How frequently do you clean your headphones or earphones? What do you use to clean them? Do you have any special cleaning tips? What shouldn’t we use to clean them?
1 Like
I honestly have been using the same pair of complys for over a year on my 1more quad drivers with no issues and no cleaning. They are fine, although im probably going to replace with some more complys soon as they are starting to fall apart and i don’t want the foam in my ear.
As a kid I actually suffered from some pretty hard earwax and the only way to get it out was with a bobby pin. My aunt used to do it and it was super painful. Now I don’t really have any issues and earwax never really seemes to be a problem when i use IEMs for extended periods of time. I know people do have issues though and for comply, i’d say probably buy a new pair of tips because I don’t know how foam would do for washing? For spinfits and silicone I’ve seen warm water and soap often suggested.
For earpads, i really couldn’t tell you for cleaning as generally I only buy headphones with detachable earpads and I replace them.
I usually condition leather pads with Saphir Renovateur every six months just to keep them fresh and hydrated. Velour pads (like Beyer and go in the wash inside a drawstring bag once a year with a bit less detergent than normal then air dry. I hand wash HD800 and other microfiber pads about once a year too.
3 Likes
With my Etymotics I’ll usually clean them every two weeks, sliding the plugs off the barrels, using baby soap and warm water. Rinse well and let air dry. At the same time it gives me a chance to check the music port for any buildup. I’ve only had to replace the little blue restrictor once (it stops earwax from going inside the barrel).
This is what I use on shoes and it’s amazing. I never thought to use it on leather earpads
2 Likes
That’s actually why I started using it on pads. I’ve seen people use Lexol so I figured Saphir would do the job just as well and it helped restore an old, ugly pair of Alpha pads and looked almost good as new
2 Likes
A bobby pin! Dear lord that must’ve been some next level stuff. Glad that’s over for you.
I use the sticky rolls people use to clean lint and pet hair off their clothing to clean the velour pads of my HiFiMAN’s.
I use microfiber towels, for actually everything. I keep a stack of them in a drawer, I use them for eyeglass cleaning, dust wipe up around my workspace, and often times just have one in my back pocket. They are cheap and pretty effective at keeping things clean. You can get the ones for cars to computers they are all generally the same style. Microfiber towels
1 Like
How about this?
I usually clean the earbuds of my mu6 recording earphones directly. Normally, the earbuds is rinsed directly with clean water; sometimes use cotton swab dripped with alcohol to clean it, and then rinsed with clean water. But I am worried that the alcohol is organic and will cause the earphones to age, so I don’t use it often.
I’m always thinking of buying used headphones. Also i use my headphones daily and for hours at a time. My main concern are the pads. Especially if they are made of cloth, velour or microfiber. Ive done some research on the web and this is what ive found.
A daily or weekly clean recommended is a lint brush (the sticky kind) and a cloth dampened with cleaning alcohol. Wipe down gently. This may be especially good and all thats needed for leather type pads.
For a more thorough clean the best to me seems to get a bowl with cold water use a hand wash mild detergent. One i found recommended is this one:
Knead the headphone gently like dough for about 2 minutes in the water. then squeeze out the excess liquid. pad down with paper towels and let air dry overnight.
2 Likes
Pop the pads off, hit it with a little warm water on a rag to get off any skin oils or junk, wipe dry, hit it with Saphir. They come out so damn soft.
2 Likes
May not be such such a good idea, as residue may remain. You might not see it or feel it, but it could still be there, even building up over time. Such rollers are okay on clothing and other fabrics which get washed regularly, helping remove any such residue.
1 Like
