How to Clean a Leather Watch Strap

If you want your leather watch strap to last as long as possible, you must ensure you are properly maintaining it. This includes regularly cleaning your straps, especially after it has been exposed to water or dirt, to avoid any odour, discoloration of the leather or general wear and tear. But what is the best way to clean leather watch straps without damaging them?

A leather strap is the part of a watch that actually lives with you. It takes the sweat, the hand cream, the rain on the walk to the station and the occasional splash at the sink. Cleaning it isn't difficult or fiddly, and you don't need a jeweller or a special kit. You need a soft cloth, a little water, a mild soap and ten minutes. The trick is mostly knowing what not to do.

Here's the method, step by step, followed by how it changes for different leathers and how to keep a strap in good shape between cleans.

Why Leather Needs a Different Approach

Leather is skin, and it behaves like it. It's porous, so it soaks up moisture, oils and whatever's on your wrist. Soak it and it swells, then shrinks and stiffens as it dries. Dry your leather watch strap too fast and it cracks. Use a harsh cleaner and you strip out the natural oils that keep it supple. 

Left alone, the usual problems are:

• Grime building up along the edges and around the buckle holes from daily wear.
• Darkening or blotching where sweat has soaked in, usually on the underside and near the lugs.
• Stiffness and cracking where the leather has dried out.
• Smell, when moisture and bacteria get trapped in the fibres.

The first three are what this guide deals with. If smell is your main problem, our guide on how to stop a leather watch strap smelling covers it in detail, and judging by what people read on this site, it's the problem leather-strap owners worry about most.

What You'll Need

• Two soft, lint-free cloths. Microfibre is ideal.
• Warm water.
• A mild, unscented soap (a gentle hand soap or saddle soap), or a leather cleaner made for accessories.
• Leather conditioner, one made for small leather goods or clothing, not furniture.
• Optionally, a soft toothbrush for the stitching and buckle holes.

Step-by-Step: Cleaning a Leather Watch Strap

Step One: Take the strap off the watch.

This keeps water and cleaner away from the case and crown, and means you can clean both sides properly. If your strap has quick release pins, just slide the little lever and it comes free. If it doesn't, you don't necessarily need a special tool.

Step Two: Dry-wipe first.

Go over the whole strap with a dry cloth to lift dust and grit. If you skip this, the next step just rubs that grit into the surface.

Step Three: Wipe with a damp cloth. 

Dampen the cloth with warm water and wring it out until it's barely wet. Wipe the top, the underside and the edges. The underside is where most of the dirt lives.

Step Four: Use a little soap for anything stubborn.

Put a drop of mild soap or leather cleaner on the damp cloth, not directly on the strap, and work it in with small circles. For stitching and buckle holes, use a soft toothbrush with the lightest touch. Try it on the underside first, just in case the colour reacts.

Step Five: Wipe off every trace of soap. 

Rinse the cloth, wring it out again and wipe the strap down. Soap left on the leather dries it out.

Step Six: Let it dry naturally.

Lay it flat on a towel at room temperature, away from radiators and direct sun, and give it a few hours, ideally overnight. Never use a hairdryer. It's the quickest way to crack a strap.

Step Seven: Condition it.

Once it's fully dry, rub a small amount of conditioner in with a clean cloth, leave it a few minutes, then buff off the excess. Refit the strap once it no longer feels tacky.

How Often Should You Clean and Condition It?

Quick dry wipe: whenever you take the watch off, if you think of it. It takes five seconds.

Damp clean (steps 1-6): every two to four weeks for a strap you wear daily. Do it more often in summer or if you wear it to the gym, which you probably shouldn't (see below).

Conditioning: every three to six months, or whenever the strap starts to feel dry or look dull. Don't overdo it. Too much conditioner leaves leather greasy and attracts dirt.

Cleaning Tips for Different Types of Leather

Not every leather strap wants the same treatment.

• Smooth full-grain and calfskin: the method above as written. These need the least work. Go gently and don't scrub, because you'll wear the finish.
• Oiled, waxed and "crazy horse" leathers: these are meant to scuff and change colour. That's the point of them. Light marks often disappear if you rub them with a warm finger, since the oils move back into the scuff. Use a damp cloth only, skip the soap unless you really need it, and use a conditioner suited to oiled leather so you don't strip the wax.
• Suede and nubuck: no water and no soap. Use a suede brush to lift the nap and a suede eraser for marks. If a suede strap gets properly soaked, let it dry naturally, then brush it back up. Honestly, suede straps are best kept for drier days. They're the one to leave at home when rain's forecast.
• Patent and coated leather: wipe with a damp cloth only. Avoid anything abrasive, which will dull the shine.
• Leather Apple Watch straps: exactly the same as any other leather strap. Slide it off the watch first. If you've got a mix of materials on the go, our guide to cleaning every kind of Apple Watch band covers the silicone and metal ones too.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Soaking it or running it under the tap. A damp cloth is enough. Too much water warps and stiffens leather.
• Harsh cleaners. Washing-up liquid, baby wipes, alcohol gels and household sprays all strip the oils out of leather.
• Heat. No hairdryers, radiators or sunny windowsills.
• Furniture or shoe products. They're often too heavy or contain solvents, and they're not designed to sit against skin all day.
• Wearing it wet. If the strap gets caught in the rain, take the watch off when you can and let the strap dry flat before wearing it again.
• Leaving it too long. Grime that's been ground in for a year is much harder to shift than grime from a month.

Keeping a Leather Strap Clean Between Cleans

The single best thing you can do for a leather strap costs nothing: give it a day off. A strap worn every day never fully dries out from the day before, and that's where darkening and smells start. Rotating between two or three straps, say leather for the office and something like a NATO or rubber strap for weekends and the gym, keeps each one fresher and makes them all last longer. It also means one watch can look like three.

A few other habits help:

• Take the watch off for the gym, the washing up and anything sweaty.
• Wear it a notch looser in hot weather so air can get underneath.
• Store it somewhere cool and dry, not in a sealed bag or a warm drawer.

When It's Time for a New Strap

Cleaning brings back a surprising amount, but not everything. If the leather is cracking right through, the stitching is going, the holes have stretched into slots, or the smell comes straight back after a proper clean, it's done its job.

The good news is that a replacement doesn't have to be expensive. Our leather watch straps start at under £20, in 12mm to 22mm, with quick release options, so changing one takes a minute at the kitchen table. There's also a leather range for Apple Watch. And if you're not sure what width your watch takes, email me and I'll help you work it out.

In Short

Remove it, dry-wipe it, damp-clean it with a little mild soap, wipe the soap off, let it dry naturally, then condition it. Do that every few weeks, keep water and heat away from it, and give it the odd day off.

A decent leather strap looked after like that will last years.

When it finally doesn't, a new one from our leather range won't break the bank. And for smells specifically, head to our guide on stopping a leather strap smelling.