Saddle Soap
Saphir Saddle Soap (Etalon Noir), 100 ml.
Used to clean dirt and old layers of shoe polish. This product contains Glycerine and is ideally used for cleaning rough and oily leather types prior to polishing. Saddle Soap is best applied using the supplied applicator sponge or a polish applicator brush.
Renomat or Saddle soap?
The main difference between these two is that Renomat is great to strip your shoes from old and/or synthetic shoe polish. This cleaner contains just enough solvents to remove shoe polish without affecting the dye in the leather. Renomat is also a great stain remover and can be used on very specific points on the shoes. Saddle soap is a more gentle option compared to the Renomat, and is as the name already reveals a soap so you need to use this product with water. Saddle soap is great for when you want to scrub and wash an entire shoe that collected a lot of dirt.
Does best: Cleaning and removing (old) shoe polish
Also great at: Stain removal
Most used for: Most smooth leather types, shoes
Combine with: Pommadier, Pate de Luxe and Mirror Gloss, Renovateur
What is this product good at?
View our 5-step shoe cleaning guide for a complete description of each step and the associated products.
⦿ A traditional saddle soap that cleans and removes shoe polish. ⦿ Saddle soap is a greasy leather soap that prevents the leather from completely drying out during cleaning. ⦿ Cleaning leather with soap and water often evens out the color of the leather more than solvent-based cleaners. ⦿ Saddle soap is ready to use and includes a handy sponge for easy application. ⦿ Although saddle soap is gentler on leather compared to, for example, Saphir Renomat, it is still quite aggressive on leather. Therefore, it's best not to use saddle soap weekly or monthly to clean your shoes. ⦿ Your shoes become wet when washing them with soap and water. Therefore, they need at least 24 hours to dry after cleaning before you can proceed with treatment. Use Saphir Renomat if you are in a hurry.
How to use
Saphir Saddle Soap is the first step in renovating your shoes. After cleaning, the shoes can be fed with Renovateur and then polished with shoe cream and shoe wax.
To optimally treat your shoes with Saphir saddle soap you need:
• Saphir Saddle Soap
• (optional) Application Brush
1. Dampen the supplied sponge or additionally purchased application brush by briefly dipping it in lukewarm water
2. Wipe lightly with the sponge or brush over the Saphir Saddle Soap. (We recommend starting with a little soap and applying it to an inconspicuous area of the shoe to test how the leather reacts)
3. Apply the Saddle Soap to the leather in circular motions until you have soaped the entire shoe
4. Clean the shoes with water and wipe the shoes dry with a clean cloth and let it dry further before you continue to grease and polish your shoes. Preferably overnight after cleaning. Let them dry naturally, for example do not place them near the heating
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