By If your smartwatch is stinky, it’s time to give it a quick clean. | Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
When was the last time you cleaned your smartwatch? These are devices you wear 24/7, and if you took off your watch right now, there’s a good chance you’d find dead skin, sweat, oil, and grime all over it. A gunky sensor array isn’t the best for health tracking, and crusty charging contacts are also less than ideal. If you’ve experienced any skin irritation or smelled something funky — this may be why.
Plus, I hate to break it to you, but your straps are also filthier than you think. A recent study found that nearly 95 percent of smartwatch wristbands contained high levels of bacteria, including Staphylococcus, E.coli, and Pseudomonas — particularly on porous materials like rubber, plastic, and fabric.
The good news is that cleaning…