A cleaning and hygiene expert, known as ‘Madame Sweat’ has shared a simple two-ingredient hack to clean bacteria and debris from your earphones without causing any damage to them
For many, going a day without our most favoured tunes is unimaginable, but cleaning our earbuds often slips our mind.
Your earpieces might just end up tucked away in your handbag, coat pocket, or car’s cubbyhole, ready for the next listen. However, constantly handling and inserting them into your ears, not to mention resting them on various surfaces, is hardly sanitary.
Keeping your earphones clean is essential to prevent nasty bacteria and gunk from accumulating. But remember, they’re delicate and pricey – the last thing you want to do is drench them in water and ruin them.
‘Madame Sweat’, aka Nikitta, a cleaning whiz who’s become an internet sensation, has shared her ultimate hack for getting rid of grime from your earphones. Over on Instagram, with Apple Airpods in hand, Madame Sweat asks: “When was the last time you cleaned these…naturally?”
She advises against dunking your buds in a chemical bath straight into your ears. Instead, she champions two household items for spick-and-span earphones: white vinegar and distilled water, both easily snagged at local pharmacies or online giants like Amazon. She rates the products as not only good at getting rid of dirty, but being natural.
Star by mixing equal parts distilled water and white vinegar to disinfect and remove grime without causing any damage to your earbuds. Before cleaning, you should remove the rubber piece from the earphone.
A post shared by on the hygiene expert’s Instagram page ( @madamesweat ) advises that next, using a toothbrush, gently scrub the mesh area of your earphone. Madame Sweat warns to be careful not to push through the debris through the mesh.
Then use a dry, lint-free cloth to wipe off excess moisture. Leave your headphones to dry for two hours after cleaning before using again.
Commenting on the video, one individual said: “Your content is so useful.” “Love her approach,” another chimed in. Others offered their suggestions.
One person revealed they use dry q-tips while some prefer alcohol wipes to tackle the dirt in their earphones. In response to a query about the use of isopropyl alcohol, Madame Sweat replied: “There’s nothing wrong with that option. I am simply a big proponent of natural and believe in giving natural cleaning solutions to everyday situations.”
After sprucing up your ear gear, Madame Sweat points out the leftover distilled water can work wonders on a slew of home gadgets. “It’s much healthier than using plain water,” she said.