How to Clean Headphones Without Damaging Them
Dry brush the mesh, wash the tips separately, never use liquid near a driver. Here is the method for each part and how often it actually needs doing.
Clean the mesh with a soft dry brush, never with liquid, and wash silicone tips separately in warm soapy water. That covers the two things that actually cause problems: earwax blocking the driver mesh, which is the commonest reason one side goes quiet, and bacteria on the surfaces touching your ear. Everything else is cosmetic.
The rule that matters throughout: nothing wet goes near a driver, and nothing sharp goes through a mesh.
What you need
A soft dry brush, a clean toothbrush or a makeup brush. A microfiber cloth. Cotton buds. Isopropyl alcohol at 70 percent or higher. Warm water and a little dish soap. Optionally a small amount of poster tack.
What to avoid: running water anywhere near the electronics, compressed air aimed into a mesh, anything metal or pointed, and household cleaners containing bleach or ammonia, which damage plastics and cushions.
Earbuds
The mesh over the driver is the priority, since earwax builds up gradually and people notice only when one side has become obviously quieter.
- Remove the silicone tips.
- Hold the earbud mesh downward and brush gently, working from the outside so debris falls away rather than inward.
- Tap the earbud lightly mesh down onto a cloth to shake loose material out.
- For stubborn wax, press a small piece of poster tack onto the mesh and lift straight off. It pulls debris out without pushing anything in.
- Wipe the body with a cloth barely dampened with isopropyl alcohol, avoiding the mesh and any port.
Never push a pin, a needle or a cotton bud fiber through the mesh. It drives wax toward the driver and can puncture the mesh, which is unrepairable.
Wash the silicone tips separately in warm soapy water, rinse, and dry completely before refitting. They collect wax on the inside where you cannot see it, and a damp tip refitted is how ear irritation starts.
The charging case
The case is where lint compacts, and a bud that will not charge is usually a contact problem rather than a battery fault.
Brush the wells out, then clean the metal contacts inside the case and on the buds with a dry cotton bud, or one barely dampened with isopropyl alcohol and allowed to dry fully before closing the lid.
Clear the charging port with a dry wooden toothpick. Nothing metal, since the pins inside bend and short.
Wipe the hinge area, which collects pocket debris and eventually stops the lid closing fully.
Over-ear and on-ear headphones
Earpads are the part that needs attention, since they absorb sweat and skin oils and are in contact with your face for hours.
Remove them if they detach, which most do with a twist or a pull. Protein leather and vinyl pads wipe clean with a damp cloth and a little soap, then dry fully. Never soak them, since the foam inside holds water and grows mold.
Fabric and velour pads can usually be hand washed in cool soapy water and air dried, and should never go in a machine or a dryer.
Clean the headband the same way, particularly the underside.
Brush the driver grille dry, and wipe the cups and hinges with a barely damp cloth.
Pads are consumable. Once they are compressed, cracked or flaking, replace them at USD 20 to 40, which restores both comfort and isolation and is cheaper than the loss of performance suggests. Our guide on why headphones sound quiet covers how much a worn seal costs you.
Cables and connectors
Wipe the cable along its length with a cloth dampened with a little isopropyl alcohol, which removes the tacky residue older cables develop.
Clean the 3.5 mm plug with a cloth and alcohol, since oxidation on the contacts causes crackling and intermittent channels.
Blow dust out of the socket on your device, or use a dry toothpick, since debris there stops the plug seating fully and produces exactly the same symptoms as a broken cable.
How often
| Part | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Earbud mesh | Weekly if used daily |
| Silicone tips | Weekly, washed and dried |
| Charging case and contacts | Monthly |
| Earpads, wiped | Weekly |
| Earpads, replaced | Every 1 to 2 years |
| Cables and plugs | Occasionally, or when crackling |
The hygiene point
Earbuds sit in a warm, enclosed part of the body and then live in a pocket, which is a reasonable description of an incubator.
Occluding the ear canal for long periods already raises humidity and temperature there, which is the condition outer ear infections develop in. Dirty tips make it more likely.
Never share tips or earbuds without cleaning them. Wash tips weekly, dry them completely, and replace them when they discolor or lose their shape.
If you develop persistent itching, pain, discharge or a change in hearing, stop using them and see a doctor rather than cleaning harder.
Frequently asked questions
How do you clean earwax out of earbuds?
Remove the tips, hold the earbud mesh downward and brush gently with a soft dry brush so debris falls away rather than inward. Tap it lightly onto a cloth. For stubborn wax, press poster tack onto the mesh and lift straight off. Never push anything through the mesh and never use liquid, since both drive wax toward the driver.
Can you use alcohol to clean headphones?
On hard plastic surfaces, cables and metal contacts, yes, using 70 percent isopropyl on a cloth or cotton bud rather than applied directly. Keep it away from the driver mesh, ports and fabric. Avoid it on protein leather earpads, where it accelerates cracking, and never use household cleaners containing bleach or ammonia.
How often should I clean my headphones?
Earbud meshes and silicone tips weekly if you use them daily, since wax builds up gradually and blocks the driver before you notice. Earpads wiped weekly and replaced every one to two years. The charging case and its contacts monthly, since compacted lint there is a common cause of a bud that will not charge.
Can I wash headphone earpads?
Fabric and velour pads can usually be hand washed in cool soapy water and air dried, never in a machine or a dryer. Protein leather and vinyl pads should be wiped with a damp cloth and a little soap and dried fully rather than soaked, since the foam inside holds water and grows mold. Remove them from the headphones first.