Fumigating leather straps and general watch cleaning methods

I have a leather strap that seems to have taken on my man-smell. Much as I appreciate myself, I feel it best not to subject anyone else to this....so have been looking at the best way to sort this out. Youtube seems to have a bunch of videos using all sorts of different products, so none the wiser I would love input from the forum on products to clean and "refresh" a leather strap? Perhaps whilst we're discussing this, feel free to suggest any tips on methods to clean SS bracelets and watches generally?

any thoughts much appreciated.

I'd be interested myself as I need to do a bit of watch cleaning over the hols.
I was just going to go with mild hand soap and a soft toothbrush on my cases and steel bracelets but no idea what I could do with leather straps.

To (hopefully) remove the smell, put the strap in a ziplock bag in the freezer for a couple of days. That should kill the bacteria that's causing the whiffiness.

To clean a leather strap, I usually use one of those leather wipes you can buy in a packet in the cleaning aisle of the supermarket. They're not really suitable for gloss-finish straps, though.

I clean watches and bracelets using Fairy Liquid and water. I nnever subject the watch head to hot water, but dangle the bracelet in water as hot as I can stand it. A soft tooth rush helps, so does jangling it under the water to dislodge dirt. If its an old bracelet with years of crud compacted in the links I take it off the watch, give it the detergent/ hot water treatment, then put it in a glass jar containing concentrated a strong solution of fairy liquid in very hot water. This goes in the ultrasonic bath, where it gets a good blast of ultrasonics to loosen the dirt. I then treat it in the sink as before, shaking and jangling to get dirt out. I take it round this cycle till no more dirt comes out, sometimes soaking overnight in strong detergent. This process can take a couple if days, but I work on some very old stuff where the dirt has compacted and become hard.

For a newer everyday watch it pays to give it a clean every couple of weeks, don’t let the dirt build up.

Ultrasonic cleaning sound good for watch bracelets - just wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a good ultrasonic cleaner?

Going to try the freezer treatment, see how that goes!

thanks all.

Put it on SC when you can and buy yourself a new one.

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Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Put it on SC when you can and buy yourself a new one.

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I couldn't do that to my worst enemy....

:puke:

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Originally Posted by Rich

Ultrasonic cleaning sound good for watches (that are waterproof) - just wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a good ultrasonic cleaner?

Going to try the freezer treatment, see how that goes!

thanks all.

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My ultrasonic cleaner cost around £40 from Maplins, but now they’ve shut I don’t know where to buy a replacement. I guess they’s available online somewhere.

I would never put a watch bead in an ultrasonic cleaner if the movement was inside, don’t know what it might do to the oils. If it caused oil to migrate that wouldn’t be good.

My leather straps get the occasional wipe with a damp cloth then Megiuars leather cleaner.

Autoglym leather cleaner, leave to dry in a cool spot for 24h followed by a coat of clear shoe polish on the outside only.

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If a leather strap gets really dirty or manky, it can be washed with leather or saddle soap. Like other leather products, it should be allowed to slowly dry at room temperature and then conditioned to replenish the oils that the soap has washed out.

I got an ultrasonic cleaner from the mystery aisle of Lidl this week. It was £20.
Really pleased with the results on two bracelet straps and some of my wife's jewellery.
Bottom end of the market for ultrasonic cleaners but it appears adequate for basic cleaning duties.

I was told that if you needed to get rid of the smell from leather, the only reliable way was to take it to a shoe repair shop. I think that's cobblers.

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Originally Posted by jwg663

To (hopefully) remove the smell, put the strap in a ziplock bag in the freezer for a couple of days bin.

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FTFY :)

Ozone should do the job.

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Originally Posted by Kingstepper

Ozone should do the job.

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Anywhere apart from a nuclear reaction or lightening strike that I can source?


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If I had a leather strap that smelled I'd put it in the bin and buy a new one, not a common occurrence as most of my watches are on Natos, which of course are easily changed and washed.

I'm trying to avoid being part of the "throw away society" so cleaning suggestions are more my thing.....

Soap and water works well for lots of things!.The strap,wrap in a cloth then choose your fav fragrance spray onto the cloth and pop away for a few days giving it a spray now and then.

But cleaning the watch and bracelet shouldn't really need to be asked.....should it!.......or maybe for some it does lol.

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Originally Posted by magirus

If I had a leather strap that smelled I'd put it in the bin and buy a new one, not a common occurrence as most of my watches are on Natos, which of course are easily changed and washed.

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Just plain wasteful tbh,if it can be cleaned then why throw away?.

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Originally Posted by Rich

Anywhere apart from a nuclear reaction or lightening strike that I can source?

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There are special ozone generators designed for removing odours from buildings or cars after fires, floods, etc.
Might be a bit overkill for watch straps that can easily be washed.

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Originally Posted by dschaen81

If a leather strap gets really dirty or manky, it can be washed with leather or saddle soap. Like other leather products, it should be allowed to slowly dry at room temperature and then conditioned to replenish the oils that the soap has washed out.

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I was going to suggest saddle soap too...

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Originally Posted by Rich

Anywhere apart from a nuclear reaction or lightening strike that I can source?

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Weston Supermare. People go there for the ozone, apparently.

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Originally Posted by Paladin67

I got an ultrasonic cleaner from the mystery aisle of Lidl this week. It was £20.
Really pleased with the results on two bracelet straps and some of my wife's jewellery.
Bottom end of the market for ultrasonic cleaners but it appears adequate for basic cleaning duties.

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I bought one in Aldi a few years ago , probably the same model in a different box , think it was £15 back then certainly no more than £20.

Perfectly adequate for personal use , no complaints at all , can’t see the point of the average guy in the street needing to pay more than that.

For bracelets, best is fairy liquid, warm water, and old toothbrush. All my watches are divers, so no issues to clean the head too. I clean my watches every 2-3 weeks when I wear them and never let the dirt build in.

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Bought a similar, cheap (~£20), ultrasonic bath from Lidl few years ago. Not that impressed TBH and I’ll buy a more powerful one next time.

To be honest for a stinking leather strap, I would not bother cleaning it. I dispose of them, they are a consumable item after all, they don’t last for ever. You will never remove the smell completely.
For bracelets, I bung them in the dishwasher.
Rubber straps are scrubbed with washing up liquid and a toothbrush
NATO’s are thrown in the washing machine.

Maybe try an anti-bacterial cleaner like Detox?

How to Clean Your Leather Watch Strap | Timex Bloghttps://www.timex.com › the-timex-blog › how-to-clean-your-leather-watch-...


1. Remove the strap
Remove the strap from the watch before cleaning it. This helps protect the watch case and dial.


2. Wipe the leather with a dry cloth
Before getting any liquids involved, wipe down the strap with a dry cloth. This gently removes any grainy dirt or debris that has collected on the strap that could potentially scratch the surface of the leather during more intensive cleaning. Choose a soft cloth – microfiber or jewelry polishing cloth are your best bets.


3. Wash the leather with soap
The next step is to clean the strap more thoroughly with soap. A gentle soap is best, as stripping formulas found in harsher soaps can dry out the leather. Dampen a separate microfiber or jewelry cloth and apply a small amount of the soap to it. The cloth should be damp, but not sopping wet, to avoid causing water damage to the leather.
Gently rub the inside and outside of the leather band with the damp cloth, using small circular motions across the material.


4. Remove soap residue
After cleaning the strap, rinse the cloth under running water until all of the soap is gone. Squeeze out any excess water from the cloth. Then lightly wipe the leather strap with the clean damp cloth to remove all soap residue from the band.


5. Let band dry
Once the soap is removed, let the strap air-dry. Do not put the strap in direct sunlight or use a hair dryer to dry the strap.


6. Use leather conditioner
Once your strap has dried, apply the number of drops of leather conditioner specified on the package to a clean cloth. Gently rub the leather strap with the cloth and let it dry. Be sure the conditioner you use is for jewelry, watches, clothing or accessories: leather conditioner for furniture and industrial items will likely be too harsh for contact with your skin.

or if you prefer the 14 step plan (with illustrations)

Clean-a-Leather-Watch-Strap

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Originally Posted by MartynJC (UK)

How to Clean Your Leather Watch Strap | Timex Bloghttps://www.timex.com › the-timex-blog › how-to-clean-your-leather-watch-...


or if you prefer the 14 step plan (with illustrations)

Clean-a-Leather-Watch-Strap

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Now THAT is the perfect post!

Thanks Martyn!!