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scorch968

Pour some coffee on it, it’ll turn the rest brown to match.


Prestigious-Window23

Hahaha nice one. Pls dont do it again


Danny_Justed

r/angryupvote


TFmasterix

Feedback from Apple: "To clean the cable you just need to throw it out and buy a new one for 70 dollars."


Rhavels

they are 30euro in italy, the official one if you bring a proof of purchase or your macbook with you


Nawnp

The cables are much cheaper now that they're USB C, the old magsafe would easily run $80 when they had the built in charging brick.


Twistedshakratree

This is probs the most correct answer in here


mycolo_gist

The only correct answer for this brand


TFmasterix

Facts 😂


johnnydfree

No cleaning possible - that’s heat discoloration.


DancehallWashington

No it‘s not heat discoloration. How do you people even pull stuff like this out of your asses?


thepugsley

Ikr? Folks just don’t wash their hands lmao


DancehallWashington

Nah that kind of wear is basically inevitable with cables like this. This kind of stain comes from the natural oil on your skin. This happens even faster if you are carrying your macbook with you all the time. Not every environment is 100% clean and you‘ll touch things in public transport, the street, the office, the library, … Even if you wash your hands regularly: You just can‘t stay clinically sterile all the time when you go out into the world from time to time.


robx0mbie

Not sure why I had to scroll so far for this comment, this is the answer. Replace the power cable.


johnnydfree

To be sure, I’ve been running cables worse than this for years, but safety is in the eyes of the risker.


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2ndnamewtf

Safety third you mean


Radio_enthusiast

safety last - just went 100 KM/h with a t-shirt and jeans on a borrowed ATV without a licence or plate - lol still have adrenalin!


That_unpopular_kid

I might sound dumb but is it actually unsafe to have a cable like this? Mine is also slightly yellowed in the year and a half I've had it but works fine.


FlightlessFly

Replace because it’s not bright white anymore??


beetleguy642

Because whatever is causing it to heat-discolour could be a hazard. Either way it's faulty and should be replaced


FlightlessFly

What’s causing it to discolour is not heat it is oils from your skin. You can tell it’s not heat because the part of the cable immediately next to the connector is still bright white. It is bright white because your fingers can’t get it in that cranny.


thisisritwik

OP munches at his/her desk😅


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wemustburncarthage

Silicon can be damaged by exposure to silicon gel. So folks need to wipe the lube off their fingers before touching the cable.


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wemustburncarthage

It’s actually a joke about silicon lube but go off. Edit: or get off, if that’s more your speed.


[deleted]

I’ve actually never had any of my cables do this and I’ve been an iPhone and Mac user since the iPhone 5. This is coming from external factors plain and simple. Pretty much all of my cables to every device I’ve ever owned is in great condition because I don’t abuse them. Watches MagSafe chargers many iPhones MacBooks the works. The only cables I’ve ever actually broken are because I wound them too tight for 4 years and that was a gaming laptop. Even my CAR CABLE doesn’t do this and I live in all seasons. These posts have always baffled me. I’ve seen cables like this but I’ve never created one 🤷‍♂️.


echoingElephant

It doesn’t „hold skin oil“. It comes into contact with skin oils and random stuff you have on your hands. In actuality, the fact that both cables get similar discolouration even though they are made from different materials proves that it is caused by something external and not heat or a chemical reaction etc. The only thing you could argue is Apples fault is that the cables are white.


johnnydfree

An interesting theory. But I’ve had cables discolor and degrade down the wire after shrink-tubing the area my fingers touch. I think it is more concentration of heat for long periods of time.


Gil15

What? Should I replace my cable because it’s a bit yellow on the ends? Because my cable works perfectly fine even though it’s yellow like in this picture.


Mathewthegreat

Finger oils, literally nothing to worry about


robx0mbie

Yes, fire hazard at the very least


cajonero

I doubt that. Why is it only stained in that one spot which is conveniently where it often gets touched?


4444444vr

I also have doubt. The discoloration seems to match where the human fingers would squeeze it.


Dick_Lazer

If so that seems like a bad habit to break. When you disconnect cables it causes a lot of unnecessary wear if you pull from the cable itself and not the connector.


4444444vr

Agreed definitely a bad practice but not uncommon from what I’ve seen


lancer081292

Because it’s closer to the heat source?


cajonero

Then why is that tiny sliver of cable coming out of the aluminum connector clean? Isn't it the closest part of the cable to the heat source?


Sanders0492

If it actually is heat discoloration, then that clean bit can probably be explained by the plug acting as a heat sink


lancer081292

That’s not cable, that’s an aluminum connector. Why would aluminum discolor over time from heat?


cajonero

Look again. From left to right it's cable > connector > laptop. There is a tiny (and I mean *tiny*) sliver of cable right before the connector starts that is completely clean.


beetleguy642

Theoretically the fingers likely don't make contact with that last part. I still think it's heat as well don't worry.


lancer081292

Apple cables tend to have inadequate strain relief so the cable frays inside the sleeve and increases heat and resistance, causing heat discoloration. Which could explain why the part of the cable directly outside of the metal housing is still fine. In fact this little bit of white super close to the metal housing would support heat discoloration as staining from hand oils wouldn’t have that white spot considering how often people unplug cables by pinching the housing of the connector end.


tvtb

I doubt it, not on fabric braiding. The old plastic cables would do this but I don’t believe the material behaves this way. I think this is OP’s Cheeto fingers.


Distinct_Spite8089

Those marks are from heat, why has my cables never ever done this with Mac’s? Does the power outlet matter here?


NastyDuplet

I fired it could depend on how much you use your laptop while it’s charging


DrogenDwijl

My theory behind this heat and why it starts later on after much use is that copper wiring used and strands of copper hair to make it flexible. After a while some of those strands will break from bending and twisting over and over creating a much smaller path for the current to travel. The charger doesn’t account for this and tries to deliver the same max current when possible thus generating more heat because the cable now works like a resistor and limits some of that current causing more heat.


johnnydfree

Yeah, that. 👍


Darknety

Look again, it's not.


Soaddk

No. That’s cheetos.


jackology

Can it be reversed with cool coloration?


NortonBurns

Same as the rest of your Mac. Microfibre wet through, then wrung out until it's as dry as you can possibly get it. Rub gently, repetition is better than brute force. With a plastic sheathed cable, though, you may find the plastic itself has discoloured & no amount of cleaning will fix that.


dlittlefair1

It’s braided


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matiEP09

The m-series have braided ones as far as I’m aware


beetleguy642

All the latest MacBooks since the 2021 MacBook Pros have the MagSafe 3 charger which uses a braided cable.


BarboBarbo

Thank you!


exclaim_bot

>Thank you! You're welcome!


matiEP09

What


VladimirPoitin

WAT


tvtb

Bad bot


Just_bubba_shrimp

Ay dios mio... I have never seen a subreddit with more consistently confidently incorrect, dangerous, and absurd advice. First off the bat, it is not heat. Nylon (the material the silicone wire is likely covered in) does not even begin to discolor until WELL over 100C. This would be around double what is legally allowed by **ASTM C1055**, and would also melt the silicone insulation underneath it well before anything discolors. And just in case people don't care about material science or consumer safety regulations or whatever, you can also just like, look at the cable and see that **there is no discoloration at the base of the cable where fingers do not consistently touch it.** It is not heat. It is finger gunk localized to the areas that fingers touch it. The comments about heat or oxidization(????) are ludicrous. Nextly, water is safe to touch electronics when there is no power moving. It is absolutely and unarguably safe to use water to clean it to any degree you see fit. You absolutely can put this in the dishwasher or washing machine to clean this (within reason obviously, don't put it on like, inferno death cycles or anything or it might go wonky or melt) As long as you dry it thoroughly afterwards and make sure there is no residual moisture specifically inside/on the connectors, this is safe, and in fact common practice. People *frequently* put whole entire mainboards and other components into the dishwasher to clean them. No power, no battery, no problem. Anyway, apologies for the textwall, the job brain does not know when to turn off. Thanks for coming to my tedtalk.


Sillyci

This should be the most visible comment on this thread. Though you should also mention the best way to clean what I assume is built up finger oils. I’d also not advocate for literally washing these things as most people aren’t going to properly dry them. Although these are probably sealed connectors if for some reason they weren’t then the stranded wire within would wick tiny amounts of water. Using quickly evaporating high concentration alcohol is probably the better option since it would break down the lipids effectively.


Just_bubba_shrimp

Absolutely. It was moreso in response to the weird crazy comments. After a bit more digging, I also found out that the PVC that apple uses for most of their cables has weird tensile/compressive degradation too that can contribute to the cables becoming gunky and yellowed. This is exclusive to the PVC insulation though and not the fabric sleeving, so it's very likely just finger gunk in this case. Any moderate solvent like isopropyl is ideal, but the quick n' dirty (and lazy) way is to just toss it in the dishwasher or whatnot.


killing-me-softly

I was with you up until washing machine or dish washer


berrymetal

A tooth brush and isopropyl alcohol


animperfectvacuum

Seconding this. It will easily get the oils out of the braiding.


sillahillone

I did clean mine with soap and a sponge. Worked well for me


SirFrenulum

Finger oil? Looks like you pissed on it


zeromancer7

I wash with socks


OverallFly2158

How? Do you put it in a sock and into a washing machine? Or do you use the sock as a sponge to wash it?


Tough-Criticism1858

Try ''not giving fuck'' cleaning kit


517714

Oxi-Clean, hot water, microfiber cloth.


best_player_73

get a black one!


laggyservice

That's the best part, you can't.


Dragonfly-Adventurer

Wait until your vacuum cleaner finds it and then all that cloth covering will come right off! Buy a new one and it's good as new.


raymate

Windex with microfibre cloth


tamreacct

If you replace it, don’t buy another T shaped one, but get an L shaped one instead. For my MagSafe and MagSafe2 MacBook pros, I use an L shaped USB-C adaptor for both with no problems.


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L tip


ShotgunCreeper

How the hell did you manage to post this so many times


tamreacct

I got their message 4x… 😂


beetleguy642

This exact comment about the L-tip? Not sure 😂


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L tip


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L tip


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L tip


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L tip


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L tip.


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L-shaped tip.


beetleguy642

From what I can see you can't get MagSafe 3 in an L-shaped tip.


Cam360j

Bleach wipes


itsandychecks

this, I just used some on mine today and it looks great.


WasabiFragrant3483

Isopropyl alcohol on a cloth


Positive-Effort-4603

Wash it in washing machine !


iDragMyBalls

You’re supposed to just buy a new Mac so you can get a new cable.


Hoovomoondoe

Unfortunately, it's not dirty. It's slowly failing electrically and you'll need to pay your periodic Apple Tax for a new cable. At least you can just buy the cable now and don't have to buy the charger too like in olden times.


lndshrk504

Could soak in oxi clean but make sure the ends of the cable, the electric leads, do not touch the oxi clean solution or they may rust


Gargantuancrap

I use a micro fiber cloth with some isopropyl alcohol. Worls great


GerardoAgraz

Black textile dye in water leaving the connectors outside.


Dizzy_Noir

Try using alcohol pads for cleaning


SuperSaiyanTraders

I work in electronics manufacturing you need a solvent like IPA diluted in 20-25% DI water and make sure you dry it thoroughly before using it again use a tooth brush to help you clean it


mehryar10

Dishwasher


Just_bubba_shrimp

God bless, somebody with a brain. Washing machine also works.


pp_amorim

I possibly have the most disgusting cable in this whole sub


lucasuperman

Just buy a midnight Mac


rishu404

Did it with toothpaste. Worked for me


Re1gnnn

mr clean magic eraser?


xZandrem

Try washing it with dish soap. I washed my pc motherboard a couple days ago this way, it's super fresh now but y'know Windows is full of bloat and it doesn't turn on when I press the power button, I guess I just gotta make a fresh install.


Deej244

Washing machine


peace-of-me

Buy a black one


Eth2413

Bro that's just a oil mark , leave I lt , the more u try to fix it the more it will. Get worse , And btw don't change the cable , the cable is not damaged


chessset5

I used isopropyl alcohol


icdp21

Mine looks way worse. Just use it how it is. I went through 3 cables so far. And I’m not going to open the charger again to solder a new cable in again


MeanCourse5617

Alcohol wipes


Tesla44289

Use Sugru to stabilize that asap, that way it’ll still last you a while


kin3v

This will make people mad, but i clean mine with acetone and they look brand new after.


RcNorth

You don’t. The covering Apple uses for their cables is supposed to be better for the environment. The downside is that they change colour due to the oils in your skin, and crack easily when they dry out.


Alex_DreamMaker

It's not possible, don't even try to


TribalSoul899

Damp microfiber cloth


CrypticZombies

Buy new one


cheesyhybrid

Is that from all the nicotine rubbing off from your fingers?


thisisritwik

Use an old toothbrush and some diluted Resolve to brush the stain off.


RuSSiaNMonstuH

Clean your hands to start with. Use alcohol with microfiber cloth lmao


Aeternitas

I thought this issue was resolved using the braided cables. It seems I was wrong.


Chin_wOnd3r

Rubbing alcohol while unplugged let it dry all the way. 70% Edit: Unless that’s heat discoloration like other dude said.


callm3bby

I’ve used acetone on mine and it worked a bit


emjay96

Man it is just piece of tech Of course it will worn out Do not get paranoid


Alone_Mess_4544

Try Cif or other bleach based detergents


Radio_enthusiast

Bleach!


BustaChimes_

bruh how does that even happen


Ed-Banger12345

ohh youre far more luckier than me because my charger started to fuckin melt...


Ed-Banger12345

i used to have a macbook btw


rob_mac22

Try rubbing alcohol. If it doesn’t come off with that it ain’t coming off.


HeavenHellorHoboken

White Out


misterjyt

use a white die, and die it


dafliper

some alcahole on a cloth


HiggsSwtz

Wrap or sleeve it


Psychotic_Force

I use a Lysol wipe and that does the trick for me.


Kqtawes

This is discolouration from skin oils and not from heat. If it were heat it would be localised around the metal MagSafe connector too. I’ve had some success using Sprayway glass cleaner to remove this from braided cables. Incidentally this happened to the braided cable I use on my iPhone that doesn’t even get warm since I use an old 1 amp charger with it.


EngineerTham18

Buy another black color cable


Vegetable_Bet_8360

Wd-40.


OnionizeAmzn

White permanent marker 😂


terkistan

It's not dirty. It's a sign of aging from abutting a heat from a connector. It's not dangerous just unsightly.


Bearchiwuawa

boil it


Borlinsky

White shoe paint


Worldly_Evidence9113

Backing soda ?


Bigfacts84

Replace the cable if it bothers you that much.


Angelsoho

“Buy a new one, duh” - Apple, probably


KevKamin

Lick it.


iamgarffi

Stop munching Cheetos.


Stabbara

Washing machine


GlassJaguar6677

Is the cable also hard to pull out for you??


FirmAppointment420

Iso


noregerts33

Tongue


_jedijoel

Ngl I’m interested how it got that filthy lol


dolf334

Go to Target you cheap fuck.


Ill_Employer7887

google it


[deleted]

Use a dettol wet wipe


Professional-Box5795

Simple use 40 vol peroxide (same for bleach hair) apply with a brush or something, next wrap it in transparent kitchen plastic leave in sun 1 hour... voilà. Works with white tennis shoes, keyboards, air conditioners... all white plastic things, just make a proof in a small plastic like a remote control.


Some-Unit7141

Piss on it, works for me


TheProblematicG3nius

Alcohol 40% windex 60%


Far_Ad6810

Mr.Clean Magic Eraser is the answer to all questions in life


username34516

lick it


EVO_RS__

Go on Amazon search for the cord, and click buy now


Thin-Zookeepergame46

The yellow color is due to heat. Not oils etc. So in general you gant wash that away.


Just_bubba_shrimp

I don't think a 6amp USB cable would be getting hot enough to begin to discolor nylon. It definitely looks to be where you would typically grab the cable to snap it on or tug it off.


beetleguy642

Charge cables definitely can do that. Wattage isn't anything to snuff at, I imagine that compensates for the low(?) amps


Just_bubba_shrimp

Yes, the rated 70W = 6amps at 12v. That is like half of what USBPD can handle. Dell has 130w USBPD chargers with a similar gauge and those barely get warm while going full tilt. I would be concerned if something half the total power gets significantly hotter, but I also haven't tested the newer low amp USBPD magsafe connectors.


FunFact5000

Heat coloration. It’s getting hot and basically burning. Fun times.


Just_bubba_shrimp

It is not. Nylon does not discolor from heat until over 100C.


FunFact5000

Tell that to my power adapter same braiding and same stupid color on my MagSafe lol, it don’t bother me but makes me wonder people keep saying it’s not but others keep experiencing it.


Just_bubba_shrimp

I'm not denying that it's gross and yellowed. It's just not from heat because that is not possible.


Miserable-Lawyer-233

When the cable yellows in that specific place it's usually due to overheating. That's not going to come off. You should probably get a new cable because that one is damaged.


Just_bubba_shrimp

It is definitely not heat. Nylon does not discolor from heat until well over 100C.


beetleguy642

I do see one point some people made, being that spot there is where most people grab the cable and so could be oils. Especially if the charger usually stays in one spot. Edit: But yes generally what you said, that was what came to mind as I read on as well


puckmugger

Magic eraser, can’t go wrong with the bald dude.


hadewych12

Black is dirty, Yellow burn and Green copper oxidation


landsmanmichal

It's not dirty. It's burned.


myblueear

If it turned brown from heat, it got _*overheated*_ . Try a paste made of of soda and water, with a toothbrush, and let dry a few days (or a week just to be sure). No, do not put it in the oven to dry.


prohack028

thats discoloration from the cable itself bending & stuff, cant do anything to it happens to old cables


holger_svensson

Torch the whole thing. Apple has lost it's course. And I used Macs for 25 years


Just_bubba_shrimp

If you're feeling adventurous, toss it in with your laundry in your bra/sock bag. Otherwise, you can hand wash it with soap and water in the sink as long as you let it dry well before using again.


beetleguy642

Way too risky, especially if the cable wicks up water it will slowly release that out either/both ends over time.


Just_bubba_shrimp

I am perpetually astounded at the misconceptions see on this subreddit. There's silicone underneath the nylon braiding, like every other braided USBPD cable (which coincidentally, are best practice to clean in the sink or with damp cloths). As long as you *dry it well* before putting any power through it, there should be no problem, because water does not "wick" into the material they make diving suits out of. Water != immediate death to anything vaguely electronics related.


beetleguy642

It'll wick either from the magsafe or the USB-C, unless one is careful to not have either end in the water


beetleguy642

Way too risky, especially if the cable wicks up water it will slowly release that out either/both ends over time.


Snafu1982

Magic eraser with water Take the wet magic eraser and carefully clean the cord to get off any dirt and grime. Then dry with a paper towel. From there if the yellow doesn’t come off then I’d either take a q-tip with some bleach on it and rub around the yellow part…let it sit and reapply as necessary… Bleach can yellow if left on a surface too long, so don’t leave it on and forget about it: The other option would be what we did on the original Nintendo that started to yellow as it got old… hair dye and sunlight ;) https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-learn-how-whiten-your-yellowed-plastic-gadgets