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Garmin HRM Pro Plus strong offensive odor emanating from the chest strap

3828955
over 1 year ago

Hello fellow Garminians,

I have an issue with the Garmin HRM Pro Plus chest strap. After about 3 months of regular use (running), it starts to smell bad, like really bad to the point where its nauseating. I follow the care instructions to the T, rise after every use, hand wash weekly with mild detergent, rinse, hang to dry. The odor is unique in that it smells like something of a burnt electronic? Not sure exactly how to describe the smell but very pungent and fills the room and sticks to my clothes and skin. At first, I thought it was leaking something internally, Garmin kindly replaced the original unit, however the exact same issue has developed again with a new unit after 3 months of use.

I am wondering if anyone else experiences this. Is there a better way to clean it? Do all chest straps smell like this? Is it me?

I do enjoy using the unit for HR accuracy, but the smell is too much and I don't want to replace it again for a 3rd time only to have the same thing happen.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 7581323

    If you can make do with a standard ANT+ HRM that is clipped on a separate strap, that can be a solution. HRM3, HRM-Run, HRM-Dual are the Garmin products that work with a separate (and cheap) strap. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    So, lately I found a detergent that works very well with the strap and synthetic sport fabrics.

    Not sure if I'm breaking some forum rules naming it, but the Nuncas sport wear detergent in the spray-bottle is doing miracles cleaning up this stuff. No sure if you can find it outside Europe though, it's an italian product.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 9713422

    Omg! I have the same experience! My strap (only the part with the sensors) smell like stables/horse and the smell makes my t shirt smell the same. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Got the hrm pro, returned after 4 months and replacing with new one... same after few months with the new one. So I decided to upgrade with the new Hrm pro plus, same problem after 5 months of once per week usage... 

    I'm going to try the Nuncas sport wear detergent like someone aid before... Thanks

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Smero.baller.0

    Guys and gals! It's simple! No chemicals other than soap needed! Garmin does not want you to know about this one simple trick ;-)

    After each workout submerge the strap (for HRM Dual, without the module) in soapy water - like the water and soap left after washing your hands. Squeeze it and shake it a bit, maybe for 10 seconds. Then rinse thoroughly on both sides and let it dry completely. That's it. If your strap is machine washable (HRM Dual is machine washable, HRM Pro Plus is not) put it in a washing machine once per month maybe.

    Before: Two of my straps smelled like a horse and I was looking for a dead rat anytime I passed by. After: Feels like a new strap anytime I put it on, I am now more worried about the smell of my cycling jacket.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Marcin

    This is not going to work for me since it’s ONLY the sensors that smell like horse. The elastic part doesn’t smell at all. I’ve really cleaned the sensors as well, but the horse smell is still there. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 5980673

    OK, correction. I remove the module from my HRM Dual because Garmin recommends it, but I believe the module in HRM Pro Plus is not removable, so just wash the strap with the module. Garmin recommends hand-washing it every 7 uses, but I recommend hand-washing it lightly after every use. This is what made the difference in my case.

    It seems that HRM Dual is machine washable, so I machine wash it rarely. HRM Pro Plus is not officially machine washable, so I would insist even more about hand-washing it after every use.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Marcin

    Machine washing a HRM-Dual strap is OK but better not spin-dry it.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Marcin

    Thanks, will look for it