Not only are clean earbuds advisable health-wise, keeping your audio accessories clean makes their sound quality consistently sound better. Also, personally, I find clean headphones/earbuds comfortable.
Why You Should Clean Your Earbuds
Let’s use a cloth analogy here once again. Undoubtedly, you leave the house wearing clean and properly laundered clothes every morning, yes? And do they, somehow, become less clean (read: dirty) when you return home later in the day? Yes, your clothes get dirty subconsciously. This is almost the same with the tech you put in your ears every day. As you plug your earbuds in your ears, dead skin cells, grime, ear wax, oil, dust, sebum, make-up, and other facial/skin products stick to different parts of the device. Even when you put them in your pocket, bags, or on the table, they pick up dirt. Every. Single. Day. This is why it is advised that you should clean your earbuds at least every week. But given how small and delicate earbuds are, how do you efficiently clean them? Find out the tips on how to clean your earbuds below.
How to Clean Your Earbuds
What you’ll need…
Cotton SwabsMild Detergent (Dish soap)Distilled waterSoft Cleaning Brush or Wax Loop or ToothbrushAlcohol WipesHydrogen peroxide (3%)
Procedures for Earbuds Surface To clean the outer covering of your earbuds:
Before anything, ensure that your earbuds are disconnected from your smartphone and powered off.Dampen a piece of cloth with warm water and soap and wipe down the outer part of your earbuds. This cleans sweat, dirt, makeup, etc.Next thing is to dry with a soft cloth.
P.S: Do not use alcohol or any other harmful chemicals as they can discolor the paint of your earbuds and ultimately disfigure the aesthetic — especially if they are made with leather or fabric. Soap is enough to remove dirt. Procedures for Cleaning Earbuds Opening The openings of your earbuds require extra care when cleaning. Here’s how you can go about it:
If your earbuds are covered with silicone covers/tips, dislodge/remove them.Hold each earbud so that the opening is facing down – this is to prevent particles from being pushed further into the earbuds when cleaning them.Use a clean, dry earbud cleaning brush or a wax loop (like this one) to remove wax and dirt from each earbud. Alternatively, you can use a clean and dry toothbrush.If the dirt or wax buildup on the earbuds are a bit tough, dip a cotton swab in a small quantity of hydrogen peroxide and gently clean the earbuds.You can also gently tap the back of the earbuds as you clean with either brush or cotton swab so the dirt/particles can fall out easily.
Remember, the opening of you earbuds should be faced down during the cleaning process. Also, don’t push the cleaning materials (brushes, cotton swab, wax loop, etc.) too hard when cleaning as you might push particles deeper into the earbuds. Or worse, the particles get stuck in the opening. WARNING: Never use a needle, toothpick or other materials with sharp endings to remove debris, dirt or wax out of your earbuds. Asides from the risk of pushing these material further into the mesh screen/earbud opening, you could also damage the device.
Earbuds Maintenance Tips
Your earbuds (the Apple AirPods, for instance) cost you a lot of money to purchase, yeah? And even if it cost just a meager amount of cash, you don’t wanna see it get damaged and your money down the drain, yes? That’s more reason why should take care of your earbuds.. and here are some useful tips to get the ball rolling. Follow these tips when using and cleaning your earbuds and get the best out of them; longevity and consistent top-notch audio quality.
