washing your chest strap

meerkat70

How often, and how, do you wash your HRM chest strap?

Nicola0000

I just clean mine under the tap, as not sure if any type of washing powder would affect it? You should wash it often, as the salt in the sweat can affect it, so ive heard.

jkestens63

Yes & make sure the battery area is not damp - if you're a hot sweaty mess like me and although the chest strap is supposedly waterproof, still managed to get some condensation in there and it killed the strap. :mad: :grumble:

becka63

Every time I use it. Every week I wash it in the machine. I had got out of the habit when I was just doing a bit of weight training- thinking, oh, I haven't sweated much, I'll leave it a day or two. Result: it began to give me bizarre readings of 203 bpm when I was sitting down or dropping to zero when I was running, so I now religiously wash wash wash it!

mathen2

I rinse it under the tap every day once I get back from the gym to make sure there is no salt buildup from the sweat. There are specific instructions on the Polar chest strap of not putting it in the washing machine or using chemicals to clean the strap.

TheChangingMan

I rinse mine after each use and put it in the washing machine once a week.

Seems fine.

s0ready

recommended to rinse after each use and wash after every 5 uses or after each swim to keep accuracy

wash in washing machine, do not use bleach or fabic softner and do not spin dry

Ke22yB

I have a few polar HRM and use one or the other about every day so I pop it in with my workout clothes almost 2 times a week I was told that when it was acting up and giving me weird readings ie 220 bpm that I should wash it more so I am I have not had any weird readings since

TourThePast

Polar recommends washing their fabric straps after every five uses in the washing machine, but in a detergent that contains no bleach and without any fabric softener. That doesn't fit in with my normal clothes washing cycles.

I've found that if I simply rinse it and don't wash it, it works only intermittently and gives strange readings, but if I wash it by hand in dishwashing liquid and rinse it carefully afterwards every week it keeps on working just fine.

I've had it for over a year now, so this seems to be an effective long term solution.

When I used to have my old Polar HRM with the enclosed rubber strap (ie not the one with the wearlink transmitter that pops on with press studs) I'd just wipe it over with a damp cloth after using it.

leadoff

I like mine to stay crusty with salt stains. I have also found the stench to motivate me to run faster...outrun the smell.

Newf77

Pola FT7; I rinse it off after every use and lay it out to dry. I will either wash it with delicates or in the sink after I swim or a couple of times a month {Summer is more often}.

rockerbabyy

I rinse it under the tap every day once I get back from the gym to make sure there is no salt buildup from the sweat. There are specific instructions on the Polar chest strap of not putting it in the washing machine or using chemicals to clean the strap.

actually, my polar came with instructions to toss it in the washing machine every 5 uses or so.
i rinse it in the sink after every use, and toss it in the washer it once a week

sjtreely

I wash the elastic strip as often as I remember ... probably once a week. I don't think I've ever done anything to the plastic monitor itself other than wipe it off every so often.

dad106

I rinse it under the tap every day once I get back from the gym to make sure there is no salt buildup from the sweat. There are specific instructions on the Polar chest strap of not putting it in the washing machine or using chemicals to clean the strap.

actually, my polar came with instructions to toss it in the washing machine every 5 uses or so.
i rinse it in the sink after every use, and toss it in the washer it once a week

Exactly correct.. Those symbols on the strap are telling you that washing it in a machine is fine but not to throw it in the dryer or use fabric softener.

Happyguy

Garmin recommends you wash the strap under the tap with a small amount of dish detergent once per week so that is what I do.

jenj1313

Wow... now that I think about it, I guess it's gross but I only wash it when it's stinky. I just fill my bathroom sink water and add a bit of shampoo, then soak, rinse and air dry. I've never had erroneous readings and I always shower after exercising, so I'm not too worried about it, but after this thread will probably start washing it more often ;-)

dvisser1

Wow... now that I think about it, I guess it's gross but I only wash it when it's stinky. I just fill my bathroom sink water and add a bit of shampoo, then soak, rinse and air dry. I've never had erroneous readings and I always shower after exercising, so I'm not too worried about it, but after this thread will probably start washing it more often ;-)

Yep, I'm there too. Time to cut down on the stink.

alikat42

Any idea if Tide with Febreze is okay to use?

badgerbadger1

I have a polar and it recommends rinsing and hang dry after every use, then washing in the machine after 5 uses. So that's what I do.

meerkat70

Thanks everyone.

GroovyGma73

I like mine to stay crusty with salt stains. I have also found the stench to motivate me to run faster...outrun the smell.

LOL :laugh:

katg73

Polar recommends washing their fabric straps after every five uses in the washing machine, but in a detergent that contains no bleach and without any fabric softener. That doesn't fit in with my normal clothes washing cycles.

I've found that if I simply rinse it and don't wash it, it works only intermittently and gives strange readings, but if I wash it by hand in dishwashing liquid and rinse it carefully afterwards every week it keeps on working just fine.

I've had it for over a year now, so this seems to be an effective long term solution.

When I used to have my old Polar HRM with the enclosed rubber strap (ie not the one with the wearlink transmitter that pops on with press studs) I'd just wipe it over with a damp cloth after using it.

I know this is almost 8 months later, but I just got my FT40 and was wondering how I should wash it, googled it, and found your response. My instructions recommend the same thing, but let's be honest, my clothes washing doesn't fit in with that either. And I live in an apt complex where we pay to do our laundry and I'm not about to spend $1.75 per week washing only this thing - I don't even wash my clothes that often! In case you're wondering, it's coz I have enough clothes to get me by for a while

THANKS AGAIN!

foleyshirley

I rinse it under the tap every day once I get back from the gym to make sure there is no salt buildup from the sweat. There are specific instructions on the Polar chest strap of not putting it in the washing machine or using chemicals to clean the strap.

I have a polar FT4, and it specifically says to wash every 5 uses in the machine with detergent (no fabric softener). It also says to use lingerie bag. I wash mine by hand. But you should wash it.

Mokey41

I have a Polar FT4 and I rinse it after every use. I've never put it in the washer. The instructions were a bit confusing because it says not to put the transmitter in the wash but that means the black transmitter that you snap on not the strap itself. Another thing to save battery life is to always take the transmitter off the strap and store them away from each other.

AnjaZ89

I rinse it under the tap every day once I get back from the gym to make sure there is no salt buildup from the sweat. There are specific instructions on the Polar chest strap of not putting it in the washing machine or using chemicals to clean the strap.

my instruction thingy tells me to wash it 40°C in the washing machine at least after every fifth workout, its a Polar FT4

dogacreek

I have three straps to rotate out. I rinse mine good after each use and wash them in the machine about every 10 days. Hubby put the laundry in the dryer once and all three straps went through the dryer cycle. Fortunately, no damage was done and the readings are still good. I about had a heart attack when I realized where they were. I don't want that to happen again though.

michellekicks

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
I am a dirty pig.

... nowhere near often enough.

GoatBoat66

I just realized how gross mine probably is.

marikevr

My Garmin HRM is removable from the strap itself. I just toss it in the wash once a week.

alikat42

I rinse/drip dry after every workout and then machine wash/line dry every week.