Cleaning headphones

[chronodekar]

I have a pair of headphones, the type with a sponge over them. Something like this.

Soo, HOW do I go about cleaning them? I read somewhere that a lot of bacteria can collect in them and I'm thinking of regular cleaning from now on.

Should I use some kind of solvent or will just hot water be enough? I know we're supposed to gently run it over with a cloth but I've got no idea beyond that.

Some detailed steps would be nice.

The poll is just for my curiosity.

 

[Tiamat]

carefully. Depending on how old the sponge is, it might just fall apart. Otherwise, just warm soapy water, but remove the sponge from the headphones first. The plastic parts, you can just use a warm damp cloth. Don't get anything near the speaker. Ideally, you can order new sponge from the manufacturer for a not expensive price. Generally, however, the sponge is not a great price, $15 for my Grado SR125 for example. Obviously, if your headphones are only 20$ and it costs 10$ incl s/h to get new sponge, you are best off just replacing the headphones if there is a problem with the sponge material.

Frankly, I don't think it is too big of a deal. IEMs on the other hand, I'd wash at least once per day for obvious reasons.

 

[chronodekar]

Unfortunately, I don't think I can remove the sponge from the headphones. They seem to be fixed there permanently.

Is it possible to clean it without getting the speaker wet? I'm thinking of the warm soapy idea.

That makes me wonder, won't the soap be left behind on the headphones? Or do I use warm water to remove that?

 

[hans030390]

Don't even bother.

 

[cheesehead]

Dab at them with a cloth soaked in 99% rubbing alcohol, and then put them in a 110 degree (fahrenheit!) oven for a little while to dry them out.

 

[moonboy403]

I buff and wax mine.

 

[Baked]

You buy new foams from the manufacturer.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: chronodekar
Unfortunately, I don't think I can remove the sponge from the headphones. They seem to be fixed there permanently.

Is it possible to clean it without getting the speaker wet? I'm thinking of the warm soapy idea.

That makes me wonder, won't the soap be left behind on the headphones? Or do I use warm water to remove that?

Don't bother with the clean. It may be time for a replacement

If you still don't want to give up, contact your manufacturer with your question.

 

[lasergecko]

How do I clean Sony clip headphones? For example, Sony MDR-J10

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: lasergecko
How do I clean Sony clip headphones? For example, Sony MDR-J10

if there is debris beneath the screen, you are outta luck. Otherwise if it is just greasy from your ear material, just wipe it with an alcohol based cleaning pad.

 

[Oyeve]

I clean all my cans pads as some of my cans are over 20 years old and I cant find replacement pads. I use bounty and mild soap every now and then. I have a pair of original MDR-V6 headphones purchased in 1985 and back then I used so much hair product that eventually the pads just deteriorated from the chemicals. I bought replacement pads for them and since then I clean em regularly and I still use em to this day and the pads are now over 20 years old and look great. I also stopped putting crap in my hair so that may have helped too. My original Bose tri-ports from 2003 have basically no padding left as they were crap to begin with. The pleather peeled long ago and in an attempt to wash off the flaking pleather the pads literally fell apart.