My phone smells worse than my armpit

October 11, 2006 7:23 PM

Why does my cell phone smell like heinous body odor?

ME: Clean person, showers regularly. Healthy. Fit.

My cell phone: A motorola razr with a nasty odor problem.

Seriously it smells bunk. I cleaned it with qtips and warm water, still smells. I don't even use it that much. The keypad smells the worst, like a an NYC cab whose driver hasn't showered in weeks. Like he's just been sitting in the cab sweating, dripping fast-food grease on his chest, like he has no idea what deodorant is and even if he did he would never use it.

I think the phone smells worse the longer its been on.

Ideas?

posted by catfishjohn to Technology (14 answers total)

catfish al: "god dammit. i hate catfish john. that guy seriously pisses me off."

catfish bob: "I KNOW! he's always yapping so damned loud on his phone."

catfish al: "ugh.. yeah, and the freaking ringer is set to 'blow-out-my-brain' volume."

catfish bob: "it would be so cool to fuck with him somehow!"

catfish al: "omg totally. wanna kill his pet bird?"

catfish bob: "naw, i don't wanna do any real harm or anything."

catfish al: "hmm.. hey, grab his phone off his desk"

catfish bob: *grabs*

catfish al: "heh heh, watch this...." *leaves for bathroom*

catfish bob: "oh shit, what are you doing!"

catfish al: *comes out* "lol i just wiped my ass with it!"

catfish bob: "rofl!! he'll never know!"

---

i dunno, it's just a thought. made any enemies lately?
posted by sergeant sandwich at 7:43 PM on October 11, 2006

Try cleaning it with alcohol & qtips, I did this for a phone and it worked okay. I pulled the battery first so there was no live current, and let it dry for a fair while before putting the battery in.

IANAPTCG (I am not a professional telephone cleaning guy), so do this at your own risk.
posted by tomble at 7:44 PM on October 11, 2006

You know, I don't really have an answer to this, but the keyboard on my iBook does the same thing. It totally smells like spicy unshowered person, and gets noticeably worse when the processor is running hot. Unfortunately, I'm the 2nd owner, so I can't even begin to pinpoint a possible reason for it.
posted by god hates math at 7:45 PM on October 11, 2006

btw, the soft squishy plastics like you find on keypads of things are often porous and can absorb odors, but i feel like the razr is kind of hard and slick-looking, so it might not have any of that stuff.

try cleaning it again with rubbing alcohol on your q-tip, or take the case apart if you can and give it a bath.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 7:46 PM on October 11, 2006

Well I don't know, but I totally know what I'm doing to my boss's phone now. This is going to be great.
posted by kookoobirdz at 7:49 PM on October 11, 2006

Short Gizmodo. article Similar issue with iBook keyboards: Topic: Body odor smell on keyboard. It's supposedly the adhesive, so a solvent may work, but may well destroy your phone! You might find an actual solution on the apple site, I couldn't, but I wasn't that motivated. Good luck.
posted by econous at 8:04 PM on October 11, 2006

You're not the only one with this problem.
posted by drkrdglo at 8:07 PM on October 11, 2006

I just wanted to say my old motorola phone stank. I attributed it to the amount of garlic that I ate and the fact it sat so snug on my face when I talked on it. I cleaned that phone with everything I could and nothing worked. My small nokia candybar that replaced my motorola has not had this problem for what it's worth.
posted by chrisroberts at 8:29 PM on October 11, 2006

Stop complaining. It's multimedia, and it's the future.
posted by aubilenon at 10:37 PM on October 11, 2006

Response by poster: Hmm. Thanks for the links everyone. As for enemies...well, maybe. But I would never let them in proximity to my phone. Note: Never borrow Sergeant Sandwich's phone.
posted by catfishjohn at 10:44 PM on October 11, 2006

My razr always smells like copper/coins. But then, I keep it in my pocket with all my change, so I'm not surprised. Do you wipe your phone clean every time you use it? I find that my phone's screen/keypad are almost invariably greasy after I get off the phone, even if I'm recently showered/not stinky/not sweaty. The phone itself seems to pull grease out of my skin!
posted by antifuse at 2:36 AM on October 12, 2006

Maybe use a bit of Lysol instead of just alcohol when cleaning.
posted by catseatcheese at 3:06 AM on October 12, 2006

Wipe your phone after every use, even if it's on your t-shirt. The oil from your face/ear/hair puts an invisible residue which over time can get into the cracks. Your phone gets verrry warm when you charge it, and when you talk on it too.

Perfect incubator for nasty smelling things.

I had this issue with an old keyboard. And I always had even washed my hands before using. Try the alcohol, or some Purel or something.
posted by PetiePal at 10:33 AM on October 12, 2006

Maybe you can you put it in a large plastic ziploc-type baggy with an open container of baking soda? That may absorb the odors. I do that with my shoes when the summer heat combined with my feet makes them particularly nasty.
posted by parilous at 10:46 AM on October 12, 2006