Hi all. The Chronicle is working on another horse care crowd source, this time about tack cleaners.
So, what are your favorites and why do you like them?
Responses can also be emailed to kimberly@chronofhorse.com
-Kimberly Loushin
I emailed, but I really like castille soap. It will really dry out the leather so it is important to follow up with an oil/conditioner… But it strips leather of accumulated grime, dirt, sweat, etc.
I also really love Higher Standards.
I get the Ginger scent. There’s nothing more I like than opening the door to my trailer and getting a fragrant waft of Buzz’s Ginger & Citrus…
Higher Standards. Made by COTHer “Ben’s Mom” 
Another vote for Higher Standards. I just love the stuff.
I still use glycerine soap for cleaning and follow up with Belvoir tack conditioner. The Belvoir has completely stopped and mildew and/or mold building up on my leather over this crazy humid summer.
Leather CPR followed up with Passier Lederbalsam. 
Higher Standards! It’s what I recommend for all of our customers!
I really like all the Effax products!
I use Oakwood cleaner and conditioner. It has tea tree oil in it and like that my tack no longer gets moldy in this humid Virginia climate.
Higher Standards! I was an Effax and castile soap devotee for years until I tried Higher Standards. It’s magic. Cleans the grubbiest, nastiest stuff without drying, and smells amazing.
Moss brand spray for really grubby stuff and the lavender scented soap in a dish for everything else. Smells amazing and my tack stays clean all week with just a quick wipe down even on hot sweaty days
Becky
Another higher standards fan here.
Higher Standards with the Effax products second.
LetItBe
I was an Effax fan for over a decade, but am now totally Team Higher Standards! I even include a 2 oz sample HSLC leather soap or balm with all my orders. It works incredibly well, smells divine (especially the Starla’s Sugar & Spice), and is handmade by COTHer/friend Libby. Best ever!
Barely damp clean sponge after every ride, occasionally Effax cream soap if a real sweaty day or a couple of squirts of Akene soap in the water. I use Akene conditioner a couple times a month as needed and it just makes the leather so supple and soft(omg and makes my hands super soft too!). Also like passier lederbalsam but greasier feeling than the Akene. I do not like leather therapy or leather new at all, tacky feeling and just not as good as other products.
Three questions:
What do you folks use for the underside of your saddle flaps that won’t cause the dye to stain your saddle pads?
What do you use that helps prevent mold and mildew?
Where do you get this “Higher Standards” stuff?
Grody Girl’s, made by another COTHer whose name here I can’t remember! Lovely lovely leather food.
For daily clean up, I wipe down with Effax Leather Combi. I just love that stuff - easy to use and does a nice job without leaving any nasty residue. When I need to condition, I’ll use the Effax Lederbalsam or sometimes the similar stuff from Passier.
