Fuzz kill

A while back another blogger had posted about cleaning mildew or mold off their tack. Having never had to deal with this before, they had gone to horse forums for answers- because we all like to share what works in times like this. What seems to be the the "Go to" for getting rid of the fuzzy crap covering tack was vinegar. This just sounds all kinds of wrong to me because vinegar is an acid.

Being an acid, it can be used to cut thru calcium deposits from hard water and why it foams up like crazy when mixed with baking soda. Basic chemistry tells us that baking soda neutralizes acid. I can remember my dad pouring baking soda water on a car battery to clean the corrosion off the terminals.

In terms of cooking- vinegar is used in a lot of marinades because it breaks down proteins leaving meat tender. Since meat and leather both come from essentially the same place, it leaves me wondering if the vinegar would be breaking down the leather in some manner and helping things deteriorate a little quicker than they should? I guess maybe if someone was to soak their leather with vinegar or marinade it, it could ruin it, but what happens if I were to miss a spot when wiping it down?

I have also had to deal with fuzzy tack since moving to Houston. In aridzona it's a dry heat. Thus the arid.... lol, but it's hot and I spent time oiling my tack to keep it from drying out more than anything. In Houston it is far more humid and within a short time my bridles and some of my English saddles are fuzzy- used or not.

One of the girls at the first barn had said to use an antiseptic mouthwash like Listerine to kill the mildew. Use a spray bottle and spray it all over, wipe it down and you're good to go. This made sense so I've been getting the knock off brand of antiseptic mouthwash at the $1 store and using it. The minty fresh scent is much more appealing to me than vinegar too.

Then I had a Duh! moment and called one of the many Tandy Leather stores. Their advice was to use- a 50/50 solution of lemon juice and water. Spray this on to kill the fuzz and keep it from coming back, wait a couple of days and then oil the leather as usual again. If the leather is already pitted from the mold/mildew then the damage is done, but otherwise this should work.

The lemon juice mixture like the vinegar should certainly kill the mold/mildew as it contains citric acid. I guess being diluted it would minimize the risk of damaging the leather. So there it is folks. Diluted lemon juice, vinegar or antiseptic mouthwash. Whatever kills the fuzz, then oil the leather a few days later and you should be fine.

What is crazy though, at least to me anyways, I can oil all of my bridles the same day, hang them up side by side and a week or two later- one bridle still looks good, freshly oiled and ready to go... and the other one right next to it is already getting fuzzy.