HOPSTAR PRO and Scent: What Stays on the Surface
Two weeks on the lowest level, and the shell still smelled like the last session. The setting had nothing to do with it.
Silicone doesn't absorb odor the way people assume. Something else does, and it's usually one of three things you can remove in under a minute.
The Short Answer
Wash it within an hour of use, not the next morning. Warm water, a drop of mild unscented soap, 30 seconds of gentle rubbing over the whole body, then dry it completely with a lint-free towel before storage. The scent you're noticing is almost always lubricant residue, body oil trapped at the seam, or a closed bag that never let the surface air out. If a smell survives that routine twice, stop using it and check the port cover.
Why Silicone Doesn't Hold Scent
Platinum-cured silicone is non-porous. Its surface is smooth at a scale where odor molecules can't settle into the material, which is why it's the standard for body-safe products. Aromas sit on top rather than inside.
That's good news, and it's also why the smell is diagnosable. If the surface can't absorb anything, whatever you're smelling is sitting on the surface, or in a gap that isn't really surface. Look at the seam where the head meets the body, the ring around the button, and the charging port cover.
The Three Things That Actually Smell
Lubricant is the first. Water-based formulas leave a film that traps odor as it dries, and a film that has dried overnight is much harder to lift than one that's still wet. That's the cost of the late at night shortcut: a 30-second wash becomes a 2-minute scrub the next day. Silicone-based lubricant is worse on this count, and it's also harder on the material over time.
Body oil is the second. It collects at the seam and in the shallow groove around the control ring, and it doesn't rinse away with a quick pass under the tap. The third is storage: a closed pouch in a warm drawer holds whatever evaporated off the device, and the inside of the pouch then transfers it back.
A Cleaning Routine That Removes the Cause
Thirty seconds of actual contact, not a rinse. Warm water, one drop of mild unscented soap, and your fingers moving over the entire body, including the seam and the button ring. Rinse until the surface stops feeling slippery. That last part matters more than the soap.
Dry it with a towel that doesn't shed, then let it sit in open air for 10 minutes before it goes anywhere. The port cover should be open during that time so the inside can dry, and closed before storage.
Once a month, use a soft toothbrush on the seam only. Not on the smooth body, where it does nothing useful.
Storage: Air, Not Airtight
A pouch is fine for travel and wrong for a drawer. The material needs to breathe between uses, and a sealed bag keeps humidity against the surface. If the device lives somewhere shared, a cotton drawstring bag is better than a zippered case.
The 4.4 oz body fits in a small drawer organizer, which is enough airflow. Avoid storing it against anything scented, including soap, candles, or a lavender sachet. Silicone picks up plasticizer and fragrance from close contact with some soft plastics, and that's the one transfer that doesn't wash out easily.
When the Smell Means Something Else
A sharp chemical smell near the port is not a cleaning problem. It can indicate a failing cell or a seal that has let moisture in. Stop using it, don't charge it, and check whether the body feels warm when it's off.
A musty smell that returns within a day of cleaning points to moisture trapped under the port cover. Leave the cover open for 24 hours in a dry room and check again. If it persists, the seal has probably failed.
Who Doesn't Need This Level of Care
The honest trade-off: this is more cleaning than many people do, and more than some devices need. If you use it once a month and store it in open air, a 30-second wash is plenty and the monthly toothbrush step is unnecessary. It's also not ideal if you want something you can leave in a bag for weeks without thinking about it, because the storage rules are the part that actually keeps the surface neutral.
Skip the routine if it makes you use the device less. A slightly imperfect cleaning habit beats a device that stays in the drawer because the upkeep feels like a chore.
Sealed, Smooth, and Easy to Rinse
A non-porous surface and a full rinse are most of the battle. The rest is drying it properly.
- HOPSTAR PRO: platinum-cured silicone over a sealed IPX7 body, 4.4 oz, 10 levels, about 42 dB, and a smooth shell with one seam to check.
- Browse the Customer Favorites collection for pieces that are easy to keep clean.
- Related reading: storing HOPSTAR PRO so the silicone stays smooth and cleaning it without damaging the surface.
- New this week: where HOPSTAR PRO goes when a guest is staying.
Sources
- GETAUVE product documentation - material, IPX7 rating, weight, and care instructions for HOPSTAR PRO.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - guidance on silicone personal devices and battery safety.
- American Sexual Health Association - general education on device hygiene.
This article is general education and not medical advice. If a device retains an odor after cleaning, or the body feels warm while switched off, stop using it. Speak with a clinician about irritation that doesn't settle.
