Keeping your headphones clean is very important, not just for your image but also for your ear health. Cleaning them minimizes the risk of ear infections. At the same time, you also do not want to be using headphones that smell of sweat because they will not be comfortable.
To maintain hygiene and prevent ear damage, clean and remove sweat smell from headphones by wiping, soaking, using gel, or replacing the caps. Therefore, let us focus on learning how to do this and maintain our headphones.
Dirty headphones tend to attract bacteria among other pathogens that may infect you. The bacteria that get on the headphones can also have negative effects on the health of your ears.
Steps how to Effectively Clean your Headphones
The parts of the headphones that are more prone to being dirty are the ear pads. This is because they are the one that comes into direct contact with your skins. Most modern headphones have detachable ear pads.
1. Detach every detachable part from the headphones
If your headphones have detachable ear pads you should remove them before starting the cleaning process.
But if they are fixed you shall have to clean them when they are still on the headphones.
All you need to do is to make sure that every part of the headphone or earphone that is dirty or smelly, is reached by your cleaning agent.
By cleaning agent here, I mean water or soap. The picture on the left shows how to detach earpads for cleaning.
2. Have all things in place
It is also important to make sure that you have all the things required in place. I prefer using a soft and clean piece of cloth to do the cleaning. But you can also other things provided they are soft.
According to my experience in cleaning headphones, you should also ensure you have water and hydrogen peroxide to do the cleaning effectively.
3. Apply little soap or hydrogen
When you have everything you need and you have detached the ear pads, you should then proceed to add a small quantity of soap and hydrogen peroxide into the water. After this, you should dip the clean piece of cloth into the soapy water and then squeeze the water out until the piece of cloth is just dump.
4. Wipe with cloth
You should then take the dump piece of cloth and wipe the headphones gently.
It is advisable to mostly concentrate on the mesh acre since this is where most dirt hides.
You should wipe the headphones until you are sure that there is no hole in the mesh that is blocked.
5. Wipe the soap residue with a cloth
After this, you should take another clean piece of cloth and make it dump with plain water. Use this cloth to wipe the headphones so that you can remove any soap residue that might have been left. Furthermore, cleaning headphones is more effective if the soap used is of the right quality.
Advanced methods of Cleaning of your Headphones
1. Cleaning by Soaking: Only when need be
When it comes to cleaning the earbuds you should soak them with clean water that has detergent and hydrogen peroxide. You can squeeze them gently to make sure you remove the dirt that might be stuck on them.
Since most ear caps are made using soft materials you should be very gentle. When you are sure they are clean rinse them with plain water and place them in an open place to dry.
After a few minutes, the ear caps shall be dry and you can put them on the headphones.
The entire process will ensure that even the bacteria are eliminated by hydrogen peroxide. According to the way I do it, the cleaning process should take just a few minutes.
2. Cleaning the entire wire and Jack
Besides cleaning just the heads of your headphones, you can also clean the entire set including the wire and the jack. This is helpful because it will make you feel as if you are using entirely new headphones.
Some of the most important areas to be cleaned include the jack which gets into other devices. You should also ensure that you clean the ports and the headband properly.
To do the advanced cleaning you will need a dump piece of cloth which you will use to wipe all the other areas of the headphone. So as to clean the interior parts such as inside the ports, you shall need a soft brush. I use a toothbrush to do this and it has proven to be effective.
Just run the brush through the interior parts gently to remove any dirt that might have been hidden there. A demonstration from experts on how to clean headphones shows that this entire process is simple.
Vital Precautions and warnings to take while cleaning headphones
While cleaning your headphones you will need to make sure they are unplugged. This is to avoid power-related accidents. It is also advisable to remove the ear pads very gently because they are dedicated. If the earbuds are not removable you should wipe them gently while they are still on the headphones.
Some headphones have certain special requirements when it comes to cleaning. Such products come with specific instructions. As a result, cleaning headphones with specific instructions can require special work.
If your headsets come with special instructions it is paramount to follow the instructions exactly the way the manufacturer has described.
How to remove Sweat Smell from Headphones
There is a high likelihood that you will be using your headphones while exercising. The sweat from your body will get into the headphones and this will make them smell of sweat.
There are various ways to remove the smell from the headphones and by knowing these ways you shall be able to keep your headphones smelling fresh.
1. Using Silica Gel Packets
These packets can be helpful because they are very effective when it comes to absorbing moisture. They are perfect to absorb moisture from moist headphones.
You will just need to place them on the ear caps when you are not using your headphones.
They shall absorb the sweat effectively and this will significantly mitigate the smell of the sweat. You can find these packets in most of the packages that come with electronics and foods.
Consequently, you will remove the sweat smell from headphones without struggling through using these packets.
2. Getting replacement ear caps
Most of the modern headphones come with replacement ear pads. In fact, all the headphones that I have bought over the years came with more than one set of earpads. If you have replaced ear pads you shall be able to effectively interchange them according to WikiHow.
You should clean the ones that you remove to make sure they will be clean the next time you will be using them. This will help a lot in reducing the chances of your headphones smelling sweat.
Besides using the replacement ear pads that come with the headphones, you can also new ones from different stores. This will not cost you that much since most of the ear pads are affordable.
Just ensure you purchase the right products that are of the right quality as recommended by CNET about wiping your headphones. Ensure that they can fit properly on your headphones and they will be able to provide the necessary comfort.
It’s Easy! Just clean your headphone and earphones
It takes just a few minutes to ensure they are in the best condition especially when it comes to cleanliness. You shall not need to be an expert to keep your headphones clean and smelling fresh. you only need to know how to clean and remove sweat smell from headphones and you will be sorted.
Therefore, irrespective of the headphones you are using, always make sure they are clean. You should form a habit of cleaning them regularly and in the right ways.
If you follow the outlined guidelines you shall be able to achieve. I wish you all the best as you continue enjoying the benefits of your headphones.
It is funny how people ignore cleaning headphones
Despite the importance of having clean headphones, most of us tend to ignore this and continue using them for a prolonged period of time without cleaning.
When I got my first set of headphones I only cleaned them after three months and this is after I noticed that the color of the ear pads was changing. As an expert, I now ensure that I clean my headphones regularly irrespective of whether they look dirty or not.
There are different ways of cleaning your headphones and some of these methods are very simple. As earlier observed in the guide on the headphones for working out, cleaning and removing sweat from headphones is easy where you will just need to follow the simple steps.
Conclusion
Since I started working with headphones I have come to know that keeping them clean is very important. It even enhances durability since dirt can easily damage the headphones. Also, experts from Bose note that dirt can affect the performance of the headphones.
By cleaning the headphones you shall also be making them more pleasant to use. If you clean them properly and ensure that you remove the smell of sweat effectively, you shall enjoy using them more.
Learn more on cleaning your earbuds and earpods on this video
