I’ve got a Garmin vívoactive 4 that I’ve been using almost daily for the last 3 years. Recently it’s started causing some irritations on my wrist (slight redness and dry skin). I’m assuming that it needs a really good clean but I’m not sure what’s the best. Dish soap and warm water? Or is there something better?
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So am not a Garmin user (Apple) but for years now I will regularly wash my band with soap and water and regularly wipe the back of the face (the sensor part that comes in contact with your skin) with a cloth soaked lightly in alcohol.
If I am doing some outdoor work or a lot of exercise then I will always do this as well afterwards. My wife ran into some issues with her wrists after getting hers where she developed a rash and found that regularly cleaning of the watch - both band and the sensor area stopped this from happening.
I’ll give the alcohol a go. Thanks for the tip!
+1 for alcohol. I have a small smartwatch and I clean it with a tissue and alcohol. I use a toothpick to poke the damp tissue into any crevices, and also into each hole in the band. It’s gross how much dirt and grime gets stuck in those holes.
I clean my Samsung watch with a wet wipe (the kind you use on human skin - like a baby wipe or “flushable” wipe – which isn’t, never flush those things), and dry the face/underside with a smooth microfiber cloth. The band I have is some form of leather, so yrmv.
My skin can’t stand silicone bands so I stick to metal or leather.
I just let my dog lick mine clean from time to time.
I think dish soap is a great start. It’s mild and doesn’t have abrasives or harsh chemicals that may stain the watch. I have a Mk2i and that’s how I’ve cleaned mine when it needed it.
You may also have developed a mild allergy to whatever the back of your watch is made of, in which case cleaning won’t help.
The allergy part may sound outlandish but it happened to me with headphones. They were made of some kind of rubbery plastic which was absolutely fine for the first 2 years I used them, and then they became impossible to wear. Cleaning the headphones did nothing and the allergy got pretty gross, I had to see a doctor. Fortunately an ointment fixed my ears but I had to get new headphones. My guess is that the material they were made of started to degrade/change chemically with time, like faux leather and rubber does, and my skin developed an allergy to it.
I’ve had a feeling that it might be something like this. I had a free trial for Whoop and didn’t get a reaction to that.
Skin irritation is a pretty good sign that it’s about time to clean it.
If the wristband is made of silicon, you can just clean it with soap and water.
I think I’ve read somewhere that the watch itself should be washed with normal water instead. I guess there are some gaps and holes where soap isn’t welcome.
If you have a fancy metal wristband, soap will do an acceptable job, but an ultrasound bath would be better.
Garmin Forerunner user here.
I just wash mine with hand soap and water after each run or if I’ve been working in the garden - typically gets washed every other day.
Three years on, no problems here.
I get skin irritations regardless of how clean my smart watch is after my wrist gets wet. Not entirely sure why, but something to consider if cleaning doesn’t help.
Check the manual to see if there are specific cleaning instructions. You don’t want to accidentally damage any rubber seals with soap that’s too aggressive or scrub off a protective coating somewhere.
My watch came with instructions to wipe it down with clean water, then some standard disinfectant alcohol. If that doesn’t work, soap-free detergent is recommended (I didn’t know that existed in any mild form?), so I’m guessing my watch really doesn’t like soap.
I wouldn’t mess with stuff like alcohol on rubber/silicone bands without checking if it doesn’t melt the material. Accidentally making napalm by combining plastics and solvents is way too easy!
I rinse mine in iso, scrub with an old toothbrush and rinse.
