Why should you clean your headphones?
AirPods owners occasionally report almost no sound from videos or music. Many people think that the problem is in the hardware, but in fact, most of the time the problem is much simpler – the headphones simply need to be cleaned.
Owners of all models of Apple wireless headphones face a similar problem: it only takes a few years of active use for pollution to accumulate. After using the first generation AirPods for about four years, the socialbites.ca correspondent also encountered this.
Over the past few months, it has been noticed how the volume of the headphones is maximum, even in the house where there is no external sounds. It turned out that the speakers still work fine, as the sound does not decrease on its own, but simply quieter.
Many users often take the headphones with them for walks, commuting and sports. As a result, excess dust and dirt accumulates on the earpiece speakers very quickly. Even when using the accessory at home, a gradual deterioration of the volume occurs.
The cases in which the headphones are stored also absorb dust and dirt over time due to active opening and closing.
How do you clean yourself?
Like the case, the earmuffs should be cleaned with special tools. This is also possible at home. Most often, experts recommend using toothpicks, cotton swabs dipped in hydrogen peroxide and a toothbrush.
The author tested the classic options – he cleaned the headphones with a toothpick along the edges of the speakers, then rubbed hydrogen peroxide on the speakers with a cotton swab, and finally, with gentle movements, ran the toothbrush over the speakers several times. . The same steps were done for the body of the case, in which the headphones were folded.
All these actions had a real aesthetic impact and really helped to improve the appearance of the headphones and the case. However, this did not affect the sound of the headphones in any way – their sound was still low.
There is also a less conservative way, which some users claim works as well. It’s about chewing gum.
It is recommended to chew for 10 minutes until the sweetness of the gum ends and it becomes more viscous. According to enthusiasts, only such gum can help with cleaning.
It is recommended to press the gum 7-8 times on the place of contamination, then the dirt will begin to peel off from the headphones to the gum. Users are sure that the main advantages of the method are that the gum has the required viscosity and does not clog the mesh holes.
Thus, the gum gets into hard-to-reach places where even a toothpick or brush cannot reach. However, it was decided not to try this method due to the risk of gum particles remaining in the earphone speakers.
Is it better to clean in service centers?
Many service centers offer the option to clean AirPods, but first you need to negotiate the terms of cleaning and the amount of service. When searching for a master on the Internet, prices range from 500 to 1 thousand rubles. Depending on the model of the Apple wireless headset.
However, in practice, it turns out that cleaning even the first generation AirPods will cost an average of 1.1 thousand rubles. This refers to the amount needed to clean two earphones and a case.
At the same time, in one of the service centers it was said that the author was told the amount of 500 rubles, which is indicated directly on the site. — the cost of the service for one headset. By phone, we managed to find out that the service will actually cost 1.5 thousand rubles. – 500 rubles each. For both earphone and case.
The cleaning process took about 12 minutes. All in all, the earphones and case look impressively new, but of course there is some wear and tear from use.
According to the cleaner, this is because of the magnets that secure the case cover. The expert stated that the abrasions on the four magnet areas on the case and on the case cover cannot be pure white again after several years of use, even with professional cleaning.
The main plus of paid cleaning in the service center is that the headphones really return to their old volume.
If before cleaning, even at home, the headphones were usually turned on at maximum volume, now the volume slider is about in the middle – that is, the volume of the headphones has increased by about twice.
Is it worth your money?
The difference between self-cleaning and a service center is enough to spend money on service every 2-3 years. The procedure is worth the money, but in order not to overpay in the end, you definitely need to first talk to the master about the cost and conditions of cleaning.
It’s also worth taking a photo of your headphones beforehand, just in case, to check if the master has actually cleaned these AirPods.
It makes sense to listen to a few songs with headphones before cleaning and remember what level they are at.
After cleaning, you need to turn on the previously listened songs again and check the volume. If the sound becomes noticeably louder at a lower volume, this guarantees the quality work of the service center manager.