How many times have you purchased a new pair of earphones in the past year?
Chances are you are either getting cheap ones that are definitely fake (
hardly anyone sells original accessories in traffic or by the road side), or you aren’t
taking care of the good pair you have.
Quality earphones aren’t cheap. So, if you love music, nice sounding music, spend that cash and get a good pair of earphones. Then after that, treat them like the little rubbery darlings that they are.
Failing to take good care of your earphones can cause their sound performance to deteriorate over time, or even damage them completely.
Check out the following tips that will help you preserve your earphones and make them last longer.
Clean The Earbuds
If your earphones have one of those rubbery accessories on them, you’ll need to clean those regularly. Start by removing the rubber earbuds and cleaning them out with a
damp towel. Then use a toothpick dipped in hydrogen peroxide or water to remove all the wax, dead skin cells, and dust from the inner areas of the rubbery earbud. Also wipe the dust off the earphones themselves, and gently clean through the wires if it has accumulated dirt.
Keep Your Earphones in a Case
After using your earphones, store them in a protective case. Some premium earphones come with their own case, but if that’s not the case for yours, find something safe. Roll the earphones in loose coils and keep them there.
Unplug the Earphones from Your Phone, PC or Mp3 Player After Use
Leaving your earphones attached to your phone or audio source can lead to unforeseen damage to the earphones, your smartphone or even anyone who mistakenly trips over it. The cord can be pulled suddenly from the jack and the connector damaged, or the cord can get tangled, causinge the copper cord inside to break. Simply unplugging the earphones from the device protects the audio connector and the delicate area where the cord connects to the jack.
Pull the plug, not the cable
A very careless approach to unplugging your earphones from wherever it is plugged is to tug at the cable or cord instead of the
plug that is directly attached to the source. When removing the headphone plug from an audio source, grip and pull the connector. If you pull the cable, you’re putting extra stress on the connector, which will eventually damage it.
Clean Your Ears
The earwax that builds up inside your ear can get packed into the speaker opening on your earbuds and weaken the sound quality. It can also increase risks of getting an ear infection. Cleaning your ears regularly will also ensure your earphones stay be clean.
Don’t Carry Them in Your Pocket
If I had a nickel for every time I did this. Refrain from carrying earphones in your pocket, unless they are in a hard case. First of all, they form hard tangles in your pocket that can be quite tricky to unravel, and they stand a high chance of being damaged by dust, lint, and other debris in your pocket. This will eventually lead to poor sound production over time, and those hard tangles can get severe enough for the copper wire inside the earphone to snap. No more pocket-carriage. Get a case.
Don’t Turn the Volume up too High
For the party people that want to have a whole club experience going in their ears, extreme volume levels when listening to music can damage your hearing. Turning the music up too loud can also cause the speakers to blow, damaging the device.
Keep Them Away from Liquids
Just like any electronic device, earphones and liquids aren’t compatible. But if you accidentally get water into the speakers, clean the earpiece with a dry towel and let it air dry for a few hours. You can also put them in a container of rice and allow them to dry out for a day before trying to use them again. The rice absorbs the moisture from the earbuds and helps prevent further damage.
Avoid Sleeping with Your Headphones on
Besides being very injurious to your hearing, rolling over while you sleep can bend or snap your headphones. Roll your earphones in neat coils and place it in a safe place before going to bed.
Don’t Share Your Earbuds with Other People
Because earbuds are designed to be used internally, the risk of contacting disease-causing germs when you share them with other people is high. In addition, not sharing with others means you must always have your own pair since you shouldn’t borrow from them either.
