How picky are people with keeping their AirPods hygienic? For example, if you drop them on the ground, do you disinfect them before using them again? What do you use to disinfect? Or am I just worrying too much about possible ear-infections, brain-eating amoeba, etc.?
Context: I put an old AirPod in my desk drawer (I accidentally flushed the complementary AirPod down the toilet and months later lost the case.). I took it out a few months later only to discover something growing out of it. See the bottom AirPod below.
Ewww. I do periodically use a toothpick to clean out the AirPods. I’ve never dropped them on the ground, but I suppose you could use a Lysol/Clorox antiseptic wipe cloth to clean them off.
Most of the Air Pods I have to clean for customers are encrusted in ear wax…
We use a short bristle brush to break up most of the debris and then a IPA wipe (Isopropyl Alcohol) to loosen/clean the rest. After 30 seconds or so, I follow up with a few quick blasts of compressed air via the small holes. This normally returns the sound level and quality back to normal.
I read about some people using a single drop of ear wax softener/cleaner to clean air pods. Not sure I am comfortable with that solution since you are adding a liquid to the device.
I use bluetack (various names depending on where you live. But its the white sticky stuff for sticking paper to a wall). Take a glob of it and press it over the black mesh. It does a good job of picking up dirt and not getting stuck in the holes itself.
I tried stickytac blue on my disassembled Plantronics and pulled the wire screen out. Ended up buying a newer model. May have nothing to do AirPods but
I clean mine weekly or as ear wax dictates with a cotton bud and an alcohol-based product, I also have a portable UV lamp which kills bacteria (a weird purchase my wife demanded) which also gets ‘waved’ in the hope it works.
