Getting tack immaculately clean.

kerilli

kerilli

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I clean my tack every day (hot water, leather cleaning spray, then Effax), but black greasy stuff still stays on it a bit. Yesterday i thought i'd give it all a really really good clean, with soda crystals in hot water, then leather cleaning spray, and dry with towels before effaxing. Loads of grease came off on the towels, and kept coming off. SO, how the hell do you get rid of all of this? I spent ages on it and it would still make a mark on the towel when i dried it. fairly liquid? i don't want to use anything that will weaken the leather or the stitching, i've got to go xc with it all.
Tips from those who are better at cleaning tack than me, please! Am I missing something really obvious? It looks clean, but still leaves a mark!
 
Do you mean the Effax Lederbalsam? Do you use that every day? It is an amazing product, but in my more enthusiastic tack cleaning days, I used it so much on a bridle that I ruined it - the leather became all porous (and stretched) and like you say, grease kept coming off it and it always felt a bit sticky...
 
This is my mothers tip - years of cleaning dirty greasy hunting tack. Warm water and a 'drop' of fairy washing up liquid. It acts as a surfactant and will lift all the sticky goo and 'jockeys' off. I used to do this twice with really grim tack and then allow to dry. Leather oil the absorbant sides of the leather and then saddle soap over once absorbed.

Honest - it works
smile.gif
 
I've personally found effax can be a pain when it's used too much as the leather seems to become saturated (not sure that's exactly what happens, but that's what it seems like!). I will use it max once a week when stripping my tack, but otherwise it's a case of use the Carr Day & Martin no. 1 cleaning spray, followed by their saddle soap.
 
PLease don't use Soda crystals - very hard on leather.

Warm water some washing up liquid and one of those little scrubby sponges. Use this on the back only to remove all the nasties. If you have 'jockeys' on the smooth side then make sure that you have plenty of Glycerine soap on the rough side of the sponge.

Wash well and allow leather to dry - not in the sun or in front of a fire. Once dry then oil lightly on the rough side only. Glycerine saddle soap the outside.

When cleaning daily use warm water and glycerine. I find face cloths make the best tack cleaning cloths - a little rough but you can squeeze the water out without the foam.

I only use Flexolan and Belvoir Glycerine saddle soap in a bar.
 
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