincoln Balsam to condition. I often have to strip sticky greasy glycerine and oily products off before I start working on repairs - I have to charge extra to do it; it can take be a week of stripping and drying each day to get back to a workable leather.

My tip for quick easy daily tack maintenance is wipe it over with a baby wipe.
 
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I use lot of hides and curry them myself with my own (all natural ingredients) leather conditioner, it makes the hides supple and workable. Hides today seem a little on the dry side and it pays to get the conditioner into it as there's a marked imrpovement in the hide's appearance and substance.
 
I once worked for an OCD person, I cleaned the tack [every use obviously] with a spray cleaner[sponge] then the lightest sheen of oil from Carr & Day Martin, to put it in to showroom condition.
 
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