One of the most popular straps materials is leather watch straps. At the same time, it is quite demanding when it comes to caring and cleaning. In return, leather can last for years keeping its elegance and qualities. That’s why it is so worth it to keep them in top condition so you can enjoy it longer.
Today we’ll talk about different leather textures. There’s a huge difference in how you should treat smooth, patent, and suede leather watch straps. There are different techniques, drying time and even the cosmetics you should or shouldn’t use while cleaning or caring for those types of leather watch straps.
In the second part of this series, you will learn about more exotic types of leather and what to do and what to never do when cleaning and preserving different types of exotic leather watch straps like croc, ostrich, lizard, snake or even shark leather straps.
Smooth leather watch straps
If your leather watch strap is smooth you start with a damp cloth and a little bit of soap. Clean your straps’ surface with it to remove any dust and dirt. After that use a colorless leather caring product like replenishing or cleansing milk. Be careful not to use too much product and to massage it into straps evenly using a soft cloth. Leave the straps for a few hours to let it dry up completely. You can finish it up by polishing the straps with a buffing brush. Smooth leather is the easiest to care for, but you need to remember to do it regularly as well as keep the straps dry at all times to prolong its lifespan.
Patent leather watch straps
To clean patent leather you need a different approach. We start with cleaning it carefully with a damp cloth. After that, apply a drop of regular cooking oil on the watch strap and quickly massage it onto the strap with a dry cloth. Alternatively, you can use specialized foam available in shops made just for patent leather. Leave for few minutes to dry completely (it is very important not to skip this part!). After the patent leather watch straps are dry you can polish it with a dry chamois cloth.
Suede and nubuck leather watch straps
Not many people know how to clean and care for this type of leather as it requires very specific methods and products. It is also very important to clean suede regularly as it is extremely hard to restore to its original state when it is heavily stained. You start by carefully removing any dust from the watch strap using a soft brush. Next thing you do is you spray the whole surface evenly with a suede cleaner. Brush it again and then leave it for a few hours to dry. After that, you spray it with a specialized suede replenishing product that will make it more water-resistant. Finally, you let it dry and brush it one last time.
We hope that our simple guide will help you keep all your leather watch straps in perfect condition for a long time. Your beautiful leather watch straps are certainly worth the effort!
