Stop what you’re doing and go clean your (probably filthy) earbuds

Cleaning your earbuds is a must – not only for the aesthetics and hygienics. If not cleaned often enough and thoroughly enough, the little beans that we stick up our ears could just stop functioning correctly.

We’ve gathered some photo examples, dividing the degree of dirtiness in two: “Very dirty” and “Mildly dirty”. Because the earbuds are tiny, the earwax can often pass unnoticed, but it’s there – we assure you. We took some macro photos, so you don’t have to take our word for it.

We don’t inspect them enough, do we?

As we said just above, earbuds do not account for the biggest tech piece out there, nor are they in direct sight when in use. Unlike the phone that we gaze upon whenever we feel like using it, the earbuds are in our ears, so we can’t inspect them while we listen to our favorite tunes.

Frankly, people rarely take a good look at the buds when they’re taking them out of the case and into the ears, as well. Next time you ride the subway, or you’re at a gas station, conduct a little experiment and observe if people grab their AirPods Pro case (for example), take out the buds and carefully examine them in detail before use; or do they just take the buds out and stick them up their ears?

Very dirty

When one uses the earbuds too often for too long – even if he/she cleans their ears conscientiously – the earwax piles up in time. As you can see, the amount of dirtiness here is very noticeable – even without a microscope. The earwax doesn’t discriminate and covers everything it can – openings, speaker meshes, charging pins…

When things get to this point, it’s mandatory to clean your earbuds as soon as possible. The sound quality gets worse because everything between the speaker and your ear changes and deflects the sound wave; charging could become impossible if the charging pins are greasy and dirty enough.

Mildly dirty

Earwax, also known by the medical term cerumen, builds up on earbuds even if they’re not being used 24/7. The chance for clogged charging pins here is little, but nevertheless, the openings are steadily stacking on cerumen as time passes and regular cleaning sessions are not performed.

On a side note: notice how the metal pins have changed their color: that’s corrosion. The person who has these said she dropped them by accident in a glass of water some years ago. Despite efforts to dry them immediately, the damage has been done. Remember, don’t use water on your earbuds!

Don’t forget the case, too

If you think that you can only clean your earbuds and be fine with it, you’re in for a nasty surprise – the case also needs to be wiped from the earwax that gets there every time the music bean goes from your ear back to the case. If you have extremely thin fingers, you could try to wipe the insides of the case with a cloth, but it will probably be easier to do so with a simple cotton swab.

Google will remind you every 120 hours that it’s time to clean your Pixel Buds

Back in August, the news had it that Google would soon send a pop-up reminder to Pixel Buds users every 120 hours of use. The reminder will tell you that it’s “Time to clean your earbuds” and that cleaning “Improves audio quality, charging, and access to updates”.

Here’s how Samsung and Apple say you should clean your earbuds

On the topic of cleaning the Galaxy Buds, Samsung highlights one particular thing: “Do not hold your Galaxy Buds upright when cleaning them; this will prevent any debris falling into the buds. Do not use any liquids to clean your Galaxy Buds.”

There’s a whole set of instructions on Samsung’s official website. It goes like this (Samsung warns against the use of a metal brush as it may damage the speaker):

• Carefully remove the rubber bud tip from the Galaxy Bud;
• Use a cotton swab or a dry brush to clean the tip of the speaker and the mesh covering;
• Use a soft dry cloth to remove any debris, dirt, or earwax from the mesh part of the speaker;
• Put the rubber tip back on the bud, covering the latch at the bottom of the buds;
• Use a cotton swab to clean the charging contacts and sensors on the buds and the charging contacts on the case.

The cleaning process for the Galaxy Buds Live is slightly different, because “they have wingtips rather than earbud tips; these wingtips are flatter than earbud tips”, Samsung says.

Apple also has compiled a nice guide about how to clean their audio devices. There’s info on the Earpods and AirPods Max as well, but let’s take the AirPods and AirPods Pro for example:

• Don’t run AirPods or AirPods Pro under water;
• Use a soft, dry, lint-free cloth;
• If your AirPods or AirPods Pro are exposed to anything that might cause stains or other damage—for example, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, perfumes, solvents, detergent, acids or acidic foods, insect repellent, sunscreen, oil, or hair dye: Wipe them clean with a cloth slightly dampened with fresh water and dry with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth;
• Allow them to completely dry before placing in the charging case;
• Don't attempt to use them until they're completely dry;
• Make sure not to get any liquid in the openings;
• Clean the microphone and speaker meshes with a dry cotton swab;
• Don't use sharp objects or abrasive materials to clean your AirPods or AirPods Pro.