Your Headphones Are Dirtier Than You Think—Here's How to Clean Every Type

With regular use, headphones can quickly accumulate sweat, skin oils, and hair products on headbands and ear cushions. Earbuds can collect earwax, skin oils, and debris on the surfaces that sit in or around your ears, as well as in small crevices. Fortunately, keeping your headphones clean doesn’t take much effort, but the most efficient method depends largely on the type you own.

Below, you’ll find separate cleaning instructions for over-ear and on-ear headphones, as well as earbuds, including both in-ear and open-fit styles. These cleaning tips draw on my expertise as a reviews analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care & Cleaning Lab and on Data & Product Operations Manager Nikolas Greenwald’s extensive knowledge of audio equipment.

While they are much easier to maintain than their in-ear counterparts, over-ear and on-ear headphones present similar cleaning challenges. Both can easily accumulate sweat and skin oils on their ear cushions, while headbands are hot spots for hair oil and hair product residue.

Cleaning an ear cushion with a vacuum’s duster attachment.

1. Remove any dust and dry debris

• Some over-ear and on-ear headphones have removable and replaceable ear cushions. If yours are designed to come off, consider removing them. This will let you reach crevices more easily and remove debris that has collected underneath.
• Use a handheld vacuum with a soft dusting attachment to remove hair, dust, and other loose debris from the ear cushions and around their seams. The bristles help keep the suction from pulling directly on delicate fabrics and components.
• Don’t use any vacuum without a duster attachment. If your vacuum doesn’t have one, a dry cloth or a clean duster will work just as well.

2. Wipe away any oily residue

• Wet a microfiber cloth and wring it out well. Wipe down the ear cushions, headband, and any other exterior surfaces. Pay close attention to areas that regularly touch your skin or hair.
• For stubborn grime, check the manufacturer’s instructions before reaching for any products. Multipurpose cleaners, dish soap, and rubbing alcohol work well for removing excess oil, but they aren’t suitable for all materials.
• Take care to keep moisture out of speaker openings, buttons, and charging ports.

Earbuds come in several styles. In-ear models typically have silicone or foam eartips that sit inside the ear canal. Open-fit earbuds rest in or near the ear without creating a seal. Some open-ear designs hook or clip around the outside of the ear. Fortunately, the basic cleaning process is similar for all of these styles.

These headphones tend to have many small crevices, especially wireless models with charging cases. A dedicated earbud cleaning tool, like Well Kept’s Little Buddies, can make regular cleaning easier. These tools typically include a small brush and a precision tip to loosen and remove buildup. If you don’t have a dedicated cleaning tool, a cotton swab works well too.

In-ear headphones and their charging cases.

1. Remove residue from the eartips

Most in-ear headphones have removable eartips, often made of silicone. Because they sit inside the ear canal, eartips tend to get the dirtiest. If your headphones don’t have eartips, skip to the next step.

• Don’t remove eartips for routine cleaning unless you’re replacing them or your manufacturer explicitly says to. They can be difficult to remove on some models, and repeated removal can stretch or damage them.
• Use the precision end of your cleaning tool or a clean, dry cotton swab to remove earwax or other buildup from the tip’s central hole. Be careful when cleaning near the bottom of the hole, as excessive pressure can damage the fine mesh.
• Clean the outside of the tip with a well-wrung, damp cloth. A small amount of dish soap can help remove oil residue.
• Dust tends to collect under the eartips. Lift the edge slightly and remove any debris. While a cotton swab or damp cloth will do the job, I find a dry toothbrush removes dust and buildup much faster.
• Removable eartips don’t last forever. Replace yours if they’re torn, cracked, permanently discolored, or no longer fit securely.

Cleaning silicone eartip with precision tool.

2. Wipe down the earbuds

• Use a well-wrung, damp cloth to wipe the exterior surfaces of each earbud, being careful to keep moisture away from the speaker openings, mesh, and charging contacts.
• Use the brush end of a dedicated cleaning tool or a cotton swab to clean tight bends and crevices.
• If you have open-ear earbuds that hook or clip around your ear, pay close attention to the surfaces that rest against your skin, where sweat and skin oils can build up.
• If your earbuds have a charging case, wait for them to dry fully before returning them to the case.

3. Clean the charging case

• Use a clean, dry cotton swab or the soft brush end of your earbud cleaning tool to gently work dust and debris up from inside the charging wells where the headphones sit.
• Some models, like Apple AirPods, have deep wells that make debris hard to remove. If you run into this issue, try using compressed air.
• While some manufacturers caution against using it on the headphones themselves, short, gentle bursts of compressed air are generally safe for charging cases.
• After removing dirt from inside the wells, wipe away any remaining debris and buildup with a lightly dampened cloth, keeping moisture away from the charging port and electrical contacts.

Removing dust from a charging case with a cotton swab.

How often you should clean your headphones depends on how frequently you use them and how much sweat, oil, and debris they encounter. For over- or on-ear headphones you use regularly, I recommend a quick wipe-down about once a week and a more thorough cleaning about once a month.

Earbuds may need more frequent attention because they contact the ear canal more often. Wipe away any visible earwax or other buildup as soon as you notice it, rather than waiting for your next deep clean. For more involved tasks, like removing dust from the charging case and beneath the eartip edges, do it about once a month.

Noah Pinsonnault is a reviews analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care & Cleaning Lab, where he tests cleaning products and appliances and develops practical ways to tackle everyday cleaning tasks.

For this story, Noah consulted Nikolas Greenwald, data & product operations manager at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Nik contributes to GH’s audio testing and coverage, drawing on his experience as a music producer and DJ.

Noah Pinsonnault

Home Care & Cleaning Reviews Analyst

Noah works as a product reviews analyst in the Home Care & Cleaning Lab where he helps design and perform tests on various product categories. He draws on scientific expertise garnered during his time as an environmental researcher, where he managed environmental monitoring equipment, analyzed water samples in a lab and developed protocols for restoration projects. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in environmental science from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. 

Reviewed byNikolas Greenwald

Manager, Data & Product Operations

Nik (he/him) works across GH Institute Labs to develop testing protocols, analyze data, and build tools that support product evaluation. He also contributes editorial coverage on men’s beauty and audio, drawing on his background in chemical engineering and experience as a music producer and DJ. Before joining Good Housekeeping in 2022, Nik worked in the labs of MIT and Regeneron on projects ranging from chemical inventory and reporting to bioassay development.