Cleaning Leather Collars

I was going through the plethora of collars that belong to my dogs this weekend and came across three old leather ones that were in desperate need of cleaning. I've never actually cleaned any of my leather ones.....so when in doubt, google that shit. Apparently, it's pretty easy, I can do easy!

 

For cleaning these collars, I just used saddle soap
and a damp cloth

Collars tend to be odorous, but luckily mine didn't smell bad - they just looked bad! I think nylon collars hold odors more than leather ones. At least in my experience that has been the case.

I scrubbed these collars with the damp cloth to remove the dirt and grime sitting on the surface. Then I took a clean, slightly dampened cloth and dipped it into the saddle soap. I rubbed that into the leather and allowed it to dry on the collar. And finally, I 'buffed' the collars with a clean soft collar.

Once you have the collar cleaned to your standards, it's a good idea to condition the leather. Using another soft, clean cloth apply a small amount of leather conditioner. Then buff the collar to a shine. Disclaimer: I did not do this step :). Mostly because I didn't have leather conditioner and didn't have time to run to the store. I have put it on the 'to-get' list though and will do this in the future.

These are the original Dober-duds that IDR+ used to send out with foster dogs. One was Bourbon's, one was Baron's, and I'm not actually sure why I have a third one, my bad! The top two collars have been cleaned - compare that to the gross one on the bottom! 

My collars were pretty bad so they probably won't ever be perfect again but they are tons better after cleaning.

Do your dogs wear leather collars? Have you cleaned them this way?