Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert and advice columnist. She'll be here every week helping to answer your filthiest questions. Are you dirty? Email her. Are you really dirty? Join Jolie as she solves your cleaning conundrums every Friday at 1p Eastern on Facebook Live.
I have a pair of headphones that go over the head, but the place where it covers your ears is cloth. I am into music, but I don't buy expensive headphones because I wear them out every 4-5 months. I want to clean the cover, but it's non-removable and I'm afraid of using a damp cloth. I know I'll need a new pair in a few months, but I really hate my equipment being filthy.
Don't be afraid of a damp cloth! I understand completely why you may feel scared of introducing any sort of liquid to headphones, what with their electronic components, but a damp cloth is actually exactly what you should be using to keep a pair of headphones clean and earwax-free.
There is, of course, a little bit more to it than that, so today we'll go through a whole bunch of ways that you can keep your headphones clean and in good working order. These instructions can also be applied to fitness trackers, so if your various wearables are in need of some TLC, you've come to the right place.
What You Need (and What You Don't)
You may certainly go out and buy a product like Audiowipes or HygenX Headphone Cleaner—and there's certainly a lot to be said for the convenience of a wipe, specifically—but you don't have to, like, at all. The only tools and products you need to clean your headphones, no matter the style, are things you've already got around the house. Here's a list:
- Dish soap
- Water
- A soft cloth (like an old T-shirt or dish towel)
- Optional: Isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, cotton swabs, a soft bristled toothbrush (not the one you use for your teeth, please!)
Cleaning the Ear Tips and Pads
If your headphones have removable ear tips, which is true of popular brands like Beats and Bose, take them out to be cleaned separately of the rest of the unit. To clean ear tips, rub them gently but firmly using a soft cloth that's been dampened with warm water. Make sure to wring the cloth out very well so that it's just barely damp — you don't want to use too much liquid when cleaning anything with an electronic component. Allow ear tips to dry completely before reassembling the headphones. Ear pads can also be cleaned by wiping them with a damp cloth.
If the ear tips and pads are really grimy, you'll need more than just water to get them clean — that's where the dish soap comes in. You only need a tiny, tiny drop of the soap, which you'll apply to the damp cloth and use to wipe the pads and tips off. Then, rinse the cloth and go over the tips and pads to remove all the soapy residue. In the event the soap isn't enough to defeat your personal grime, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide offer a bit more cleaning power.
Cleaning the Screens
The mesh screens on headphones will accumulate dust and grit, as well as earwax buildup, which will affect the sound quality. Also, earwax buildup is just gross, and you'll probably want to get it gone when you start to notice it lingering on your headphones.
If your headphones have removable covers, take them off to gain better access to the mesh screens. Using a soft cloth, an electronics cleaning brush, or a soft bristled toothbrush, gently dislodge any debris. If earwax residue remains, slightly dampen your cleaning tool and wipe the wax away; to dissolve especially persistent earwax buildup, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide may be needed, and you should feel free to congratulate your earwax for its tenacity.
If you've used a liquid cleaning agent on the screens, wipe them dry with a soft cloth and allow them to air dry for a few minutes before replacing the covers.
Cleaning the Headband
Keeping the headband of a pair of earphones clean is pretty much an exercise in optics: A dirty headband won't impact the performance of your headphones, but it will look bad. It may also just gross you out, which is a perfectly valid feeling to have. The manner in which one would clean a headband is also the procedure for keeping a fitness tracker from becoming impossibly filthy.
Just like with ear pads and ear tips, you can use a damp, soapy cloth to clean the headband—for more stubborn grime, a soapy cloth, or rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide dipped into cotton balls, will do the trick. If there's really bad staining, a melamine foam eraser sponge can safely be used on the headband section of your headphones.
