How to Clean your Earbuds - Cleaning and disinfecting the Headphones for iPhone iPod iPad or Android

Earbud style headphones can get pretty gross after a few days, with all that wax and dirt. Actually, they can even get full of germs or microbes that will grow in your ear, possibly causing an ear infection.

In this video I show how I clean my earbud headphones using some cotton balls, isopropyl rubbing alcohol, and qtips.

Warning: Do not stick the q-tips in your ear directly, this can be very dangerous!

Important note: avoid rubbing the cotton directly on the mesh of the earbuds. I found later that if I rub it on the mesh, the bits of cotton go into the mesh, causing the sound to be blocked. I am thinking that one gentle spray of the isopropyl alcohol onto the mesh may disinfect it if necessary but again I am worried that it may affect the sound quality. Cheers!

Thanks for watching!

Cheers,
Geoff

[geoffmobile]

thanks. I've been told by some doctors not to stick anything in my ear, and I am recommending not to use qtips in your ear. When I went to my doctor he used a special large syringe to flush the wax out of my ear with warm water. For those lucky to have a doctor with the right equipment I recommend taking advantage of that.

[geoffmobile]

yes, it will work! but just make sure to not use too much, as you don't want to drench the headphones or cotton balls. The spray kind is just more convenient for a quick clean. cheers! =)

[skylerkissell]

thx so much my headphones sound brand new i could barly hear them but since i did this they are louder and way better

[etell]

LOL, Does anyone really need to see how it's done? It's not like we're talking about cleaning a complicated machine here for pete's sake!! But thanks for taking the time to post this vid.

[geoffmobile]

Hi, I don't recommend Perfume, it will make your headphones smell. Also, for alcohol I only recommend using Isopropyl or Rubbing Alcohol, NOT for drinking. You could also use disinfectant spray. Someone suggested vinegar but I don't think it would actually clean very well. You can find isopropyl or rubbing alcohol in most drug stores such as Walgreens, London Drugs, Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, etc.

[geoffmobile]

oh no worries, I didn't think it was an insult. thank you for your helpful comments and feedback! I noticed in one of my other videos that I am blinking a lot, and I will try to improve. have a great day, and hope that my tips on cleaning headphones were helpful to you! cheers, Geoff

[JessicaGonzalez-xkdz]

Thanks, Geoff, my headphones were kind of dirty and I was wondering the proper way of cleaning (I didn't want to ruin them)

[geoffmobile]

I wouldn't dip your headphones in vinegar, but maybe try dipping the cotton balls in a drop or two of vinegar and it may have the same cleaning effect. You could also try dabbing the q-tips in a drop or two of vinegar. But I think the isopropyl alcohol will disinfect better. Apple recommends isopropyl alcohol in their manual that accompanies these headphones (also same with their new EarPod type that comes with iPhone 5).

[geoffmobile]

yes, it will work with the new iPhone 5 ear pods. you may want to use the q tips with a touch of isopropyl alcohol to clean the ear pod openings if there is wax in there.

[geoffmobile]

thanks ;) yes, hearing is so important so no need to take risks :) have a great day!!!

[privo]

I love how your voice sounds! Kind of reminds me of Jason Segel...

[geoffmobile]

thanks. the new Apple earpod type headphones (that come with iPhone 5) have much better bass than the previous generation of Apple earbuds. I am really enjoying them but try not to listen at a very loud volume for long periods as I am not used to them yet.

[geoffmobile]

they sound pretty good. the new Earpod type from Apple (that come with the iPhone 5) have even better sound! and they are moulded plastic so are easier to clean as well.

[geoffmobile]

hey good idea! cheers and thanks for your comment Adrian. :)

[Woggyflush]

Hi Geoff you really clean them thouroughly. I just use desinfectant spray, wait 30 seconds, and that's it.

[geoffmobile]

thanks :) Yes it's not complicated but before I made this video I couldn't find any other video that showed how to do it properly. :D cheers!!

[geoffmobile]

@master4anything no they aren't! so I don't recommend spraying the alcohol directly on the headphones, just spray onto the cotton first

[whyisntitpossible]

Hi Geoff, i just got a pair of Sennheiser CX 300 ii. I noticed that the bass quality of the right earbud is a bit worse than that of the left earbud. Looking closely, i saw some ear wax had gathered amongst the mesh of the right bud, and it's still stuck there. Do you think this could be the problem? and if so, how can i get the wax out from the mesh?

[heymanhaha]

If I don't have that Isopropyl solution, what do u recommend using?

[geoffmobile]

@TheMiloszdevil I had the same problem with my old earbuds, eventually the mesh became blocked and I had to buy new ones. Maybe there is a suction cannister you could get which would remove the blockage? I know you can get compressed air cans, but that would probably blow the wax right into the headphone, you'd want something like a reverse compressed air can (micro vacuum cleaner), which I'm not sure if it exists.