Welcome to the second part of our guide on how to care for leather watch straps. In the first installment of the series we’ve explained how to care for leather straps with different textures and we highly recommend you read it also.
Today we will focus on less common – more exotic leather watch straps and how to best take care of them. We hope you enjoy it.
Croc Leather Watch Straps
There are several surprises when it comes to crocodile leather that impacts the way you should care for it. First of all crocodile watch straps are quite delicate and require very delicate care that will not ruin the beautiful patterns. Even more surprisingly – crocodile leather is not waterproof and it has to be protected from being wet or even moist for too long as it’ll produce ugly spots and will dry out (and that means cracks!). If your crocodile leather straps get we – act very quickly and dry it with white, clean cloth and let it dry in a cool location away from the sunlight.
Fortunately, when you know those things and remember to care for the watch straps one a month at the minimum the process itself is very simple. Use cotton rag damped in warm water and dry it up, as we’ve described above, in a cool location. Grease spots can be removed with a specialized product for reptile leather but you can also simply place some cornstarch over the stain and dust it off after few hours.
Do not use brushes as they can produce permanent scratches
Snake Leather Watch Straps
This one is REALLY tricky. Thus the most luxurious type of leather is also incredibly fragile and easy to ruin. The main reason for this is the fact that snake leather watch straps are incredibly absorbent and they can take and release moisture very quickly making the care of snake leather a balancing act.
First of all, the best care you can give snake leather is prevention! When heavy rain or snow comes to your region, avoid wearing it in the open. Never put them next to any heat source as those will destroy your precious watch straps almost instantly.
It’s worth adding that the snakeskin is very durable but just a little demanding if you want to keep it in a pristine state.
To clean snake leather straps don’t use commercial products as they might be too harsh for this exotic leather. Simply use a clean flannel cloth and dampen it very lightly to prevent water from sinking beneath the scales. The most important rule is to clean skin leather straps always by wiping in the direction of the scales!
To condition snake leather straps you need to use a specialized recipe for lizard leather – preferably in the form of a foam. Put it evenly on the strap and after few minutes remove it and buff it off with a dry cloth.
Snake leather watch straps should be cleaned and conditioned 3-4 times a year.
Ostrich Leather Watch Straps
Beloved by fashion lovers and those who seek highest quality products. Ostrich leather straps are for those who know how to dazzle everyone around them. Desp[ite its softness this is one of the strongest leather types that can be found. That does not mean in any way you don’t have to take great care with ostrich leather straps.
The care for this durable leather is not difficult but has to be done right. As always – keep your ostrich leather straps in a cool place far from any heat sources. If wet – dab it up with a soft dry cloth. For stains do the same thing but use a damp cloth. After removing stain wipe the rest of the strap with a damp cloth for the leather to dry evenly.
If the straps ever get stained with oil or grease just put some talcum, powder over the stain and leave it for about an hour – the stain should be gone. Simply brush the powder away with a dry cloth.
Shark Leather Watch Straps
The thing with this incredibly durable type of leather is it has its weaknesses – sunlight, heat and…yes – water!
When the shark leather gets’s wet you need to remember to use a dry cloth and dab the watch straps carefully. Never smear as it will only push the liquid deeper into the leather making the shark straps dry up and lose the look and durability. Always dab.
For deeper stains, you should use a product designed for shark leather and if you don’t have any – mild soap mixed with water.
There’s a lot of types of leather but whatever you choose you can find it at great prices in our shop so start browsing our selection right now!
