You wear them every day, but you don’t think to clean them: Headphones as a hatchery for bacteria

You may have them in your ears practically all the time. It’s understandable these days. We need headphones to listen to music and to communicate with friends. Yet many people pay little attention to cleaning them. Heat, moisture, earwax, dead skin cells literally create a hotel for bacteria. But we don’t address the proliferation of germs. And then it’s no wonder we can be plagued by ear infections. All we have to do is remember to clean our headphones regularly.

Bacteria in the ears are dangerous. They can not only irritate the hearing organs, but can even lead to temporary inflammation and, in some rare cases, deafness. What microbes can you find in your headphones? How to get rid of them and how often to clean these electronics? Here are the answers to these questions.

Headphones as a hatchery for bacteria

If you stick earbuds in your ears, you create an environment that germs literally love. Moist, warm, minimally ventilated. A 2008 study from Manipal University in India found that frequent use of headphones significantly increases the number of bacteria in the ear. Other work then describes that there are typically about 246 bacterial colonies per device, and some devices can have up to 1,200 bacteria.

Researchers point out that bacteria are found on headphones and can very easily get into your ears if you don’t clean your electronics regularly. Another risk factor is that people often borrow headphones from each other, listening together with one headphone each, bacteria can then easily get from person to person.

Risk to the ear and health

An increased microbial load on headphones does not automatically mean that infections are attacking. However, the risk increases significantly. For example, a survey of 517 participants found that 21% had experienced external ear infections at least once in their lifetime. And adhering to the recommended use of headphones reduces the risk in this regard. In particular, skin damage in the ear is a problem. If you have a scratch, rash or some injury in your ears, the normal skin flora becomes an infectious site.

How to clean the hearing aids

According to Real Simple magazine, it’s okay to use your headphones daily, but you need to clean them at least once a week, and then thoroughly once a month. Especially if it’s warm outside or you use them for sports and sweat a lot.

The initial step is simple: disconnect the device from the electronics, remove the attachments (for example, silicone earbuds), then wash the headphones with soapy water, gently clean the mesh with a brush and let everything dry. It is recommended to use a microfiber cloth, a soft brush and possibly an alcohol solution, but only on the outer parts of the headphones to avoid damaging the internal components.

It is important never to immerse the headphones in water. Furthermore, experts recommend not sharing the headphones with other people. Store them ideally in a clean case, ideally with a moisture absorbent bag.