# How to clean and maintain a leather harness.



## ksoomekh (Dec 13, 2012)

When I purchased Pepper, my driving mini, several months ago, I also purchased his nice leather harness. How do you recommend I clean and maintain the harness? I don't have tons of time for its care and maintenance.

Thank you,

Karen


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## SMW (Dec 13, 2012)

Eventually I'll write down the entire proccess, but the basics to keeping and maintaining any kind of leather starts with this (from my own experience):

Polish with a good quality leather conditioner once in a while (horseman's own is my favorite)

Use black saddle soap inbetween conditionings (you do not want to condition very often, it can often make the leather greasy)

for brass/silver, nevrdull is wonderful. first use the nevrdull, then clean with YELLOW saddle soap. this removes the excess polish from the metal and leather around it (will look white when dry, you don't want that)

If the harness begins molding - Vinegar. seriously. It keeps the mold at bay longer, while doing no harm to the leather. You don't want to do this too often however. Just when you see mold begin to grow. If the problem persists, and if you live in a humid area - invest in a dehumidifier. It helps take away a lot of the mold and mildew before it has the chance to grow.

Green 'gunk' on brass - gently scrape off with screwdriver (flathead, smallest one you can find) and then polish with the neverdull and yellow saddle soap.

When exposed to sweat - every time the harness comes off you should rub it down with a rag while it's still warm. leaving the sweat and hair on it to dry can dry out the harness and make it harder to clean. Use neatsfoot oil (sparingly) if the leather begins to look dry and brittle, it works also as a conditioner. but like i said, only use sparingly, too much too often can disolve the stitching. DO NOT PUT ON PATENT LEATHER! it will peel it.

hope this is helpful!


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## ksoomekh (Dec 14, 2012)

SMW: Thank you very much for taking the time to give me this information. It is a snowy day here. If I had the products on hand, I'd clean away.

Karen


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## SMW (Dec 14, 2012)

Very happy to help


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## Littlegoesalongway (Dec 14, 2012)

You can also use regular saddle soap but you may find that it'll remove a bit of the black dye from the harness overtime...even then, you can actually get your harness re-dyed to sharpen it up again!

For brass: I like the Nevr'Dull (doesn't require rinsing) for quick polishes. I find Brasso works well if you need/have time for a deeper polishing (it needs to be rinsed off. Helps to have some pure white cotten cloths on hand for final polishing (it will really bring out a shine).


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## ksoomekh (Dec 14, 2012)

Thank you "litlegoesalongway" for the additional information.

Karen


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## Equine Events (Jan 25, 2013)

After use I wipe down with a damp rag. For deep cleanings. I use a powder detergent dissolved. I can't think of the name of it. Has a weird name and is cheap at Walmart. Wipe off all dirt and grime and then I spray with leather new and rub it in.

After it is dry I take a gloss black cream shoe polish and work into all the top side of the harness leather with a soft cloth.


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## izmepeggy (Jan 26, 2013)

I started a thread on Black Saddle soap on this forum..You might want to take a look..


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## Marsha Cassada (Jan 26, 2013)

The harness that came with my sulky I bought 12 years ago was pretty old at the time. It was my first harness. At least once a year I put it in the sink and scrub it with a stiff brush and Dawn. Dry it with a towel, then use a paint brush to put olive oil on it. Wipe off the excess. I've had many straps on it replaced, due to rambunctious horses, but the basic harness is still fine.

I do the same for my other leather harnessess. I use 0000 steel wool to go over the metal. Most of the gunk on the metal pieces scrubs off with the soapy water.

Boot sole dressing can be used to tidy up black leather.

I know people cringe at the thought of water and leather, but I believe it is the best way to get ground-in sweat and dirt out of the leather. Two seperate harness guys told me to use olive oil. Either apply it on a warm day, or warm it a little. It can be messy!

I don't know anybody personally who cleans his harness after every use. That is the ideal, but I've never seen it done. The only thing I do every time is clean the bit. I also clean the crupper regularly with a damp rag.

A humid climate would make a difference, I'm sure. And it would also depend on how often the harness is used. If it were used every day, a thorough cleaning would have to be done often. Some people store their harness in plastic tubs; I think a cleaning regimen would be different then.

Sometimes I get embarrassed out for drive and see my harness has sweat stains. Then I'm motivated when I get home to at least wipe it down!


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## ksoomekh (Jan 27, 2013)

Thank you all for the information and suggestions.

Karen


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