How to clean your earphones: Leave them looking like new

Clean your earphones safely and effectively. It’s time to look after the amazing gifts like this that you received at Christmas. Leave them looking brand new!

We use them every day and always have them to hand. Earphones are a must when doing exercise, listening to music, while we go for a walk, on a video call with work colleagues, watching a TV series in bed or even just around the house. And as is the case with all the things we use constantly, they also need to be cleaned regularly.

How earphones get dirty

Sweat, dirt, ear wax and other particles build up in earphones and, in the case of wireless earphones, in the charging case too. If you don’t clean them regularly, they could become sticky or be unhygienic to use. 

Since this is a small electronic device, its cleaning is not much different to cleaning other components of a mobile phone, like the mobile phones case, speakers, charging port and even the mobile itself. Leaving water to one side, it’s best to use alcohol-based cleaning solutions or disinfectant wipes, chamois, microfibre cloths and mini-brushes with soft bristles.

How to clean earphones step by step

• Remove the silicone pads that stick into the ear, if they have them. Soak them in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of washing-up liquid. Leave them to soak for half an hour, use a cotton bud to remove any dirt stuck to them, rinse and wait for them to dry completely before using them in your ears again.
• Use a soft, clean and dry toothbrush to gently scrub the microphone and speaker grille for each earphone. Hold the earphone faced down and scrub with the brush, this will help the dirt to fall out and not remain trapped inside. Scrub gently, if you exert too much pressure, you could damage the device.
• Wet a cotton bud with some alcohol, don’t allow it to drip, and gently rub the grilles to disinfect them.
• Clean and disinfect the rest of the earphone with a disinfectant wipe or using a microfibre cloth wet with alcohol. To get rid of the most encrusted dirt in difficult areas, like the charging port for example, you can use another wet cotton bud.
• Clean the outside of the case, and the charging case, using a wet cloth or wipe with alcohol. Make sure all the elements are fully dry before reassembling them again or putting them on to charge.