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Caring For Your Watch Strap

Your watches and straps need regular care to keep them looking fresh and preventing damage. Caring for your watch strap is a little bit different than caring for other leather goods. You have to take a little extra care so you can get many years of use from it. Leather straps in particular can get dry crack, and worse of all grow mold and bacteria on the underside of your strap that collects there from dead skin our bodies shed daily. 

Which Conditioner Should You Use
There are countless conditioning products on the market. We've used many, but our favorite is our Premium Leather Conditioner as it offers great moisturizing while still being fairly light which is perfect for a watch strap. Take note that not all conditioners work the same way. Some are liquid and some more creamy or paste-like. Some do deeper conditioning and other are meant for lighter applications. One thing to consider when choosing a conditioner is how much it will darken your leather as some can darken certain leathers substantially. We recommend you always test your conditioner on a hidden part of your watch strap such as the underside to see what effect it will have on your strap. Keep in mind that your strap will look a little darker at first when you apply your conditioner, but most likely lighten a little as it dries.
 
Determining What Kind Of Leather Your Strap Is Made Of 
When you buy a strap from us, most likely it's already been treated with conditioner. We also use very high quality, waxy and naturally quite oily leathers to make our straps with. So they won't need any conditioning for a long time.
 
If you get to some point and think your strap is looking or feeling a bit dry, it may be time for some light conditioning. First decide what kind of leather your strap is made of. Is it oily/waxy feeling? Is it natural and un-dyed vegetable tanned leather? Is it suede? 
 
-For waxy/oily types of leathers: These are usually naturally very oily and don't require much conditioning if any. If it's dry, then apply a little at a time. This is important. Never apply tons of conditioner, as it's not good for your leather. Too much of it can actually cause rotting or moulding of the leather and the stitches. Too much conditioner on the thread can make it look unsightly and when it dries some conditioners can leave a flaky white residue on the thread. So it's best to apply conditioner to your strap lightly by putting a little bit of conditioner on your fingers, and rubbing it on throughout the strap on both sides and the edges.
 
-Natural un-dyed vegetable tanned leather: This kind of leather gets conditioned the same way as the oily leathers being careful not to get too much conditioner in the thread or over doing it. As this type of leather starts out so light, it can darken substantially depending on the conditioner used. This often is the effect people look for when they purchase this kind of leather as it helps with creating a patina and the darkening process.
 
-Suede Leather is treated altogether different. Before we send suede straps to you, we lightly spray them with suede protectant. It helps protect the suede from exposure to water such as light rain and some mild dirt. Suede is very delicate and needs extra care when using to prevent premature damage. We recommend being careful when you use it and lightly spraying it with suede spray protectant every few months or so. If you do get a little dirt on it, it's best to use a soft clean toothbrush and lightly brush the nap at the dirty area to loosen up and remove dirty spots then re-spray it. NEVER use leather conditioners or lotions on these.

 

How To Condition Your Watch Strap

If your strap is starting to look and feel dry or needs a serious cleaning, follow these steps:

You can clean and condition your strap while it is still attached to your watch, but for a really thorough clean its best to remove your strap from your watch and remove the buckle as well. To remove any sweat or dirt from it, grab a soft fabric such as a t-shirt or our Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, lightly dampen it with warm water and wipe it gently while avoiding the thread as this will cause it to fray. 
 
After it dries, it's important to apply conditioner such as our Premium Leather Conditioner to replace the moisture it lost when was cleaned. As important as it is to keep leather moisturized, take care in not over conditioning as this weakens the fibers and can also cause mildew to grow. It’s best to apply conditioner a little bit at a time by rubbing it in with your fingers or our soft cloth, being careful not to rub on the thread as it will fray and you can also end up with blobs of conditioner stuck in the holes. Let the leather absorb the conditioner a little, then wipe off excess with a cloth. Remember that some conditioners darken leather more than others, so make sure to test in an inconspicuous spot before applying to the entire item
 
Weekly Strap Maintenance 
To prevent buildup of bacteria and dead skin cells or moisturizer under your strap, we recommend using a soft cloth and just gently wiping the underside at least once a week to keep it fresh.
 
That’s it! Simple as that.
 
Recommended Conditioners
Our favorite is our Premium Leather Conditioner as it offers great moisturizing while still being fairly light which is perfect for a watch strap. Always test in a hidden spot on to see how it performs before applying it to the entire strap.