Cleaning Tips for Earbuds and Headphones

There are several justifications for thoroughly cleaning your headphones, even in the absence of a worldwide pandemic. This is especially true if you make frequent use of them. Clean headphones are happy headphones—and ones that are less populated with microbes—whether you own over-ear cans or truly wireless earbuds.

Reasons to Clean Your Headphones

While we won't recommend disassembling your headphones for no reason at all, there are a few points to take into account.

For instance, a 2008 study discovered that soiled headphones may act as a disease-transmission vector. You run the risk of having an ear infection if you share headphones with someone who already has one, and vice versa. Furthermore, using headphones all the time can make your ears more damp, which attracts bacteria. Contrary to popular belief, there is no five-second limit when it comes to bacteria; sometimes they just fall to the ground. You don't want to put anything directly on your ears because there are additional bacteria on the floor as soon as the buds touch it.

What You Require to Clean Your Headphones?

You might also conclude that it's time for new headphones if you take a good look at your cans.

The primary cleaning tools are the same, whether you're cleaning earbuds, on-ear headphones, or over-ear headphones. With the right equipment, you can thoroughly clean your headphones and eradicate any bacteria or viruses that may be present. While cleaning your hands stained with rubbing alcohol or diluted bleach is easy, getting a drop in your eyes could be very painful or even cause damage. While spiffing up your cans, please exercise caution and good judgment. After completing the task, you will have a pair of remarkably clean headphones.

How to Clean Over-Ear or On-Ear Headphones?

You should take off the ear cushions and stretch the headband as far as you can to reach every nook and cranny of your headphones, depending on the model. "Clean headphones" also indicate that there is no debris or grime within. After taking off the ear cushions, take your toothbrush and get to work. Try to get rid of as many of the bigger particles and dirt as you can. Keep your distance from the drivers to avoid inadvertently moving the dirt. Next, proceed to extract any remaining hairs or dirt with the tweezers.

We can now proceed to the disinfection step after removing all of the large debris particles.

Put your headphones on the towel and pick up your preferred cleaning solution for this. You can also use diluted bleach or alcohol (63%) to eliminate viruses, in addition to hydrogen peroxide. Avoid soaking the cotton ball or paper towel since alcohol damages plastic and leather. Use just enough to give your headphones a thorough cleaning; there's no need to submerge them.

To get an idea of the amount of pressure required to remove dirt, begin with the ear pads and proceed towards the headband. As you get closer to the drivers, you'll need to be more exact, so make sure you have your technique down pat while working your way down to the ear cups.

Avoid getting any liquid lodged in the drivers of your headphones, as most of them don't function well with liquids. Hold your headphones at a 90-degree angle and make sure the open drivers are parallel to the floor to simplify this. Gently wipe the headphones, allowing gravity to force the liquid away from the interior components. Please feel free to use Q-Tips to reach any difficult-to-reach spots. After you're satisfied with how brand-new your old headphones seem, use a towel or paper towel to pat them dry. Just like Humpty Dumpty, you must put everything back together.

How to Properly Clean Earbuds?

Giant over-ear headphones are not like earbuds; earbuds are smaller and require a steadier hand than headphones. Though utilizing earbuds increases the risk of inner ear irritation and infection compared to using over-ear headphones, the payout is still well worth it.

Take out the ear tips first, being careful not to drop them. Next, thoroughly wipe the ear tips with a Q-Tip to get rid of any debris and earwax that may have accumulated there. After you're through, focus on the real earbuds.

If the cleaning tool that comes with your earbuds is metal, use it to remove any accumulated earwax, being careful not to push it in farther. If you're lacking a cleaning instrument, try some Q-Tips. To remove any last bits of earwax, gently dab at the nozzle; be careful not to push too forcefully, as this could entangle the fibers. Investing in new ear tips could be worthwhile if your current ones are getting too old. Warm, soapy water works wonderfully against germs and bacteria if you're wearing rubberized ear tips.

Cleaning Tips for Genuine Wireless Earphones

The procedure is much the same for normal earphones and true wireless earbuds. The charging case of true wireless earbuds also needs to be sanitized, which is the only distinction between the earbud types.

After cleaning the earphones, place them aside and proceed to cleaning the case. With the Q-Tips, you'll essentially follow the same procedure here. After completing the cleaning process, allow everything to dry before returning the earphones to the case. Reinstall the buds in the case after you're certain that all of the moisture has vanished.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.What is the expected lifespan of headphones?

The key determinants of headphones' lifespan are build quality, durability, and battery life. If properly cared for, a high-quality pair of wired headphones can last a lifetime. Anything that uses a battery, particularly the tiny ones used in true wireless earphones, has a finite lifespan of a few years.

2.How simple is it to clean waterproof headphones?

Because you may wash them under water, headphones or earbuds with a high IP water resistance rating are simpler to clean. All the fitness earphones included below boast at least a little water resistance.