Go around and smell everything that you touch; doorknobs, your phone, mouse, keyboard, tools, refrigerator door handle, pets, etc. something you routinely touch is foul. Some thermoplastics smell really awful when they start to degrade. I hope you find it.
this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2025
18 points (95.0% liked)
Asklemmy
50482 readers
398 users here now
A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions
Search asklemmy π
If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!
- Open-ended question
- Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
- Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
- Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
- An actual topic of discussion
Looking for support?
Looking for a community?
- Lemmyverse: community search
- sub.rehab: maps old subreddits to fediverse options, marks official as such
- !lemmy411@lemmy.ca: a community for finding communities
~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~
founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
Spot on, I finally went around and found way too many degrading thermoplastics and rubberized surfaces causing this. The umbrella handle, office chair armrest padding, a pen grip, zipper grips, plasti-dipped tool handles (which then mixes with the smell of WD-40 and skin oil on metal). Ugh. At least it makes me mindful of how nasty plastics can get and how much crud sticks to unwashed hands.
Do you use a mouse pad? If so is it old? Asking because I was smelling something like that but not on me. Just at my desk. Then I figured it out. Mine is dirty ass.
See if something is getting onto your fingertips when you touch other parts of your skin, like on your face.
I donβt know, but maybe fungal infection under fingernails? There are treatments for that.
For years I had an infection under my toenail that smelled similar. Did not harm me except create interesting odors
I get smells on my hands from food I eat, any chance it's a food ingredient like garlic or something?