Table of Contents
How to clean your caoutchouc Apple Watch band is the question you’ve asked yourself for a while.
Since you decided to follow the last trends and to buy a natural rubber strap for your Apple Watch. You choose it from the latest Meridio Band’s Caoutchouc collection and you have now definitely the best natural rubber watch strap you might desire.
It is normal, however, that, with the use of the watch, the strap gets dirty with pollution, sweat and body lotions. To ensure it a long life, it is important you know exactly how to clean rubber strap.
What is natural rubber?
Before knowing how to clean your natural rubber band, let’s take a step back and try to understand what natural rubber is and why it is so delicate.
Quoting Wikipedia’s definition, natural rubber, also called caoutchouc, is a material which comes from the trees, especially those belonging to the genera Hevea and Ficus: natural rubber derives from the latex, a milk-like substance drawn off from the trees, making incisions in their barks. The so-obtained latex is then refined into rubber, which is ready for commercial purposes.
Natural rubber can be used in many applications and products. It is a very elastic and strong material, extremely waterproof and has a high resilience. Unfortunately, caoutchouc has not a high resistance to light, heat and ozone. This makes the rubber a delicate material to clean and maintain with care.
How to clean natural rubber strap
First of all, I suggest you clean your natural rubber band not too often but whenever it appears dirty.
To clean it, you may use a cleaning product suggested from the natural rubber strap’s manufacturer or you can wash it with a mild soap solution. You can obtain it mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid mild soap and a quarter of water. Rub the band gently with your fingers and use a soft brush only for the most stubborn stains.
If your natural rubber band is too dirty, you can also wash it applying some white toothpaste to its surface or a paste created by mixing a small amount of water with some baking soda. Both if you use soap, toothpaste or baking soda to clean your caoutchouc band, it is important you wash it with clean water, to remove any trace of cleanser from it.
Then, you have to dry the caoutchouc strap with a clean and lint-free towel: you have not to dry the band naturally in the open air because natural rubber has not a strong resistance to heat and light and could easily break under the heat.
You can then complete your natural rubber band cleaning with a rubber conditioner or some olive oil. All you have to do is to put a tablespoon of product onto a soft rag and to buff the band’s surface. You have to wipe, then, the band with a clean and dry rag, to clean away any conditioner drop.
Additional tips to clean natural rubber watch strap
In this article, I suggest you the best way to clean your natural rubber Apple watch bands.
I have also some additional tips for you. As, for instance, to rinse the natural rubber band in fresh water after swimming into the sea. To remove any trace of salt from the surface. Or to remove the mild dirt with a regular eraser or a damp cleaning cloth used for the computer monitor.
And what about you? Do you have any additional tips to clean a natural rubber Apple Watch Band? I wait for your experience in the comments below.
