I've been absent from the blog for a while but certainly not from the barn and Geek Acres itself. Been busy. I work 4 days a week, 10 hours a day or more so am tired at the end of the day and don't blog. When I am off I'm always running errands or doing projects around the farm it seems. I hope things slow down soon now that the holidays have passed.
Near the end of the summer when there were some pretty humid weeks I noticed some mold on my lovely saddles!!! OMG! I read up really quickly on what to do. First things first is get the tack out of the tack room to clean so you don't spread the spores. I sprayed them with a vinegar/water mix and let them dry in the sun. Then I ordered Leather Therapy wash and Restorer. This product is one of the few that lacks glycerin that mold will feed on and has a fungal preventative.
I sprayed the crap out of the saddles, mainly the western saddle stirrup leathers where most of the mold was but I got the entire leather of each saddle. The Aussie saddle only had a bit of mold on the flaps and I suspect it was mainly on the dust not so much the leather.
Then I took apart the saddles and rubbed in the therapy conditioner. This stuff is good! I sure hope it prevents issues in the future but I also plan on sealing up the tack room better and then using those desiccant products to absorb moisture. It's so humid and hot out here that the tiny window in the tack room doesn't do much for ventilation so I need to work on getting the tack room dry without buying a dehumidifier....though I could do that too. I have to make sure to seal up the room or I will be trying to dehumidify the entire outdoors and I doubt that will work. A barn that I would have built would have a larger tack room with much more ventilation and light as that is the key to prevent mold growth....oh and cleaning tack more regularly in this environment apparently!
I wish I'd thought to take pictures of the moldy tack but honestly was so horrified and panicked that I was rushing to remedy the problem instead. Never had to deal with that in dry Colorado!!
Thanks all for still read this blog! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that having a mini farm/stable means I have less time to blog but you know. Shout out to Mrs Shoes!!
Please review the video below and share if you can, this child Kaydance was abducted, please read story here and we would like to share in case there is someone it reaches that can help or knows any information. You never know.
2 comments:
Christie, Thank you SO MUCH for sharing Kaydance's video! Every share helps - as you said, any share could be the one to make a difference in Kaydance's case.
On the mold: We seem to live in similar climes with regard to excess humidity. I believe your problem is proximity to the ocean(?) where our area is influenced by what is referred to as 'the lake effect' (being about 10 miles from one of 'The Great Lakes'), & it influences every aspect of our weather, making this an 'extreme weather' region. #WishIdKnownThat
We built our pole barn 8 years ago & Mr Shoes made a lovely 12x12 tack room which has a plain door to the barn and an insulated metal door with a really large window that floods the room with light. I have had to battle mold in there, & I put it down to climate rather than an unsealed room. I may be wrong about how major a factor the climate is, but the end result is the same.
One thing that I found at a local farm supply (on clearance, darn it, or I'd have bought a few) is a 6" diameter round base with a short stem supporting a cage in which is poured dessicant beads; the moisture collected by the beads then drips down into the base so you can see how much moisture is being removed from the air. This little contraption has made all the difference in not only my tackroom, but also in our attached garage. I found a mini version of it in a dollar store & bought it for our main bathroom (which is in the inner part of the house, surrounded by other rooms so no windows) & it made a TREMENDOUS difference. I no longer have to insist that sanyone taking a boiling hot shower leave the door open to avoid condensation running down the walls as the room cools!
I wish I'd kept the box so that I could tell you the brand, & so I could order more beads!
Do let us know what you find &, if you are happy with it, perhaps where you got it.
Thank you again for the video share! :-)
I have seen some desiccant things like buckets etc and will try them out as the spring and summer approaches. I'm hoping the tack restorers does help prevent the mold too!
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