Can You Wash a Saxophone Neck Strap?

Neck straps can accumulate sweat, especially if you frequently play outdoors. This can ultimately lead to them becoming unhygienic and in need of a wash. So, is it okay to wash a neck strap?

You can wash most neck straps with warm water and a mild detergent such as dish soap. While the exact method that you should use varies based on the material that the neck strap is made of, there is a way to wash your neck strap regardless of its type.

We’re going to cover exactly how you should go about cleaning your neck strap depending on what type you have. We’re also going to cover some things that you should not use to clean your neck strap.

Cleaning for most neck straps

Fortunately, most neck straps can be washed the same way unless they are made of leather, in which case you will have to use a slightly different method. However, neck straps made entirely out of neoprene (such as the NeoTech neck straps), memory foam (some Rico neck straps) or any kind felt should all be responsive to the same kind of washing method.

Just keep in mind that if the neck strap has any leather in it, you may have to wash it a different way.

To wash non-leather neck straps you will need:

• A sink with warm running water
• A mild detergent, such as Dawn dish soap
• A towel

What you’re going to do is essentially handwash the neck strap. Start by filling your sink with warm water and some dish soap. Use your hand to agitate the soap so that it foams up. Then, let the neck strap soak in the soapy water for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes has passed, remove the neck strap from the water and place it on the towel. Make sure that you rinse it thoroughly with warm (non-soapy) running water. 

When you are finished, roll the neck strap in the towel (being careful not to wring it) and press down to remove excess water. If you would like, you can do this multiple times with multiple towels to make sure that you get out as much water as possible.

Let it finish drip-drying after you finish. Make sure that it is completely dry before you use it. 

Leather neck straps

Unlike other materials, leather has the tendency to dry out and crack if it is exposed to too much soap. It may therefore be better to use a different method which is less likely to harm the leather. 

Before doing anything else, I recommend just soaking the neck strap in warm water. There’s no need to try more drastic methods on leather unless warm water by itself isn’t doing anything. See if this makes any difference. 

If not, try applying a mix of eight-parts water and one-part mild detergent to a microfiber cloth. Then, use the microfiber cloth to wipe down the leather, and rinse the neck strap thoroughly. 

If absolutely nothing else seems to be working, my understanding is that saddle soap and leather balm can work quite well. This is somewhat harsher on the leather, but it should be sufficient at removing a bad smell.

Questionable methods

There are a lot of tricks you’ll find to clean neck straps on the internet. Not all of them are particularly good, though, so I feel the need to caution you against them in case you happen to consider them as possibilities. 

Can you put your neck strap in the laundry?

You should not put your neck strap in the laundry. The hook on the neck strap can get caught in the hoses and vents, damaging the machine. 

While this might be effective at cleaning the neck strap, it is a potential hazard to the washing machine. Washing machines have vents and other gaps, and having something get stuck in there can cause some serious damage. 

Keep your washing machine for laundry, and not for saxophone equipment. 

Can you put your neck strap in the dishwasher?

You should not put your neck strap in the dishwasher. The intense heat of the dishwasher can cause plastic on the neck strap to melt and leave behind toxic chemicals.

Neck straps are not considered dishwasher-safe. The only thing you should ever put in the dishwasher are your dishes, as other things can either get damaged or damage the dishwasher.

Putting your neck strap in the dishwasher causes a risk to both the neck strap and the dishwasher. Neck straps often contain plastic (either for the hook or the length-adjuster) which is not necessarily dishwasher-safe. If the plastic melts, then your neck strap will be unusable and your dishwasher will be left with melted plastic in it. Considering that the plates you eat off of also go in your dishwasher, this is not something that you want to happen.

Keep your neck strap out of the dishwasher.

Conclusion

Overall, washing a neck strap isn’t terribly difficult. Most non-leather neck straps can be cleaned with common-sense methods, and even leather neck straps still have a variety of options.

Just don’t try anything too ridiculous, and you (and your neck strap) will be fine.