Roderick Scott is a writer who reviews smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. He has tested 160 phones over 16 years.
Your smartwatch is doing a lot on a daily basis—tracking your exercise, delivering notifications, and sure, telling you the time.
The least you can do is clean it, often—especially if you exercise weekly. But using the wrong cleaning products could ruin your hard-working wrist computer and its bands. Here’s how to do it right.
What you need
The products you’ll need depend on the brand of your smartwatch as well as its materials. We break down the details below, but in general, you’ll need:
For the watch body:
- a lint-free or microfiber cloth
- alcohol wipes (up to 70% alcohol)
- disinfecting wipes, such as Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
- cotton swabs
- a soft-bristle toothbrush
- rubbing alcohol
For the watch bands:
- a soap-free cleanser (such as Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser)
- hypoallergenic hand soap
- rubbing alcohol
- a lint-free cloth
- a soft-bristle toothbrush
How long will this take to clean?
If you clean your smartwatch regularly, the process should take around 5 minutes. If you’re reading this, you probably don’t, so count on around 10 minutes.
The how
To get started, power off your smartwatch and remove the bands.
For watches
For the watch body
Wipe the screen and backside of the watch body with a lint-free or microfiber cloth to remove any sweat buildup.
You can also use a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe or a disinfecting wipe for the exterior of an Apple or Google Pixel watch, but don’t use it on any ports or openings.
Wet a microfiber cloth to remove persistent grime on the watch itself. Holding the watch body near a stream of hot water allows steam to loosen any gunk—just remember to not wet any buttons, dials, or ports in the process.
Once it’s clean, dry it with a microfiber cloth.
For charging contacts and cables
The contact points on your watch (including your charging ports and cables) can get covered in gunk and debris from sweat and dirt. That buildup can prevent it from charging properly.
You can clean charging points with a cotton swab or an alcohol wipe.
You can lightly scrub a Fitbit or Garmin watch’s charging contacts with a toothbrush dipped in water. The pins on your charging cable will need to be cleaned with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol.
Always dry the charging points or ports with a cloth or tissue before charging.
For bands
The safest way to clean your watch’s band depends on its material. Here’s the breakdown:
Woven fabric: You can hand-wash fabric woven bands with cold water and a gentle soap, then let them air-dry.
Nylon: Wash nylon bands in cold water and mild soap to help clean stubborn stains. Then rinse them with fresh water and let air-dry.
Silicone, plastic, or rubber: Rinse silicone or plastic-based bands with water. For heavier cleaning, use rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth to get the dirt off. For rubber bands, use a soap-free cleanser like Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser or a mild hypoallergenic hand soap. Then rinse them with water and pat them dry with a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth.
Metal: Use very little water when wiping down metal bands. Corrosion or rusting can occur over time. You can remove any trapped debris with a soft-bristle toothbrush, then wipe dry with a lint-free cloth.
Leather: Spot-clean leather bands with a dry cloth using light pressure. Although you can use a leather brush, don’t use any type of leather cleaner on these or submerge them in water. Let the leather bands air-dry away from direct sunlight or high temperatures before reattaching them to the watch.
This article was edited by Amy Koplin, Brittney Ho, and Sofia Sokolove.
Meet your guide
Roderick Scott is Wirecutter's staff writer reporting on smartphones, tablets, and accessories. He is the former publisher of TechGuySmartBuy, where he reviewed everything from phones to headphones to smart speakers to cars. He is also a former aspiring songwriter, music producer, and A&R working with local talent.
Further reading
How to Get Rid of Old Electronics
by Sarah Witman
If you take the time to recycle your electronic devices, there’s a good chance they’ll actually get recycled—or at least parts of them will.
The Best Smart Locks
by Jon Chase
A smart lock lets you go key-free and know whenever someone comes and goes. Our pick, the Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt, is sturdy, simple, and reliable.
The Best Medical Alert Systems
by Pamela Appea
These medical alert systems provide on-call emergency support for older adults and anyone else in need.
Your Next Fabric-Covered Gadget Will Feel Great. Treat It Gently.
by Sarah Witman
A fabric-coated gadget will slide into the background of your life more easily—but that’s not always a good thing.