Headphones are a necessary evil. We all know that they’re essential for blocking out the sound of the office and tuning into our own private world, but they can also be pretty uncomfortable. And it’s not just because they’re always pressing down on our ears. The little foam pads on the headphones often get dirty, and that causes even more discomfort. So today we’re going to teach you how to clean headphone pads so you can make your listening experience a little more bearable.
1. Remove the foam pads
First, you’ll need to remove the ear pads from your headphones, and depending on your model this may require a little bit of wiggling and jimmying. If they’re still attached firmly, we suggest using some tweezers or grabbing them with some needle-nose pliers and pulling up. Once they’re off, remove any adhesive on the headphone’s ear cushions so you can put them back on later.
2. Mix warm water and dish soap
This step is simple enough. Grab some dish soap or any other mild cleaning agent that will remove dirt, oil, grime, etc., without leaving behind any sort of residue that will gunk up your headphones. Pour a small amount of the soap into a bowl filled with warm water, and mix it together using your hand or a spoon.
3. Soak the headphone pads
Next, place the foam ear cushions in the cleaning solution you just created for about 15 minutes or so to let them soak up all that lovely soap. If you’re cleaning some headphones that are more high-end, like the Bose QuietComfort 20, then place them in a bowl of cold water instead of warm. This will preserve their useful life even further by not washing away any glue or adhesive that might be used to keep the pads attached to the headphones themselves.
4. Rinse the ear pads
Using lukewarm water, rinse out all of the soap from your headphones. You can use a strainer or colander to catch any foam pieces that might fall apart while you’re cleaning them. Then let them dry for about an hour in a sunny place so the sun’s UV rays will kill off any germs that might be hiding in the pads.
5. Reattach the ear pads
Once your headphone pads are dry, you’ll need to put them back on your headphones. If they came off without too much effort, then reattaching them should be relatively easy—simply snap them back into place using your hands. However, if they took some work to remove, then you might need to get out the old glue gun and put a few drops on the cushions before placing them back on.
If you follow these steps, your headphone pads should be cleaner than ever! But if they’re still not up to par with perfect cleanliness, consider buying new ear cushions for next to nothing. All you’ll need to do is search “headphone earpads” on eBay and find the color that matches your headphones best. If they’re not colored, then just pick black since that will look good with virtually any pair.
Some Extra Simple Steps to Clean Headphone Pads
There is nothing more frustrating than when your headphones quit working. Luckily, most of the time, this can be fixed with a simple cleaning. When you use your headphone pads for months without properly cleaning them they accumulate dirt and grime that sticks to the fabric. This can break down the quality of sound coming from the earphones and may cause some static. Here are some easy steps on how to clean headphone pads.
- To begin, you will take apart your headphones by unscrewing the speaker from the exterior cord.
- Run warm water through each side of the pad. This will loosen any stuck-on dirt or grime that is trapped in between the two pieces of fabric. You can use a toothbrush or any other small brush to work out the dirt but be sure not to damage the earpad lining. If you do not want to take apart your headphones, you can dampen a cloth with water and gently wipe down both sides of the headphone pads.
- Rinse each side under cool water to remove all of the soap residues.
- Allow your headphone pads to air dry before putting them back together.
These steps will help you get that full sound coming from your earphones without all of the dirt and grime that builds up over time. If you want to give yourself a better listening experience, use these easy steps to clean your headphone pads.
Conclusion
Cleaning your headphone pads is a surprisingly easy task that can drastically improve the comfort of wearing them. All you need is a bit of soap and water, some anti-static spray (like this one), or even just rubbing alcohol to get rid of bacteria and dirt. The first step involves washing out the ear cups with warm soapy water. Just put about two teaspoons in each cup, rub it around for 30 seconds, rinse off any residue with cold water, dry thoroughly by shaking them upside down outside or inside an airy room like your bathroom! This should make sure they’re clean enough to use again without worrying about getting dirty too fast due to all the germs floating around on other people’s heads.
