Empowered

A Stinky Old iBook that Smells Like Sweat

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

OWC: Get the Right Memory / Ram for your Mac. Top Quality, Competitive Prices, Lifetime Warranty. Expert Support and Video Installation Guidies too! 4.0GB Matched Sets from $87.99, Options up to 32GB. Click here

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

- 2006.10.13

Last time, I discussed my purchase of a used Dual USB G3 iBook (see eBay No Longer Your Best Source for Low-end Macs).

When the iBook arrived, I unpacked it from its tight bubble wrap cocoon, pushed the latch button, and opened it. Immediately, my olfactory sense was stimulated in an astonishingly negative way.

Stinky iBook

This iBook reeked of strong, stale male sweat. It "backpacking in the same clothes for a week" reeked. It "90° in the shade, split two cords of wood, and haven't showered in three days" reeked.

You get the picture.

My first thought: Maybe you can buy novelty synthetic sweat in an aerosol can.

There was a slight chemical quality to the scent. Had this 'Book been the object of a malicious practical joke, or had someone actually wrung their perspiration-soaked T-shirt out on it?

I booted the iBook, and the smell got worse. When my wife came through the door to the living room, she exclaimed and took a step back.

"It's not me!" I barked.

Normal?

I emailed the retailer who had sold me the used 'Book and asked about the cause and projected longevity of the smell. "I am sorry, but that is normal on those older iBooks," was the brief reply.

I wondered at his use of the word "normal". This stench was anything but normal.

A search on the words "iBook" and "sweat" verified the technician's statement. Apparently an adhesive used in the labeling and construction of the keyboard would begin to out-gas about 12-18 months after the iBook was manufactured. This gas smells remarkably like ripe, testosterone-enriched perspiration, and it only gets worse with age.

Somehow my research into G3 'Books had missed this tidbit. Who would've thought to add "sweat" or "stinks" to the search terms?

The only complete cure for the stinking defect is to replace the keyboard with a brand-new one at the owner's expense.

All in all, I still felt that the iBook had been a bargain. This particular one had come with a hard drive that was three times the capacity advertised, a strong battery, and a working modem. Since my only connection option from home is dialup, that's a plus.

I also believed that the odor could be eliminated - or at least lessened - with little or no expense.

I revel in my childlike naiveté.

After a day of leaving the iBook out and open, the smell had eased a little, but it was still very present.

I was able to get close enough to install some applications and updates. I gave the iBook the network name: "Stinking Kevin", after a character in a Terry Gilliam film.

Thanks for Not iBooking

Knowing what the cause of the odor was didn't make the situation any better. Granted, this is an unpaid-for extra measure of antitheft protection, but there will come a time when I want to use this 'Book in a public place.

This conjures thoughts of Internet cafés where entering patrons are asked, "G3 iBook or non-G3 iBook?" If you reply in the affirmative, you are escorted to a special section where you won't offend the other customers.

A Partial Solution

Not being one to replace a malfunctioning part if I can fix it, I lifted the offending keyboard and closely examined the source of the problem (Imagine placing your nose in an stranger's unwashed armpit).

Removing the label on the underside of the keyboard proved to be a bad idea. The label lifted, but the adhesive remained firmly stuck in place. This would leave more of the material exposed, creating the necessity of getting it off somehow without damaging the keyboard.

I abandoned the idea after lifting one corner of the label. Working in close proximity to the fumes was also making me feel physically ill.

The offending 'stinky' label under the keyboard
The offending, stinky label beneath the iBook's keyboard

I purchased a car air freshener and placed it under the keyboard after carefully perforating the label in several places. The end result is an iBook that smells like sweaty bayberry, which is better - at least I think it is. I have read of people using dryer sheets in a similar manner. I may also try placing a small cloth bag of activated filter carbon in the AirPort card bay. LEM

Be sure to read the follow-up article, Deodorizing a Stinky Old iBook that Smells Like Sweat.

Link: Apple Discussions: iBook smell thread (very lengthy)

Recent Empowered articles

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Empowered articles copyright ©2005-06 by Hardy Menagh. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.

Custom Search

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.