Ok...I should have read the article about how to keep your tack room dry BEFORE it rained...and the how-to on wrapping a bridle in a figure-8 brings back memories of a summer job with a dressage trainer.

Anyway, with all the rain we've had over the past few weeks, I now have a bridle and some other leather that's moldy. My question to everyone is, how do I clean it? Do I have to disinfect it to kill the mold? Or can I just wash it like I usually do? I think the mold is harmless...as in, it won't eat my bridle up...but I know it's not good either.

In my whole 10 1/2 years of horsedom, I've never had this problem before

Hum, when went for my lesson one of the BO's saddles I used was moldy also. She was busy so I just wiped it all off with a clorox wipe. I talked to her later about it and she said that good leather usually molds if it's damp or rainy for a long period of time.

Thank god I'm not the only one. I went to Nashville for 5 days and when I went to the barn this morning, all of my tack looked like there were huge gray snowflakes all over it. YUK !!! I wiped it down with a cleaner/conditioner real quick so I could ride, but I plan on bringing it home this weekend and scrubbing it all down (toothbrush in hand) with saddle soap and conditioning it really well.

I used Leather Therapy Wash and then the Restorer/Conditioner on my moldy bridle and saddle. It did a great job cleaning off the mold and dirt and so far I haven't had any mold come back http://www.leathertherapy.com/products.html

Depends on how moldy, but a damp rag will get the mold off for a quick fix, and then I'd recommend cleaning it with your normal leather cleaner/saddle soap. This past summer it's been really humid and rainy and I've had to take my tack home because my saddle had mold all along the underside a couple of times. It's a pain to haul back and forth, but it keeps it mold-free.

I take my tack home 2x a year (spring and fall) and wash everything with "murphy's oil soap" then oil with Lexol.

I am also a strong supporter of Murphy's oil soap.

Rinse thoroughly, let dry, then apply your favorite leather conditioner

Everyone's had great tips. I just wanted to add that if you have super bad mold, a tbs of white vinegar in 2 cups water, then wipe over mold. Then use mild saddle soap (I love Murphy's Veg. Oil soap as well) to clean immediately to neutralize the acid in the vinegar. I wouldn't do this as a regular tack cleaning step, but it kills the mold spores. And check an inconspicuous area first, you never know how your leather article will react color wise, so test. I've never had any discoloration, just thought I'd add that to be safe.

Another fan of Murphys. Put said moldy tack in a tub with water and murphys. Let it sit for a bit. Then take out the tack, dry it off, and use Leather Therapy Restorer and Conditioner. I did that when I aquired a moldy bridle I coudl have really used, so thats what I did. Its amazing. It really cleans ur leather, you cab see the dirt in the water after, and because there is the oil, it doesnt dry it out. PLus the Leather Therapy would restore any moisture lost. I now do it twice a year with all my tack and everything looks new all the time

When I pulled my tack out this past weekend, to ride Annapolis, it was covered in mildew too. I just wiped the worst of it off, but I do need to tackle it this coming weekend. I haven't had to deal with it before either (just lucky I guess, since it's real humid all the time down here) so I'll be browsing through the responses here to get ideas.

Ok, I am definitely going to try the white vinegar idea to kill the mold. I thought to disinfect it to use bleach, but I thought that might be too harsh. The vinegar sounds like it won't eat my leather. I already use baking soda and vinegar to clean off my bits and it's great.

Maybe with the holiday I can get around to it this weekend! Only thing is, everything needs to be washed (except the horse, did that last weekend!) so I will have to keep the moldy stuff for last.

And I'm definitely going to price the Murphy's Oil soap. Has anyone found if it's cheaper than saddle soap? I know the bottles are bigger, so is it a better value?

Thanks, everyone!

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Has anyone found if it's cheaper than saddle soap? I know the bottles are bigger, so is it a better value?

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I think it's a better value because I use it to clean everything that's listed on the back of the bottle and to clean many things that are not listed

It is probably the best general-all-purpose-and-smell-good household cleaner that's ever come down the pike. But that's just me talkin'

Well, I managed to get everything out this weekend and give it a good cleaning. I had more mold than I thought I did...it was on my saddle fenders too. But I took a little vinegar on a wet sponge and it came off with no problem. After that I washed it as usual. And the kitties that "supervised" approved of the job I did And they had to come over to show me the mouse they caught!

I didn't know I was supposed to dilute the vinegar for cleaning my mildewy saddle and used it full strength. I can still smell mildew but not nearly as much. I conditioned it really well with Lexol.

White vinegar works really well. Just wipe it on with a rag and then clean the bridle with saddle soap.