If her earrings smell even after cleaning, one of three things is usually happening. Residue is still trapped inside the butterfly back or behind the setting, the smell is coming from her lobe rather than the earring, or the finish has worn and the metal underneath is reacting with sweat. Each one has a different fix, and only the last one means the pair needs replacing. Our safety FAQ covers everyday care.
Why earrings smell even after cleaning
The smell is the same every time. Skin oil, dead skin cells and sweat collect around a piercing, and as they sit and break down, they give off that sour, cheesy odor. It's ordinary, it happens to adults as well as children, and it isn't a sign she's been neglected. The full explanation is in Why do earrings smell? and the reason for the particular cheese note is in Why do earrings smell like cheese?
The question here is narrower. You've cleaned them, and the smell is still there.
Step 1: Did the cleaning reach inside the back?
This is the most common reason, by a distance.
A butterfly back has two curled loops that grip the post. The inside of those loops sits right against the back of her lobe, and it's where most of the build-up collects. A quick rinse, or a wipe across the front of the earring, doesn't reach it.
What to do. Take the back off the post. Soak the earring and the back separately in warm water with a drop of mild soap for a few minutes. Work a soft toothbrush into the loops of the back and around the base of the setting. Rinse well, then dry everything completely before it goes back together.
If the smell is gone: that was the cause. Clean the back this way once a week.
If it's still there: go to step 2.
Step 2: Did you clean her lobe too?
An earring only carries the smell it picks up. If the earring is clean and her lobe isn't, the smell comes straight back within a day.
What to do. At bath time, wash the front and back of her lobe gently with mild soap and water, rinse, and pat it dry. Skin behind the ear stays damp and warm for longer than most skin, so drying it properly matters as much as washing it.
If the smell stops coming back: the lobe was the source. A wash once or twice a week is usually plenty.
If the earring itself still smells after a thorough clean: go to step 3.
Step 3: Is the earring hard to get clean?
Some earrings hold residue in places no brush reaches.
- Glued stones. A gap between the stone and the setting traps residue. Soaking repeatedly also weakens the glue.
- Hollow or open-backed settings. The cavity behind the front holds residue against the lobe.
- Threaded posts. Screw-back threads hold build-up in every groove.
- Silicone backs. Soft material absorbs residue and odor over time.
If this sounds like her earrings: cleaning will help for a while, and the smell will keep returning. A simpler stud with fewer gaps is the long-term fix.
If her earrings are simple studs: go to step 4.
Step 4: Has the finish worn?
This is the cause cleaning can't fix.
Look at the post and the back under good light. If they've gone darker than the front, look patchy, or show a different color where the finish has rubbed through, the base metal is now exposed. Copper, brass and other unnamed alloys react with sweat and moisture, and that reaction adds a sharp, metallic smell to the usual one.
I've been in the factories where many of these finishes are applied. A lot of earrings are given a PVD coating, which is marketed as hard-wearing. Functionally, it's like a varnish over the jewelry. As soon as it wears away, her skin is against whatever the earring is actually made of. No amount of cleaning changes what's underneath.
If the finish has worn: retire the pair. The smell will keep coming back, and her skin is now in contact with a metal nobody has named.
Why do my earrings keep smelling after a while?
Even a well-made, well-cleaned earring builds up residue again over a few days of continuous wear. That's normal. Earrings that smell after a while are on a cleaning timetable, not failing.
The pattern to look out for is the gap getting shorter. A pair that once stayed fresh for a week and now smells within a day or two has usually started to wear.
How to keep earrings from smelling
- Clean the back as carefully as the front, once a week for a pair she wears every day.
- Wash and dry her lobes at bath time.
- Dry the earrings completely before they go back in.
- Earrings on last, off first, so lotion and hair products don't build up on them.
- Take them out for swimming and let everything dry before they go back in.
The longer version, with what to use and what to avoid, is in How do I stop her earrings from smelling?
When it isn't the earring
A smell on its own is ordinary. If her lobe is also red, hot, swollen or painful, or there's discharge, take the earrings out and speak to her pediatrician. That isn't something cleaning the earring will solve. The wider picture of how ears react to earrings is in Why do her ears react to earrings?
What we do
Our Polished Surgical Steel range is made of one material, S316L Surgical Steel, the same grade used in medical instruments and implants. Nothing is plated over it, so there's no coating to wear through and nothing reactive waiting underneath. It runs through the setting, the post and the butterfly back.
Independently tested by SGS to ASTM F2923 and CPSIA, with nickel release not detected under EN 1811. Report BTO 341803/1.
Steel doesn't stop residue collecting, and ours still need cleaning. What it changes is step 4. If the 4mm Flawless Crystal Stud Earrings in S316L Surgical Steel smell, it's residue, and soap and water will deal with it. The full range is on the Polished Surgical Steel collection.
Questions parents ask next
Why do my earrings always stink, even new ones? If every pair ends up smelling, the source is most likely her lobe rather than the earrings. Washing and drying the back of her ear usually fixes it.
Can I soak smelly earrings overnight? A few minutes is enough. A long soak doesn't clean any better, and it can loosen glued stones and damage worn plating.
Does rubbing alcohol get rid of the smell? It can remove residue on solid steel, but soap and water does the same job more gently. Alcohol doesn't reach inside the loops of a back any better than a brush does.
Is it normal for the back to smell worse than the front? Yes. The back sits against the skin behind her lobe, which stays warm and damp for longer.
Should she sleep in her earrings if they smell? I'd take them out for a night, clean them and her lobes, and let both dry fully before they go back in.
Related reading
- Why do earrings smell?
- How do I stop her earrings from smelling?
- Why do earrings smell like cheese?
- Why do her ears react to earrings?
About the author. Matt Westmore is the founder of purepixxi. He came to children's jewelry from manufacturing and sourcing rather than marketing, which means he has walked the factory floors and knows what is actually inside a product rather than what a label says about it. purepixxi uses two materials only, names them exactly, and has them independently tested.
