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Cleaning Watch

J

JLH81

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 10, 2016
234
46
How often are you all currently cleaning your AW4? I have been cleaning mine daily after wearing it. The back looks so nasty after wearing it daily. Is this advised, or am I going way overboard?

Just curious what all of your regiments currently are with it.
 
I don't think there's an issue with cleaning it daily if it looks nasty. Is it from the sweat?
You can just wipe off the back on your clothes lol, unless you're worried about scratches.
 
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JLH81 said:
How often are you all currently cleaning your AW4? I have been cleaning mine daily after wearing it. The back looks so nasty after wearing it daily. Is this advised, or am I going way overboard?

Just curious what all of your regiments currently are with it.
Click to expand...

You should clean the watch based on your own usage, no one will have the same two cleaning schedules with the watch. All you need is a slightly damp microfiber cloth, wipe it down and that’s it. But depending on the environment the watch is subjected to, will vary greatly depending on when you need to clean it.
 
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I thoroughly clean mine when I swap bands out which is every other week or so. Wipe it down with a paper towel that is mildly damp with windex, paying attention to run it down the slot where the band connects.

Since I have a lot of Amazon cloth type bands I just toss them in the washing machine with the laundry. Works well.

EDIT: Windex and other cleaning chemicals can remove the oleophobic coating if its still on your watch and should be avoided.
 
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JLH81 said:
How often are you all currently cleaning your AW4? I have been cleaning mine daily after wearing it. The back looks so nasty after wearing it daily. Is this advised, or am I going way overboard?

Just curious what all of your regiments currently are with it.
Click to expand...

I clean my watch after every exercise. Usually a vigorous water rub + soap if it was a heavy run. If I don't exercise as often as I should, I'll usually clean the back with a wet towel and my fingernail around the edges of the heart rate sensor on the back.

I have a nike band for running. That almost always gets a soap rub after a heavy run. The watch? Usually a wet towel rub down.

I have a sports loop and send that through the washer every other week or so in the summer, and about half a month in the winter. It has held up very well.
 
cynics said:
I thoroughly clean mine when I swap bands out which is every other week or so. Wipe it down with a paper towel that is mildly damp with windex, paying attention to run it down the slot where the band connects.

Since I have a lot of Amazon cloth type bands I just toss them in the washing machine with the laundry. Works well.
Click to expand...

Of course you’re free to do with your watch as you wish, but I just want to point out that Windex can actually have an affect on the Oleophobic coating, which not only can remove the coating, but cause a distortion/separation with the coating itself. Although, It would probably depend on the amount of concentration you are using and if the coating isn’t already worn off with usage over time, but it is something to consider for others reading this post.
 
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Apple Watch 4 suppose be waterproof so I just clean back (after sweaty exercise) Apple Watch and band under running tap water and try it soft towel.
 
Jay-Jacob said:
Apple Watch 4 suppose be waterproof so I just clean back (after sweaty exercise) Apple Watch and band under running tap water and try it soft towel.
Click to expand...

It’s not waterproof, it’s water resistant rated (50 meters). I know a lot of times waterproof and water resistant are interchanged simultaneously for being the same thing, but they are not. But yes, you can run the Apple Watch under tapwater to clean it, rotating the digital crown to remove any debris and then thoroughly dry it with a clean/dry cloth.
 
Relentless Power said:
It’s not waterproof, it’s water resistant rated (50 meters). I know a lot of times waterproof and water resistant are interchanged simultaneously for being the same thing, but they are not. But yes, you can run the Apple Watch under tapwater to clean it, rotating the digital crown to remove any debris and then thoroughly dry it with a clean/dry cloth.
Click to expand...

Ah yes. I forgot which was which for Apple Watch. I never really have clean dump cloth with me or nearby so I use tap water instead.
 
Before my first AW (S4 SB SS ML), I never thought much about cleaning a watch/band. I am still clueless about how often to clean both the watch and ML band.

I exercise 3-5 times a weak on the stationary bike, but out a low resistance and rarely sweat. I sweat a lot in the summer b/c of the NYC heat and humidity.

My dermatologist suggested that a monthly cleaning might be reasonable.

I really like the redesign of the 2018 Milanese Loop. The fact that the band can pass through the loop lug, without having to always completely remove the band, should make it easier to clean.

I have been wearing the ML band that cane with the watch, daily without issues.

When I take the watch off, before bed, I find a slight indentation in the shape of the band, but I think all bands will do this to an extent.

Very pleased so far.
 
Relentless Power said:
Of course you’re free to do with your watch as you wish, but I just want to point out that Windex can actually have an affect on the Oleophobic coating, which not only can remove the coating, but cause a distortion/separation with the coating itself. Although, It would probably depend on the amount of concentration you are using and if the coating isn’t already worn off with usage over time, but it is something to consider for others reading this post.
Click to expand...

You are correct as usual.

Milage will vary, however between normal use, chemicals in city water, pools, etc, sweat and dragging on my sleeves constantly I noticed the coating was worn off in about 3 months of avoiding cleaning chemicals. You can't really tell unless its getting wet as the screen stays a little bit wet. After that I just said to heck with it.

I will update my original post though. Thanks.
 
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