# Tack cleaning services, how much?



## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

Now, I am not looking to make a killing, or get lots and lots of money from this. I actually really enjoy cleaning leather, shining boots, tack, all of that and was thinking since this is a really horse and show heavy area maybe I could make a couple extra bucks. I find tack cleaning to be really relaxing, kind of meditative so beside a couple bucks I think it would benefit me otherwise too.

How much is a reasonable price? Cleaning, conditioning, brushing out sheepskin liners, I even know how to clean sheepskin pads and condition them, brushing out saddle pads, cleaning and shining and weatherizing boots. How much would you pay, if you didn't have the desire to always do big maintenance on your own tack?

If you handed me your boots, saddle and bridle and got them back clean conditioned, oiled as needed, polished as needed, would 40$ be too much? Not enough? 

I know one can make more doing grooming services at shows but I have no real desire to do that anymore. I like the braiding but I don't like that I'd give up time with my family and on my farm to do it.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Tack cleaning is not something I would have paid for when I or my daughter were showing heavily. Braiding, for sure. But I'm a firm believer in "what can go wrong, will go wrong" (heck, we got stuck in an elevator before a dressage test at a big show) and I would not let my tack and/or boots out of my sight or possession at a show. Plus, everyone has their own special way of tack cleaning and I would worry that someone wouldn't really know what they were doing. Also, would worry about little things like bit keepers getting lost and things not adjusted properly.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

That is a really good point about things being miss-adjusted. I've always done things for my tack or tack of horses/ponies I knew really well and could put everything back together as I got it. And; asking what products or methods they use when they hand something to me for cleaning would be a most excellent idea.

Also, as you state, Murphy rules when and where he can. It'd be a bad idea to market it as a right before the big show kind of service, wouldn't it? Maybe require that they are prepared to have a 48hr turn around? And since I'd not be doing this as my only and sole source of income I'd have to be responsible for saying no when I don't have plenty of time. 

I love braiding (as a side note). Until last year around Christmas I had hair below my tail-less end and I have been braiding my own hair since 1st grade, learning from a print out that came with a My Little Pony styling salon, Cotton Candy came with that if I'm not mistaken. And my horses over the years have been the subject of much braiding, learning how to do buttons and pinwheels and make everything perfect. It's very much like those Zen monks with the rock gardens for me. But, I doubt my husband wants me leaving all the kids with him even if the money is good, while I go braid other peoples' horses up for show-- if I was single, I'd be out there doing it today.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

CraterCove said:


> That is a really good point about things being miss-adjusted. I've always done things for my tack or tack of horses/ponies I knew really well and could put everything back together as I got it. And; asking what products or methods they use when they hand something to me for cleaning would be a most excellent idea.
> 
> Also, as you state, Murphy rules when and where he can. It'd be a bad idea to market it as a right before the big show kind of service, wouldn't it? Maybe require that they are prepared to have a 48hr turn around? And since I'd not be doing this as my only and sole source of income I'd have to be responsible for saying no when I don't have plenty of time.
> 
> I love braiding (as a side note). Until last year around Christmas I had hair below my tail-less end and I have been braiding my own hair since 1st grade, learning from a print out that came with a My Little Pony styling salon, Cotton Candy came with that if I'm not mistaken. And my horses over the years have been the subject of much braiding, learning how to do buttons and pinwheels and make everything perfect. It's very much like those Zen monks with the rock gardens for me. But, I doubt my husband wants me leaving all the kids with him even if the money is good, while I go braid other peoples' horses up for show-- if I was single, I'd be out there doing it today.



Problem is....people are riding their horses in their tack right up till show day and we usually are cleaning tack the night before. 
One thing I always did say I would pay someone to do is to shed out my horse. 
Things I have paid for in the past: body clipping, blanket wash and repair, and braiding.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

Actually, I would. Of course, I don't show and if I did I probably wouldn't have someone else do it unless I had an extra saddle to use while it was cleaned. Yes, I would pay $40 if I knew the person doing it would do it right.


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

I don't think I could comprehend paying someone to clean my tack, but to rehab tack perhaps so. I paid for someone to rehab a saddle I was fond of, he reconditioned it, repaired one small spot. But just to clean it? Not so much. 

I would be worried i'd have to re-do everything as far as adjusting and such. Even though you know you know how to put it all back, how does the customer know that?

It's possible though and you can always advertise for it and see what interest people in your area have for it.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Wolfy-hound said:


> I don't think I could comprehend paying someone to clean my tack, but to rehab tack perhaps so. I paid for someone to rehab a saddle I was fond of, he reconditioned it, repaired one small spot. But just to clean it? Not so much.
> 
> I would be worried i'd have to re-do everything as far as adjusting and such. Even though you know you know how to put it all back, how does the customer know that?
> 
> It's possible though and you can always advertise for it and see what interest people in your area have for it.



Yes, what Jill Costello (who used to post here) did as far as repairing,, refurbishing and refreshing old tack....most definitely. But I can't imagine paying $40 to pay someone to clean my tack. It needs to be done constantly....I'd go broke!


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

Thanks for all the input. I really do appreciate it. I think I'll put a CL ad up, and maybe a person or two will bite and maybe no one will. I am getting closer and closer to saying the heck with it and ditching the kids with my husband on a day I know there's a show and see about doing some braiding. I wonder if there are grooming cartels here... (only half joking)

I'm always looking for one or two more ways to bring in a little cash, heck if I only do it once successfully and get paid, 40$ is a weeks worth of groceries!

ETA: Cleaning tack should be a per use activity, I agree with regular more major maintenance done as required but I know, have known, lots of trail riders and more casual riders who just want things shiny when they show up and _never_ wipe down their tack after use. It might be very different out here where there is a strong show presence, from the CA coastline of casual cowboys and weekend ******** I grew up knowing.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

I have a side-saddle that I haven't used in ages. I have thought about selling it but the primary obstacle to doing that is the fact that the saddle needs to be cleaned in a bad bad way and I just don't have the time to do that. I have so many harnesses that always need attention that the saddles and bridles often go quite neglected. There have been times when I would have paid someone to clean and recondition tack. Not usually, but a few times. If there were 20 of me out there, that'd be enough of us to bring you grocery money pretty steadily. Now, cleaning show harness... THAT is something that I know I and others would pay for. We'd be persnickety about what products you used on it but I'd pay $100 to have someone clean a team's worth of show harness. Might be more than you'd want to bite off, though. :gaptooth:


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Decades ago I would do on-call tack repair, making the rounds of the show barns to fix tack. I made some money but the big money came in taking blankets in to be washed and repaired. No one wanted to do that yet with an old heavy duty washing machine, I could clean them with little work. I also replaced a buckle or surcingle or match a patch out of scrap for little material cost. I charged extra for water proofing.
I learned about the money I could get by washing blankets because, when given a blanket to repair, I needed it to be washed first lest it ruin my sewing machine. People loved the clean blankets. So in the end I mostly did horse blanket washing for almost as much as repairing them. 
People were actually willing to pay more for me to do the dirty work of washing than would pay to repair a good saddle.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

Hey, if you pay shipping, Jenny I'll do it for you! I'm in Florida so it might be a bit too far for you to send off good equipment. As for products used on items? I would expect to use whatever someone's been using (as long as it was actually safe to use on the leather).

I'll have to give thought to the blankets, I've done a lot of brushing to clean them up but until recently I never had a machine I could put them in. I have a big awesome front loader now--- maybe I ought to bring it down from the house in Georgia next time I go and start washing blankets.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

If it were convenient, I would pay for tack cleaning. E.g. if you rode at the same barn as I did, and/or if you were local or did pickup/delivery I might consider it. I think your reputation would have to be absolutely 100% and you might even consider bonding yourself before people would send let you take their decent tack away; so you'd want to think about a contract etc. if you were not going to work on it at the place they kept it (e.g. boarding barn).

I hate to clean tack, and I especially hate "detailing" saddles - getting the dust/sand/grit out of the nooks and crevices under the flaps, etc. So, it's not the "standard" cleaning that is difficult, but the detailing a few times a year that I put off.

You might offer "end of season" detailing for people who may be done showing and want a full, thorough cleaning of their tack if they have a break. If you also offered tack repair and restoration it would probably help - a lot of us have old leather goods that we might sell or use if they were repaired and brought into proper condition. 

If you combined this with blanket cleaning and repair, and saddle pad washing, etc. I think you could actually build a nice little business. If you had pickup/delivery it would be much better and people would pay for it.

I would probably pay $30-40 for a "detailing" of my saddle...if, for example, I could throw in 3 winter blankets at the same time, or get something repaired, I'd probably be more willing to pay for tack cleaning.

I have a heavy duty washer so I wash my own blankets, but many people can't so they don't wash them often enough, and put off the job at the end of the season when they have several.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

offthegrid said:


> If it were convenient, I would pay for tack cleaning. E.g. if you rode at the same barn as I did, and/or if you were local or did pickup/delivery I might consider it. I think your reputation would have to be absolutely 100% and you might even consider bonding yourself before people would send let you take their decent tack away; so you'd want to think about a contract etc. if you were not going to work on it at the place they kept it (e.g. boarding barn).
> 
> I hate to clean tack, and I especially hate "detailing" saddles - getting the dust/sand/grit out of the nooks and crevices under the flaps, etc. So, it's not the "standard" cleaning that is difficult, but the detailing a few times a year that I put off.
> 
> ...


Totally off topic. I'm curious Offthegrid. Are you actually off the grid?


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> Totally off topic. I'm curious Offthegrid. Are you actually off the grid?


No...only in my dreams.  

Of course I'd still want wifi so that's sort of an identity problem, isn't it?

However, I am trying to make improvements to our self-sufficiency every year. I'd LOVE to reduce our energy usage and potentially use solar to power our well pump. We wouldn't be "off the grid" but we could get pretty close.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

I have paid 100. for someone to recondition a western trail saddle for me which included fixing one small spot on the horn.

I wash my own stinky blankets of which I have one right now that smells to high Heaven and I have put off and procrastinated until..oopps I need to use it soon.

It needs repair though and I don't have a way to repair it..no blankie repair that I can find in Huntsville. I would pay someone to wash and repair this blanket..but darn it would cost a fortune to ship the thing!


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

CraterCove said:


> Hey, if you pay shipping, Jenny I'll do it for you! I'm in Florida so it might be a bit too far for you to send off good equipment.


Probably isn't much by way of tack out there that would be bulkier or heavier than a full draft horse show harness or a huge-draft-horse-sized sidesaddle with leaping horn. And you can't get much farther away from Seattle than Florida. So, all-in-all, probably the least efficient and most expensive way I can think of to get my tack clean within the continental US. :grin: So I think I'll have to pass.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

CraterCove said:


> Hey, if you pay shipping, Jenny I'll do it for you! I'm in Florida so it might be a bit too far for you to send off good equipment. As for products used on items? I would expect to use whatever someone's been using (as long as it was actually safe to use on the leather).
> 
> I'll have to give thought to the blankets, I've done a lot of brushing to clean them up but until recently I never had a machine I could put them in. I have a big awesome front loader now--- maybe I ought to bring it down from the house in Georgia next time I go and start washing blankets.


I used an old heavy duty machine from a closed laundromat. Those wet blankets get really heavy and the dirt that leaves them in the wash is incredible. Of course it was also in the day when most blankets where some form of canvas.
This was many years ago before people thought about where the used water went, but I just had the machine on the back porch and let the water out into the garden. But it came out black- yuck.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

I think it's a niche market but that there definitely is a market. I think I might walk down the road to the closest stable and see what I can do to get a foot in the door!

And yeah Jenny, I think you ought to pass


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

I think you could make a good business cleaning tack, blankets. However you need to set your piece prices by the TIME it takes you to do the work.

Get in some practice work by timing yourself cleaning a pair of dirty boots, halter, saddle, harness, so you know how long you will be working to get out a decent looking product for the customer. I am not much for cleaning tack these days, have cleaned WAY too much over the years. Like HERDS OF CATTLE amounts of leather goods after we got into Driving, about wore off my fingerprints!

Cleaning boots, saddle, is easy, quick, next to doing harness!! Harness cleaning will include cleaning both sides of all the straps, conditioning, then polishing the smooth side, AND polishing all the buckles to blinding brightness, along with any fancy trim spots, monograms that it might have. We NO LONGER own anything made of brass! That is time consuming, labor intensive, so you will be working for pennies, if you just blurt out a low flat rate, never having TRULY cleaned harness before. Of course I have EXTREMELY high standards for clean on our show harness, maybe others are not as intense as I am. But having been checked for cleanliness on leather strap inside by the horse hair, with WHITE GLOVES more than once, I get a little twitchy when the Judge gets close!! We always scored well in the Presentation, but it sure kept me up some nights preparing!

You will also have the investment in cleaners and conditioners, which each customer will prefer. Stuff like Leather Honey is kind of expensive, though it does a SUPER job. How much you need to apply, will depend on how bad the leather is, so more than one coat adds to the expense of the job. Neatsfoot oil USED to be common, but I would have a fit if it was applied to ANY leather I own. I hate the feel of greasy leather it leaves. You might find some products you like, say that is what you use, for all the leather goods. Less investment with only a couple kinds. Lexol is a good cleaner, in the orange container. Excellent condtioner, though I have found it may take a couple coats, before leather feels like I want. Satin smooth, soft without being limp. So I now use the Harness Honey for conditioning, because it saves me time in applying, but does take longer to dry into the leather. Will darken light leather.

The blanket washing and repair if you can sew, is a great service. Most dirt coming off may be black, but usually just plain dirt from rolling and a dirty horse. And you can wash it again, get clean wash water when spinning it dry. I would suggest the front loader, used commercial model if you can locate one, as the toughest kind for the volume of fabric and weight of wet blankets. I love my top loader for home laundry, but blankets are a different story. Front loader has no agitator so more room to swish clean. You may want to add extra water to a load, that water saver feature is not meant for DIRTY stuff. More water swishing about, gets fabrics cleaner. Maybe a local laundromat could tell you where they buy machines from, who services them when one breaks, to get you connected with commercial cleaning folks in finding a used one. AND you can always use it for home laundry too!! Ha Ha

While there are a lot of folks doing their own cleaning of tack, there are PLENTY more out there who could use a service to get their tack cleaned and conditioned because they don't or won't put in the time themselves. Your Trail Rider friends are a great place to start. Heck when I had 1-2 riding horses, it was nothing to clean 3-4 saddles, a dozen bridles, couple pairs of boots and misc. leather strap goods. I cleaned my Western tack weekly for the weekend shows, all on Friday night. Now I have SO MUCH leather goods, I probably could not get it cleaned and conditioned in a 40 hour work week. We have gone to synthetic harness for daily use, which is a miracle product for me!! Hose off the harnessed sweaty horse, so then both horse AND harness are clean when done with them.

Put in some time cleaning stuff, get faster with still clean items, conditoned and polished, so you have a good amount done in shorter times. It is rather soothing, does feel good rubbing clean leather, seeing the shine bloom for you. Looks WAY better than when you started. Then set your rates and put out your advertising. I would dedicate a room or porch for the cleaning business, only you allowed inside so no parts are lost or damaged by the kids and pets around the house. 

The local blanket cleaning lady returns all blankets in the giant Ziplock bags from Walmart, 5 gallon?, so they stay clean, neat, enclosed until needed by the customer. Customers love it.

Craigslist sounds like a good place to start. Keep us posted on how it goes. With winter coming on, folks might like clean tack to put away for winter of less riding time. Or polishing up the stored stuff because Florida does so much stuff during winter months that are bearable temps, while the rest of us are hibernating in the cold areas.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

offthegrid said:


> No...only in my dreams.
> 
> Of course I'd still want wifi so that's sort of an identity problem, isn't it?
> 
> However, I am trying to make improvements to our self-sufficiency every year. I'd LOVE to reduce our energy usage and potentially use solar to power our well pump. We wouldn't be "off the grid" but we could get pretty close.



not at all. We were totally off-grid for 8+ years and we had internet via a satellite dish. We're grid-tied now and have the best of both worlds.We're running a $1000.00 credit right now with the power company from netmetering (feeding our solar power back into the lines) that will offset our bill this winter during the cloudy months.


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## CraterCove (Jan 24, 2011)

That is fantastic Lisa... I hope I can do that some day.


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