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How to Protect and Maintain Your Headphones or Earphones

Author: Al Rayhan Himel | ⌚Last Updated On: March 8, 2024

Have you just purchased a new headphone or earphone? Are you searching for how to protect and maintain your headphones or earphones? Headsets and earphones demand the utmost care in order to provide reliable and long-term service. They have become indispensable as a result of the rise of online podcast services and the resurgence of on-the-go listening.

It doesn’t take much more than a storage case to protect and transport them conveniently. A few minutes of regular maintenance can extend the life of a hi-fi headset or in-ear headphones. Only good maintenance can ensure the best performance of the headphones.

Protection of a headphone:

Protecting your headphones or earphones while traveling may seem unimportant to some people, but it’s common sense to others. It is also important to figure out the best method to store your headphones while they’re not in use. At the same time, you should be caring for the cable and ear cushions. Simple and practical methods exist to improve the durability of your audio instrument. Try to protect the headphone from dust and external aggressions, store it when not in use, and transport it safely.

Is it better to have a storage bag or a protective case?

Storage is not an issue as long as the headphones are on the head. When they are no longer required, they are usually placed at the base of a handbag or backpack, in a jacket pocket, or even spread on the desk. They are subsequently flung around and damaged by other objects in the bag (keys, phone, etc.), crushed and twisted in a pocket, or exposed to dirt, humidity, or even light.

Many headphones and earbuds, on the other hand, come with a protective cover or even a semi-rigid storage case as standard. When they are inside, they are less sensitive to external aggressions, ambient humidity, and dust.

They can be slipped into a bag without being crushed, and the pads and wire are protected from tearing. So, whenever you’re not using your headphones or earphones, don’t be embarrassed to place them in their cover or case. This is the most effective approach to extend their life.

You have nothing to worry about if your headphones or earphones do not come with a cover or storage case. There are a variety of universal models that will fit and protect them.

Headphone support :

It is not practicable to put your headphones away and take them out of their bag or from the bag every time you use them at home, at the workplace, or in a recording studio, and to put them on and take them off frequently.

The headset can then be temporarily stored in a corner of the workspace using a headphone holder. This solution has a number of advantages:

Keep an eye out for the cable!

how to protect headphone cable

The cable and the mini-jack connector are some of the most exposed parts of the headset to external aggressions. They can be twisted, torn, tangled, plugged in / unplugged hundreds of times.

Nowadays, producers of headphones and earphones frequently include a resistant coating in their models of strengthened cables. Yet you should not neglect to take care of them!

To avoid straining the delicate copper conductors, we will take some time to wind the cable before storing the headphones. We have to do it without overtightening the cable or making too small loops. There are accessories available for the headphones that make it easy to wrap up the cable and store them.

If the cable of a headphone is too long for mobile use and the model allows to change the cable, replace the headphone wire. A shorter cable of a headphone is more suitable for usage on the road. When connecting the audiophile player to the cable, choose one with an angled mini-jack connector. It reduces the risk of snagging on the connection with the cable when the audiophile player is in a pocket.

Maintenance of a headphone:

Cleaning headphones or earphones keeps them in perfect working order for extended periods. It also enhances their function and allows you to enjoy their acoustic features each and every day. Hoops, pads, ear cups, and ear tips come into touch with the hair and skin, exposing them to sweat, sebum, styling gel or hairspray, ambient humidity, foundation, dust, and earwax. These are all dust sources that not only impact the appearance of headphones and earphones but also their performance.

It doesn’t take much time to clean the headset or earphones. It is just as important to guarantee their proper functioning to maintain the user’s hygiene. Cleaning headphones and earphones are not the same because their design is different.

Clean and protect your headphone

Cleaning a headphone is done in different stages, with unique measures required based on the materials that make up its various components, to ensure that the right substance is used every time. While a simple microfiber cloth would suffice for quick dry dusting, some valuable objects may demand particular attention.

The arch

how to protect headphones

If the headband is synthetic (plastic, rubber padding, imitation leather covering, etc. ), clean it with a microfiber. You can also use a lint-free cotton cloth lightly soaked with glass cleaner. Alternatively, soapy water (dishwashing liquid, for example) can be used, which should then be wiped away with a dry cloth. Use wipes soaked in an alcohol-free solution, such as One for All SV-8405 wipes, which are carefully designed not to scratch the cleaned surfaces. They are great for cleaning the plastic components of headphones and do not leave stains, as they were designed for the maintenance of TV and computer displays. A slightly moist cotton swab can be used to clean the sections (joints, junctions of various parts, etc.) which are hard to reach.

The hulls

The type of material, once again, will influence the cleaning procedure. For plastic or imitation leather covers, use a cloth or microfiber wet with soapy water or even glass cleaner, dry cloth for solid wood covers, and a slightly damp cloth for metal or leather covers. Wood and genuine leather can also be given a special touch with the right product.

If your headphone is open, our recommendation is to dry clean the outer shell by simply wiping a microfiber cloth over it. You can also use a canister of dry air to prevent moisture from entering the interior. The use of a vacuum cleaner, even at low power, is not recommended!

Ear cushions

It’s advisable to remove the ear cushions for cleaning if the headset allows it.

With a cloth or microfiber wet in soapy water, the leatherette ear cups can be cleaned without fear. Even better, the cloth ear cups can be soaked in gently soapy water and air-dried. Then, the leather ear cups will have to be cleaned with a lightly moist cloth dabbing rather than rubbing them to avoid damaging them.

It is preferable to replace the earpads if they are damaged. They are less comfortable in poor condition, insulate less well in the case of a closed headphone, and make using the headphone unpleasant.

Inside the ear cups

The transducers (speakers) of headphones are usually protected from dust by a grille wrapped in a thin layer of foam or a piece of light acoustic fabric. If dust and filth have accumulated on it, use a can of dry compressed air to remove the dust instead of a damp cloth or cleaning product. Moisture must not be allowed to penetrate the interior of the shells, as this could damage the transducers and electronic components.

The cable

The cable of a headphone can be cleaned by dampening a cloth or a microfiber cloth with soapy water and then drying it with a dry cloth. While cables with a smooth sheath are simple to clean, cables with a braided fabric sheath or a mesh sheath require extra care to avoid damage during the operation.

The acoustic port

The sound comes out of the headphones through this tube. After each use, it should ideally be cleaned. It can be partially clogged by earwax, which can be removed with a little brush or a cleaning instrument. Sometimes a little brush is provided with the headphones.

Instead, you can even use the tip of a paper clip, or even a little wet cotton swab, to gently release the earwax. Keep the earphone tube facing down during the entire cleaning process if you’re using a wet cotton swab to avoid leaking water within the earphones.

The protective grid

To protect the in-ear headphones’ transducers from dust, a grid is usually provided inside the acoustic port (or tube). Earwax must be removed on a regular basis to prevent it from becoming embedded. If earwax is present, a modest amount of hydrogen peroxide (maximum concentration of 3% ) applied to the screens with a soft cloth or light tissue may be required.

Make sure that no liquid gets into the earpiece’s acoustic port. Again, make sure the acoustic tube is facing down by tilting the earpiece.

Conclusion:

We hope that you got a detailed idea of how to protect and maintain your headphones or earphones. From now on you will be able to enjoy podcasts better because you know how to save your headphone and increase their durability. Enjoy any audio or podcast right now with the best headphone you have.

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WRITTEN BY

Al Rayhan Himel

Al Rayhan Himel, owner as well as CEO of allconsumerbd. He is graduating from RPMC. He loves researching technology products like headphones, smartwatches, washing machines and more. He gained expertise in this sector by researching technical products. He loves to share his ideas and knowledge with common people so that they can benefit from his knowledge. Before writing about a topic he always tries to gather real information from the original company website.

Since he owns allconsumerbd and built his website himself, he also has enough knowledge about SEO and web hosting.