How to Clean Leather Straps Properly
And what to avoid when cleaning tanned, nubuck and alligator leather watch straps
The cleaning method may differ, depending on the types of your leather straps, from tanned leather to suede leather
Probably every watch hobbyist owns at least one leather strap. It's hardly surprising since leather straps are really durable and comfortable to wear, not mentioning how indispensable they are in formal occasions. But some people find it difficult to be taken good care of. Indeed, leather is a material that is very sensitive to other elements. If it's not cared for properly, its lifespan will be shortened, or it may build up an unpleasant odor during summer. Having said that, taking care of it is not as troublesome as imagined. In this article, we will show you the methods of keeping different types of leather straps nice and clean.
Basic Points about Taking Care of Leather Straps
As mentioned, leather straps have quite a lot of environmental enemies so we need to take special care of them. Here are some points on basic leather care:
Avoid liquids
Leather contains oil that keeps it durable and flexible. But if the leather contacts with water, or any other liquids, the oil inside will run off with the liquids when it evaporates. The leather will then lose its oil and become brittle and form cracks.
Some internet sources mention that rubbing alcohol is effective in cleaning leather straps and removing ink stains. But in fact, its effect on removing stains is not really optimal, and at the same time it damages the leather and rubs the color off.
Do not expose the strap to any heat source
By the same token, the heat can actually dry out the leather, which may harden the leather, and in the long run, it may also form cracks or split. Not only that, if you expose your leather strap to direct sunlight for a period of time, its color will fade due to the harmful ultraviolet rays.
Do not rip the leather strap
Leather is a natural material, which means it can be torn when pulled with force.
(Left)Original leather strap; (Center)Top half is the original leather strap and the bottom half is soaked with alcohol; (Right)Entire strap soaked with alcohol. You can see the strap on the right is totally dried out and the color has changed.
How to Clean Leather Straps
Before proceeding to the cleaning process, you want to remove your leather strap from the watch first. Wedge the fork end of the spring bar tool between the strap and the lug, then you may press the spring bar down in order to remove the strap.
But if you get the leather straps from us, they are all installed with quick release pins. Simply push down the ball-shaped handle in the springbar, then the strap can easily be removed. Here is a video on it:
How to Clean Genuine or Tanned leather straps
To remove grime on the surface, wipe the strap with a dry cloth. Microfiber or jewelry polishing cloth would be a perfect option.
Using a circular motion, gently clean the strap with a piece of damp soft cloth with a small amount of gentle soap applied.
If there is any particular dirty spot, you may dip some soapy water with a soft bristle toothbrush, and scrub that specific area with light pressure. Always remember to do a patch test on a discreet area of the strap first before using it all over.
Use another damp cloth, gently wipe the leather clean.
Air dry the leather strap on a flat surface.
How to Clean Nubuck/Suede leather straps
Due to the special texture of nubuck and suede straps, you should use nubuck brush and eraser to remove stains on the straps.
Dry brush the strap surface with a nubuck/suede brush to remove loose dirt and restore the nap of the piece.
Rub the stained area with a piece of nubuck/suede stain eraser. If you do not have it, a regular pencil eraser will also do.
Brush the residue away.
Spray the nubuck and suede cleaner on the strap evenly.
How to Clean Alligator straps
Dampen a piece of soft cloth with warm water and wipe the alligator strap clean. If you wish to give your strap a deeper clean, you may also clean it with a leather cleaner that is specific for exotic leather.
Use another piece of dry, clean cloth to wipe the strap clean.
How often should I clean the leather strap?
If you wish to keep a routine of cleaning a leather strap that you use often, you may clean it once every other week. But you may alter the practice depending on the usage and the environment you are living in. Say, you jog regularly with your watch. It would make sense to clean it more frequently since it soaks up a lot of sweat. Or maybe, it’s a watch for your desk job. In that case, you may go longer without cleaning it.
But that’s not all!
I suppose your leather straps are now clean as a whistle. But if you wish to maintain its longevity, it's better for you to maintain its durability and quality regularly. You see, leather is much like our skin. After you shower, the best practice is to apply some cream or moisturizer to replenish the lost moisture. Leather is much like this: after cleaning, it has lost some of its natural oil, so it’s good to apply something to replenish that. That’s conditioning for leather. So after you clean your strap, make sure you check out our guide on how to condition leather to learn ways of preserving different types of leather straps.