Believe it or not, headphones get dirty, sweaty, and smelly. And this can spoil your headphones experience especially if you use them for sports or exercise.
Because the dirt and smell can make them uncomfortable to use spoiling your headphone experience.
Imagine, owning high-quality headphones such as Bose, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, and Steelseries – you name it – but it stinks strongly and it’s dirty.
This can gross you out and even make you stop using it if not cleaned often.
Fortunately, in this article, we will show you how to clean your headphones muffs or pads. It’s not a time-consuming process and you will be done with it in no time.
Can You Wash Headphone Pads?
So far as the headphone pads are removable or replaceable you can wash them.
Why Do You need To Clean Headphones?
But why clean headphone pads? Here are a few benefits of doing so:
- Your headphone will look brand new
- Your headphone will smell good
- Your headphone will last longer
How To Clean headphone Pads or Muffs?
Before you clean your dirty headphones pads or muffs properly, you must at least have these things as your cleaning tools:
- Small, Clean Cloth or Microfiber Cloth
- Q-tips or cotton buds
- Rubbing Alcohol or Hydrogen Peroxide
- Soapy water
- Leather Conditioner (like Leather Honey, or Audeze)
Once you have this in place, you can start the process of cleaning your headphones.
To properly wash or clean your headphones, you should do the following:
- Remove the headphone pads or muffs. If they are not removable or replaceable leave them in place.
- Wipe the headphones with a dry cloth. Use Q-tips or cotton buds to get to corners.
- Use a microfiber dipped not soaked in soapy water solution to wipe the headphones.
- Clean it dry.
- Dip a new microfiber cloth in isopropyl alcohol to get rid of smell and bacteria and wipe the headphones.
- Apply leather conditioner if applicable.
And that’s it! Your headphones are clean. These methods also apply to how to clean sweaty headphones.
When Should You Clean Headphones?
Depending on whether you are a heavy user or not. Here are guidelines to help you know when to clean your headphones.
Daily
If you are using your headphones daily, wipe your headphone pads using a small, dry microfiber cloth to wipe out those sweat and dust.
After that, you can dip a clean cloth in isopropyl alcohol and wipe the pads and muffs again. This kills bacteria and germs.
NB: Using a microfiber cloth is highly recommended because it can wipe out all dirt and dust on different surfaces.
Weekly
This is ideal for those who use their headphones weekly or every other day. Similar to Daily Cleaning, wipe your headphone pads using a clean or microfiber cloth.
But this time, apply a few drops of water to moisten the surface you’re aiming to clean.
Use Q-tips or cotton buds to remove the wax that is accumulated in some holes of your headphones.
As a friendly reminder, clean your ears regularly since listening to music with headphones increases the accumulation of ear wax.
Once In A Blue Moon
Even if you use your headphones rarely, cleaning is still necessary. Dampen your cloth with a little touch of soap and warm water or isopropyl alcohol to clean your headphone pads.
After doing this, wipe it dry with your dry cloth or towel.
When it comes to conditioning your headphones, you should try using leather conditioners to prolong the longevity of their leather and lessen the chance of making your headphone pads mouldy.
Replacing Headphone Pads or Muffs if needed
This is a final resort. It is inevitable that headphone pads or muffs will degrade over time.
And that’s when replacing the muffs or pads becomes important because worn-out pads are difficult to clean and easily trap dirt.
There is also the added benefit of making your headphones look brand new.
How Do You Get The Smell Out of Headphone Pads?
By doing the things stated above, you will eliminate the bad or sweaty smell in headphones. It will be impossible for your headphone pads to have a bad smell after going through these steps.
By cleaning, you eliminate all sweat, odour, and even bacteria present in your headphone pads.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning your headphone pads will not only make your headphones smell good, but they will also look good and clean. Cleaning your ears is also a plus point for your own hygiene.
Just repeat these steps anytime you think your headphones are dirty. Do this and your headphones will be in good condition all the time.
That’s it on how to clean your headphone pads or muffs the right way. Also, wondering how to clean sweaty headphones. These methods will also work.
