Somewhere (not here) I read that X-Pole doesn’t recommend using rubbing alcohol on their poles, but a lot of us here, myself included, have used it with no problems. It’s recommended to wash the excess grease off the screw threads before you assemble the pole, and there’s wax? coating the pole when you first get it, but it’s a very thin layer to protect it during storage and shipping: not enough to do much of anything… It’s not polish, though, that’s for sure.

Like Fleur said, are you sure it’s a true X-Pole? 2 things to check: 1) color of the rubber on the top of the dome. Black is fake, clearish is real and 2) that there’s 2 little Xs inscribed on the base of the pole, right below the hex screws that you use to switch between spin and static. Fakes don’t always have the Xs.

Another possibility is your cloth… was it brand new or have you used it in the past for something else? Either way there might have been something in the cloth that didn’t mix with the rubbing alcohol. Try cleaning your pole again with a different cloth (because whatever was causing that smell is still on your pole so I’d clean it again anyway) and see if you get the same result. I’d also not dilute the rubbing alcohol…

If you’re worried it’s doing damage to your pole, look at the edges of the pieces, like the "corners" at the very ends of the pole by the screw threads, etc. and see if your chrome is chipping off or anything out of the ordinary.

Also don’t be afraid to call X-Pole customer service and see what they say. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_salut.gif