Leather watch straps quickly lose their appearance, get an unpleasant smell and spoil the whole impression even from an expensive watch. To deal with this problem and clean the leather strap, you can use several methods.
You will need
- - cleaner for leather and suede;
- - shampoo or soft powder for wool;
- - turpentine, gasoline, talc;
- - glycerin, castor oil, petroleum jelly.
Instruction manual
1
The best option - buy a cleaner for leather and suede, you can even for shoes. These cleaners are usually water-based, so you don’t have to worry that it will leave streaks or change the color of the strap.
2
If the contaminants are not greasy, try to clean them with shampoo or a mild wool powder. Take an old toothbrush or other soft brush and, dipping it into the solution, clean the strap. Then continue with a clean brush, rinsing it in clean water. Make sure that the strap does not get too wet. In this case, immediately pat it dry with a towel.
3
To get rid of greasy stains, dip the strap in gasoline or acetone and remove immediately. Rub vigorously and gently wring out. Then wipe with a linen cloth and sprinkle thickly with talcum powder (talcum powder is not required for a dark strap). You can also use a mixture of turpentine and gasoline 1: 2. Note that gasoline, acetone, turpentine and other solvents degrease the skin, so they must be immediately cleaned with dirt.
4
To make the strap sparkle again like new, wipe it from time to time with glycerin, petroleum jelly or castor oil.
5
You can clean the strap from suede with a short-bristled brush, and there is also a special brush or rubber band for suede for shriveled areas. Treat such places with warm milk and soda (1 teaspoon of soda per glass of milk) or a mixture of ammonia with water (1 part alcohol and 2 parts water). Wipe the suede or the back of the leather strap with a cotton swab dipped in one of these mixtures, then rinse with clean water and vinegar solution (1 teaspoon of vinegar essence per 1 liter of water). Brush the pile in different directions.
6
Fill the oily and shabby strap with chalk powder, shake and brush with a brush after 24 hours.
7
To get rid of an unpleasant odor, wrap the strap in a flannel cloth along with moist coffee grounds or ground coffee. Rub the bundle vigorously and leave it for a while. This method is only suitable for dark skin.
note
Please note that after any wet cleaning, dry the leather straps only at room temperature or in a cool place, away from heating appliances.
