Garmin premium soft strap has always worked well enough for me. I'm on my second one in the last 10 maybe 11 years. It's starting to show signs of wear but still sends a reliable HR.
The first strap I was replacing batteries every year. Not certain that it really needed them though. Maybe just a quirk that solved itself at the same time. Second and current strap is on it's original battery. Yeah, I keep going huh at that too when I think about it.
Those that have trouble with Garmin straps tend to like the Wahoo though.
Are you one that sweats an ungodly amount of salt? That might corrode stuff you can't see.
I almost never take the pod off my strap. I just rinse the strap under running water after every ride and lay it on a towel to dry or hang it up to dry.