'' Washing & Care for EA Mattes - Hufglocken

Washing & Care for EA Mattes

Washing & Care for EA Mattes

EA Mattes products are fantastic and will last for years if cared for correctly. The items are designed to be washed regularly and placed in the dryer.

It is best to wash items in MELP as the contain a number of natural materials that regular washing liquids can damage. Use MELP for all sheepskin items - please do not be tempted to use wool wash or similar as this dries out the leather of the sheepskin and really is false economy.

Thorough drying, preferably in a tumble dryer, ensures that the fleece is fluffy and the leather remains soft. Please don't leave items in the sun to dry, this effectively steams and bakes the leather in the sun.

Whilst this sounds like a lot of effort once you start thinking about the leather of the sheepskin being just that - leather, the care becomes very easy. 😊

For saddle pads -

  • Do up any velcro straps, remove shims and saddle fix if you have these.
  • Wash the saddle pad by itself.
  • Is your washing machine large enough? A 10kg machine size is best for a Large size full fleece pad. There needs to be enough room in the drum for the item to rotate freely without being stuck or chafing.
  • Have extra water ready, as the items contain natural materials and absorb a lot of water it's necessary to add about 2L shortly into the wash cycle. For side loading machines this can be added via the liquid slot.
  • Last please do not wash in a machine with an agitator. This style of machine isn't so popular these days which sometimes leads them to being a popular washing machine for stables. The agitator catches on items really easily and will destroy any lambskin items in a rather textbook manner.

Washing -

  • Wash your lambskin products in the washing machine; machine washing is more effective than washing by hand.
  • Do not overload your machine.
  • A 30 °C wash cycle is idea.
  • Normal spin cycle.
  • Always use the special MELP detergent from Mattes. Please avoid using any other wool detergent, fabric softener or bleach.

Drying -

  • Remove the product from the washing machine immediately at the end of the cycle.
  • Lambskin items are best dried on a cold or cool (max 30 °C) setting in the tumble dryer, or alternatively outdoors in the shade. Never expose to direct heat or bright sunlight.
  • Gently reshape the product as it dries.

For girths/covers

Seperate the girth from the cover. Does the base girth need washing? You may find it only needs washing every couple of weeks, SLIM LINE leather base girths can be wiped over with your favourite leather cleaner and leather conditioning products.

For the cover do all all Velcro, washing with MELP and it's best to wash the cover by itself - please don't be tempted to place in halters/boots etc. as these may catch and damage the cover in the washing process.

Remember the skin of the sheepskin is leather so it's best to wash covers regugarly, if the cover becomes stiff you can use a product like effax on the back of the skin to keep it soft and pliable.

For Professional Dressage boots

The linings should be washed more frequently than the outer shells, place them into a washing bag and follow the above instructions for washing/drying.

The outer shells will usually only need a wipe with a damp cloth, the leather parts can be treated with your favourite leather care products.

For Fly Bonnets

Our fly bonnets are hand-made using top quality cotton yarn, so these products are worth looking after carefully: Wash the fly veil by hand in tepid water and gently squeeze out excess water; do not wring. Then gently reshape the fly veil and lay flat to dry.


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