I’ve been doing this for years, & i’ve recently noticed some clips on YouTube mentioning this same cleaning habit to help maintain that ‘as new’ fit & seal.
It’s basically just removing your skin oils from the contact areas between the buds themselves & your skin.
So oils will naturally build up when wearing AirPods, which means they’ll slip more over time. Even 1mm of slippage will impact your seal & therefore overall performance of the AirPods. They’ll slip more for people who exude more oil & even more who have an upper jaw that has increased movement (I find when listening to comedies & I’m laughing, they move out of position easier).
It’s when you go to pull them out & you feel zero grip, you wonder how they stayed in so long.
So what I did initially after every use was wipe down the side of the AirPods bud that touched the skin by rubbing it against the drier (& cleaner) upper side of my hand. I don‘t use my clothes as they could introduce lint/fluff ect, which then added another cleaning step I didn’t need. I then expanded on this & made sure the whole rubber tip was wiped free of oils, as well as the rest of the bud. Luckily I have dry enough fingers (my climate helps too) to rid the buds of my ear oils. If you don’t, then you may need to use a clean part of your clothes (or a glasses microfibre cloth that you may have on you). Just make sure you clean them well, including just inside the cavity as that’ll be where oil sits most. Wipe your fingers clear of oils before using them to rub the AirPods down or else you’ll reapply the oils you just wiped off!
I used to stop there & was happy with the added grip, but during the warmer months, more oils exude & more slippage happens, so I now rub the inside of my ears, where the buds make contact, before every use. This way both contact areas are given the best chance of remaining oil-free for as long as possible.
After doing this, I got that nice grip back, where you’d actually hear a pop as you remove the buds from your ears, just like when they were brand new.
In warmer climates, this may not work as well, especially for people who sweat more than average, but it should hopefully help them & others anyway.
P.S. If you have access to a damp cloth or paper towel, then use them, especially in your ears. It’ll help wipe away oils & dry your skin.
Also, once a week, I lightly spray a tissue with heavily diluted hospital grade liquid cleaner & wipe down the buds & case completely. Just to spruce them up before another week of use.
& at longer increments, I use cotton buds & a nice blow through the mesh to clean the innards of the tips.
& at even longer increments, I drop the rubber tips in the same diluted solution above for an hour or so for a good clean.
It’s basically just removing your skin oils from the contact areas between the buds themselves & your skin.
So oils will naturally build up when wearing AirPods, which means they’ll slip more over time. Even 1mm of slippage will impact your seal & therefore overall performance of the AirPods. They’ll slip more for people who exude more oil & even more who have an upper jaw that has increased movement (I find when listening to comedies & I’m laughing, they move out of position easier).
It’s when you go to pull them out & you feel zero grip, you wonder how they stayed in so long.
So what I did initially after every use was wipe down the side of the AirPods bud that touched the skin by rubbing it against the drier (& cleaner) upper side of my hand. I don‘t use my clothes as they could introduce lint/fluff ect, which then added another cleaning step I didn’t need. I then expanded on this & made sure the whole rubber tip was wiped free of oils, as well as the rest of the bud. Luckily I have dry enough fingers (my climate helps too) to rid the buds of my ear oils. If you don’t, then you may need to use a clean part of your clothes (or a glasses microfibre cloth that you may have on you). Just make sure you clean them well, including just inside the cavity as that’ll be where oil sits most. Wipe your fingers clear of oils before using them to rub the AirPods down or else you’ll reapply the oils you just wiped off!
I used to stop there & was happy with the added grip, but during the warmer months, more oils exude & more slippage happens, so I now rub the inside of my ears, where the buds make contact, before every use. This way both contact areas are given the best chance of remaining oil-free for as long as possible.
After doing this, I got that nice grip back, where you’d actually hear a pop as you remove the buds from your ears, just like when they were brand new.
In warmer climates, this may not work as well, especially for people who sweat more than average, but it should hopefully help them & others anyway.
P.S. If you have access to a damp cloth or paper towel, then use them, especially in your ears. It’ll help wipe away oils & dry your skin.
Also, once a week, I lightly spray a tissue with heavily diluted hospital grade liquid cleaner & wipe down the buds & case completely. Just to spruce them up before another week of use.
& at longer increments, I use cotton buds & a nice blow through the mesh to clean the innards of the tips.
& at even longer increments, I drop the rubber tips in the same diluted solution above for an hour or so for a good clean.
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