Mudita says about its Mudita Moment watch straps,
We recommend changing your straps every six months due to hygienic reasons.
I wondered what “hygienic reasons” meant when I ordered my Mudita Moment with four straps, but now I know.
- Cork straps – both natural (included with the Moment) and black – can become smelly from wrist perspiration after a few weeks of wear.
- Bananatex® strap, because it has a cork backing, can become smelly from wrist perspiration after a few weeks of wear.
- Desserto® strap, which is made from cactus, seems to avoid this problem.
So, here are my tips for anyone planning to order the Mudita Moment, which comes with the natural-color cork strap.
- If you are ordering the Moment only with the included natural-color cork strap, then check the Interwebs for advice about how to clean cork. I found advice to use a high-strength (e.g., 95%) isopropyl alcohol, and this seems to work for removing the smell from the cork straps and from the back of the Bananatex strap.
- If you can afford it, then order the Moment along with a Desserto strap (gray or black), which seems more resistant to developing an odor from wrist perspiration.
- If you want to “go rogue” with your Moment, then order the Moment with the included cork strap but then buy, for just $10-20 (US), a soft silicone replacement band for the Garmin Forerunner 645, which has the same spring-loaded fittings for easy swapping with the Mudita cork strap. You can then rinse the silicone band daily with water to keep it clean, without “soaking” the Moment itself.
Choosing plant-based straps was very important to us, we wanted to choose materials as planet-friendly as possible. All non-synthetic materials like the ones we use, but as well as leather, over time get into interaction with the environment and our skin just for the simple fact of using it on the daily basis. It’s a natural process, this is why we added these recommendations that were confirmed with manufacturer of these materials. It might be perceived as downside, however these materials are not synthetic, which is a huge pro - they tend to be more comfy and irritate skin less while wearing them. Synthetic straps might have a longer lifetime but eventually they get used up too and their disposal is a bit more problematic for obvious reasons compared to plant-based solutions.