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 Shoot Yeah
Posts: 4273
  
Location: Where you need a paddle... Oregon! | Tell me again how I can use vinegar to keep my tack from molding. Do I dilute it?
Since I moved in June I no longer had a barn or a place to keep all my tack. We built a free-standing tack room so it could lock (keep the druggie neighbors from stealing my stuff), and my stuff is molding. One saddle seems to be worse. I brought it all in at Christmas break for a deep cleaning and oiling, but it's still molding. I'm in Oregon and we have so much moisture in the air that those moisture collector things can't keep up. |
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| I have no idea what your tack shed looks like .. if it has a dirt floor buy some of the black 6ml water barrier plastic sheets at Lowes (concrete foundation water barrier) and cover the floor. No ventilation in a tack room is a mold trap.
If shed is strong enough to hang your saddles vs saddle racks ... put a loop in the end of a rope .. run thru gullet and loop around horn and hang in the air.
Put a box fan in the shed to circulate the air. Shed needs a vent or a crack in the door to allow outside air in so humidity does not build up in a tight enclosed shed ... I lived in the Houston Tx area and there is not much you can do on reducing humidity without air conditioning or a dehumidifier .... air circulation is your best friend.
On killing the mold ... I use a 50-50 .. water and Listerine mouth wash in a spray bottle ... the aseptic action will kill the mold. Spray and wipe all areas you can reach and let it work for several hours. Then come back with plain water ... let it dry outside in the sun.. sun is another one of the best sanitizers to kill mold etc ... let sun shine on every part you can even with saddle upside down etc .... .. and then use a heavy dose of lexol everywhere ... do this to reins, breast collars any thing leather you are going to store together ...
Full strength Listerine will also kill mold in showers etc etc ...
Good Luck ..
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Shoot Yeah
Posts: 4273
Location: Where you need a paddle... Oregon! | BARRELHORSE USA - 2016-02-13 1:01 PM
I have no idea what your tack shed looks like .. if it has a dirt floor buy some of the black 6ml water barrier plastic sheets at Lowes (concrete foundation water barrier) and cover the floor. No ventilation in a tack room is a mold trap.
If shed is strong enough to hang your saddles vs saddle racks ... put a loop in the end of a rope .. run thru gullet and loop around horn and hang in the air.
Put a box fan in the shed to circulate the air. Shed needs a vent or a crack in the door to allow outside air in so humidity does not build up in a tight enclosed shed ... I lived in the Houston Tx area and there is not much you can do on reducing humidity without air conditioning or a dehumidifier .... air circulation is your best friend.
On killing the mold ... I use a 50-50 .. water and Listerine mouth wash in a spray bottle ... the aseptic action will kill the mold. Spray and wipe all areas you can reach and let it work for several hours. Then come back with plain water ... let it dry outside in the sun.. sun is another one of the best sanitizers to kill mold etc ... let sun shine on every part you can even with saddle upside down etc .... .. and then use a heavy dose of lexol everywhere ... do this to reins, breast collars any thing leather you are going to store together ...
Full strength Listerine will also kill mold in showers etc etc ...
Good Luck ..
The tack room has a wood floor, wood walls, and it has saddle racks, bridle hooks, etc. There's not electricity to it otherwise I could use one of those plug in moisture things that I had in the tack room at my last house. I open the door as often as I can to create some airflow, though.
I find that the tack that my dad owned seems to breed the mold. Over the years he would bring it to me to "store" for him and it was always in terrible shape and sometimes moldy. I'd clean it all and then he'd take it back when he needed it again. I wonder if the mold spores are just imbedded in the leather so it seems to grow faster on his stuff. I have all his tack now so I'm dealing with it.
Not sure when we are going to get another sunny day. It's just foggy, cold, and rainy here this time of year. Will give it another good cleaning this summer, though.
In the meantime I'll bring it in the house again and go over it. Thanks for the tips. |
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Unable to Live Without Chocolate or Coffee
Posts: 1841
| I used 50/50 vinegar and water. let dry in the sun all day (rotate the saddle a few times so the sun hits the different areas. Then I used Bee Natural. You should call them and tell them whats going on and then you can get the right directions. Its made in the NW where there are alot of mold problems and It worked on my tack and no mold has come back on the treated tack.
Some people said not to use vinegar but i did and it was ok. try a test spot first if its anything nice! |
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Regular
Posts: 51
Location: CA | Using vinegar to remove mold and mildew from leather may have fungicidal properties, but it can damage the leather's fiber matrix.
Instead, you should clean the leather using a water-based, pH neutral product to float away any remaining dirt that could support mold and mildew growth. Then let the tack dry in the sun to let the water evaporate, and to take advantage of the disinfectant properties of the sun's ultraviolet light. After that, use a penetrating, pH-neutral product that will lubricate the leather without introducing moisture (It has to be non glycerin).
You should check out obenoufs, it works incredibly well with this kind of stuff:
http://www.obenaufs.com/Heavy-Duty-LP-4-oz-p/heavy-duty-lp.htm
Edited by CHLOE21 2016-02-13 1:49 PM
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Vodka works too, would guess its the alcohol in the Listerine that makes it work. We had one saddle in particular that was mold prone and tried everything (never listerine though), vodka water finally did it. And if it doesn't work, you can drown your sorrows. Versatile.
Can you buy a Damp Rid bucket or 2 for the shed? http://www.menards.com/main/housewares/cleaning-supplies/project-sp...
Not as great a solution as some but without electricity it might at least help. |
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Miss Southern Sunshine
Posts: 7427
Location: South Central Florida | I don't know if this will work, but you can buy moisture things at ACE or Home Depot. It's a plastic bag with something in it, you hang it in the room and it will be full of water eventually. It pulls the moisture out of the air. Doesn't need electricity. It might help. |
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