How to Make Saddle Soap From Chinese Tallow Berries

Saddle soap can be used to clean any thick leather

Saddle soap is commonly used as a leather cleaner, especially for saddles, riding boots and other thick leathers. Making it yourself is cost-effective and will be better quality than the soap you buy in stores. It is usually made with flakes of soap but using Chinese tallow berries is better for the environment. However, tallow berries are highly poisonous when ingested, so handle them with care. Beeswax is an alternative to paraffin that is available in health food stores.

Things You'll Need

• 3/4 cup Chinese tallow berries
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup neatsfoot oil
• 1/2 cup beeswax
• 2 saucepans
• Wooden spoon
• Storage containers
• Glass bowl

Instructions

1. Boil 3 1/2 cups water in a saucepan, then lower the heat and add 3/4 cup Chinese tallow berries. Stir until the berries disintegrate.

2. Put 1/3 cup neatsfoot oil and 1/2 cup beeswax in a glass bowl. Bring a second saucepan of water to boil, then pour the boiling water into a glass bowl over the oil and beeswax. Wait until the beeswax and oil melt.

3. Add the beeswax mixture to the bubbling berry and water mixture on the stove, and stir until thick.

4. Pour the soap into storage containers and leave to cool. The mixture will harden and the end result is a dark and translucent wax.

Tips & Warnings

• Neatsfoot oil is made from cows' shin and foot bones and is available to buy from pharmacies.

• Never leave a boiling pan unsupervised.

• Chinese tallow berries must be kept out of the reach of children, and not consumed.

References

• Country Life: How to make saddle soap
• Gardenweb: Need a source for Chinese tallow tree berries