Your Apple Watch is an incredibly resilient piece of technology. It has to be! Not only will folks take their Apple Watches for the occasional swim or dip in the dish-filled sink, it spends quite a bit of its time pressed against your oil-laden, sweat-covered skin. Over time, you'll find that your Apple Watch gets coated in all kinds of grub and grime but it doesn't have to stay that way! With a bit of elbow grease and just a few moments of your time, you can have a sparkling clean Apple Watch again!

How to clean your Apple Watch

Before we begin, I want to point out that Apple says you should avoid using soap, cleaning products, abrasive materials, compressed air, and heating devices (like a hair dryer) when you clean your Apple Watch. That said, I've used mild cleaning products and soap to clean a number of Apple devices without issue. I would suggest avoiding abrasive materials and heating devices at all costs. Apple explains why:

Apple Watch is manufactured with extreme care and precision, while leveraging state-of-the-art technology to provide the best customer experience. To ensure the watch maintains all functionality and to keep a consistent finish across the enclosure and external components, Apple does not recommend polishing or buffing the watch with abrasives.

Unless you've got a seriously grimy Apple Watch, all you're going to need is a microfiber cloth and some water.

Do not clean your Apple Watch while it's connected to the charger. Fresh, purified water — especially distilled water — is your best choice for cleaning your Apple Watch. Purified waters contain less chemical compounds (other than H 2 O) so they're far less likely to interfere with the electrical components of your Apple Watch.

Turn off your Apple Watch. Dampen your (nonabrasive) microfiber cloth with some water and wipe clean your Apple Watch. Dry your Apple Watch with a microfiber cloth.

How to clean your Apple Watch's Digital Crown

If you've ever gone to spin the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch only to find it resisting movement or sticking, this is how you remedy the situation!

Turn off your Apple Watch. Turn on your faucet and adjust the temperature until the water is warm. Hold the Digital Crown under the stream of water for about 10 to 15 seconds. If you've got a leather band on your Apple Watch, remove it before sticking your Watch in the water. Nylon, metal, and fluoroelastomer bands are fine. While it's under the stream of water, turn and press the Digital Crown. As long as water is running between the space in between your Apple Watch's housing and the Digital Crown, you should be able to dislodge any debris with this technique. Dry your Apple Watch with a microfiber cloth.

If you've got a stainless steel Apple Watch and need to do some deep cleaning, check out this piece from my colleague Daniel Bader:

How to clean, buff, and remove scratches from your stainless steel Apple Watch

How to clean your Apple Watch bands