How do I clean a white powdery residue on a leather watch band?

Question

I can only wear leather watch bands. Every few days I notice

a whitish color - it almost looks like a powder - in the cracks in the leather on the inside of the band and also coloring the stitching along the outside of the band. It only appears on the piece of the band with the buckle. I have to wash it with some handsoap to remove it, although it doesn't all go away. What is causing this? And it's strange that it appears only on the buckle half of the band. I thought it was salt from perspiration, but then why on only part of the band and also on the outside stitching? Anyone ever experience this?

Answer 1

After cleaning and lubricating the leather, I would use a very small amount of shoe polish to cover any traces of white, but be sure to buff off all the residue so the colour doesn't rub off on your wrist.

Answer 2

This sounds like the leather is 'spewing'.  Spew is a technical term for when the fats and oils in the leather become unstable (normally due to temperature change and humidity) and they come to the surface leaving a white powdery looking substance on the surface which usually has a slightly oily feel to it.

There is a specialist producy called a Spwe Remover which is the only way to rectify the problem as the fats have to be restabilised in the leather.  Cleaning alone will not help

The best people to contact will be LTT as I know they have very specialist products that you cannot get anywhere else

Answer 3

try a leather cleaner and treatment, if it is an older product, this could be cracking due to dryness in the leather, or even if it's newer it could be cracking due to a dry climate.