How to disinfect headphones

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Learn to take care of your favorite equipment so as not to damage it.

Why clean your headphones

Many people know that smartphones are breeding grounds for germs and need regular cleaning. However, calls to disinfect headphones are much less common, and in vain. Without proper care, they can not only fail, but also become a source of disease.

Every year, otolaryngologists note an increase in the number of patients suffering from otomycosis - ear fungus. Doctors believe that infectious agents settle on headphones and reproduce well there. This is especially true for earbuds and in-ear models, because it is they that are directly in the ears of users.

In addition, earwax can clog the sound tube and get on the membrane of the emitter, which adversely affects the sound and is fraught with damage to the headphones. Therefore, cleaning should be carried out every few months.

How to handle headphones

The cleaning technique depends on the form factor of the headphones. You also need to take into account the materials of the body and nozzles so as not to spoil them with chemistry. It is definitely not worth using nail polish remover, acetone and detergents.

Do not rinse the headphones with water: moisture remaining inside the case will cause oxidation of the contacts and the copper coil, after which serious repairs will be required.

Liners, or "tablets"

In the earbuds, the speaker is located next to the protective mesh, so you need to clean them with extreme care. First, remove any sulfur, dust and dirt from the safety net. A soft-bristled toothbrush is suitable for this. Then take a cotton swab, moisten it with alcohol and clean the body of sebum.

You can also remove the safety nets and immerse them in an alcohol solution for a few minutes. However, not all models are easy to disassemble, so it is best to first look for instructions for this on the Internet.

In-ear headphones

Popular among users "plugs" are distinguished by a long sound guide going from the emitter to the ear canal. Over time, it can become clogged with sulfur and dust, then cleaning will be needed.

First, remove the attachments, wash them and put them to dry. Next, remove the wax from the protective mesh with a toothpick. Pour hydrogen peroxide into a plastic container so that only the outer edges of the sound guides can be immersed in it.

After fixing the headphones with tape, immerse them with their noses in peroxide for 15–20 minutes, then remove and let dry for 3 hours. After that, all that remains is to treat the housings with an alcohol solution.

On-ear and over-ear headphones

Since these models do not penetrate the ear canals, they are less prone to contamination. However, they also need care, as sebum accumulates on the ear pads.

If the pads are made of leatherette, then it is enough to wipe them with a cloth soaked in alcohol solution. But products made of genuine leather require daily and delicate cleaning: you need to take a dry cloth and remove grease and dirt from the surface of the ear cushions.

If the ear pads are made of velor, then they must be removed and carefully rinsed with running tap water. Then let them dry and set back.

What else is worth knowing

Another method of disinfecting headphones is ultraviolet irradiation. Some manufacturers even offer UV-lit headphones in a charging case, such as the LG Tone + Free and Accesstyle DarkBlack. However, the effectiveness of this method is questionable: expensive UV diodes costing several hundred dollars are used for disinfection, and the solutions used in headphones hardly meet medical standards.

If you have earphones with foam tips, it is worth changing them regularly at intervals of several months. Due to the porous structure, dirt and bacteria penetrate into the foam, and washing quickly destroys such attachments.