The first step in a good cleaning or restoration is to get some old nasty dirt off the saddle. Most saddles especially old ones have sat in a barn or tack room for a long time. Everything from dirt and old oil to critters are on these saddles. I have found that a saw horse, water hose, soft brush and a bottle of Ivory dishwashing soap will do wonders with cleaning dirty leather.
NOTE: The Ivory soap is only required if the saddle is over oiled, heavily soiled or is full of mud.
WARNING: Some people have used power washers, I would be very careful and use this as a last resort.
After the saddle is clean I then finish off my cleaning with moisturizing the leather. I use Fiebings Saddle Soap slightly diluted with water and applied with either a toothbrush for those hard to reach places, or my favorite tool is a Microderm battery powered facial brush. The brush is soft and does an outstanding job of working the saddle soap into the leather.
To do any disassembly please note the tools that will help. A pair of Nippers, a Screwdriver and a Tack Hammer.
NOTE: Do not scrub hard while cleaning and if you use the Ivory soap, do not let the Ivory soap sit on the leather. Lather it up and hose it off quickly. Also don't let the sun bake in the Ivory soap.
NOTE: If possible disassemble some basics before you start cleaning. Disassembly will be required if restoring the saddle. This allows you to clean up under the seat. This is covered in more detail later in the segment.
WARNING: Don't be surprised if your saddle leather significantly lightens up during cleaned and after the leather dries. This will be resolved with the saddle soap and final restoration steps.