Saddle Your Leather

There are two types of furniture fabrics that I will allow in my home.  One is the plush microfiber that simulates leather and the other is real leather. 

If you’ve ever tried to remove a stain from any other kind of fabric…I mean a real, ground in, yucky, who-let-the-kids-play-on-the-furniture kind of stain…then you know what a headache it can be!

I have a carpet cleaner, spot cleaner, special formula cleaner, brush, cloth, scraper and Heloise’s household hints collection, and I still don’t want to deal with stains.  So, I don’t..well, except for the carpeting that I still can’t get hubby to yank out and replace with hardwood floors…whimpy, whimpy, whimpy!  (I love you, honey *kiss, kiss*!)

So what’s so great about leather?  It’s so easy to clean; it’s a dream. 

Now, some sites will tell you to use regular soap and water to clean your leather furniture.  WRONG!  Using regular soap and water will work, but over time it will dry out the leather and produce cracking…damaging your higher-priced furniture and undermining the savings you would’ve got from purchasing it in the first place.

The answer, my friends, is Saddle Soap.  Yep, Saddle Soap.  Nope, you don’t have to go down to your local Tack and Feed store (for those of you who don’t know what that is, think supplies for horses etc.)  Your local Wal-Mart will do.  It carries Saddle Soap in the footwear section along with shoe polish and laces.  Actually, laces are harder to find than the Saddle Soap. 

Take the Saddle Soap home.  Get a clean, damp cloth.  Rub it into the soap, and rub the soap on your furniture.  Presto…a beautiful, clean piece of furniture once again. 

For all you people blessed with an insane amount of time on your hands or an insane amount of leather, here’s a link to a homemade Saddle Soap recipe. 

Homemade Saddle Soap

Fair warning:  I have not tried this recipe.  After all, it took me 20 years before I’d actually try Saddle Soap at all, and, yes, mom, you were right…it really does work.  Thank you for nagging me until I tried it.  Umm, mom?  Mom??  Hello, Mom???  Did I say, nag???  I meant….