Old School Saddle Soap Cleaner

Saddle Soap is one of the most well know cleaning and preserving leather products on the market. There are many companies that manufacture it these days. Most recently, I bought a can of Saddle Soap made by PEAK Shoe Products. I picked this can up to clean my daughter's boots that she had left laying on her closet floor. As luck would have it, there was a water leak when the water heaters pressure valve sprayed water all over, which soaked under her closet wall and soaked her carpet. Which in turn got her boots all wet since they were laying on their sides on the carpet, instead of on the shelf where they belong. If you have ever had wet leather shoes that stayed wet or damp for an extended period of time, then you already know how fast the mildew can grow on the leather.

To start cleaning the mildew off of the leather boots you get a clean cloth or old t-shirt, which is what I use. Old t-shirts just save you money since most of the time it is a t-shirt you do not wear any more. Use a damp wash cloth to wipe the boots off to clean off excess dirt and mildew. You can use a small horse hair dauber or a damp cloth/t-shirt to apply the Saddle Soap to the leather. While applying the Saddle Soap using small circular motions, work it into a slight lather as you work it over the entire boot. Wipe off the excess lather and allow to dry. Once it has dried for a while, buff the Saddle Soap on the leather with the old t-shirt until you obtain an even shine. The Saddle Soap will not only clean your leather, it will also soften and preserve it. Saddle Soap is a neutral color cleaner, so it is completely safe for all colors of smooth leather. DO NOT USE ON SUEDE because suede is a fuzzy leather and it will be matted down. There are special cleaners especially made for suede leather and I will cover those products on another post.

If you ever have questions for me about any type of leather cleaning or repair of any kind, feel free to write me and ask. I will answer them the best I can and as straight forward and honest as I can. For those of you that live in Utah or in Texas, I can give you the addresses to my brothers shops in West Jordan, Utah and in Waxahachie, Texas if you would like to take your leather articles to a leather craftsman.