Every time you stick anything in your ear, you do one of two things: You push earwax further back into your ear canal which can cause long-term damage and you dirty whatever you have stuck in there.  While inner ear headphones are a good solution for those looking for high sound quality, surround sound and a noise cancelling listening experience, these types of headphones need to be cleaned frequently in order to keep them in peak condition.

There are three things you need to clean inner ear headphones: Rubbing alcohol, Q-Tips and a soft cloth. Do not use paper towels; these can scratch your headphones. Make sure to unplug your headphones before you begin cleaning them. Once you are ready, dip a Q-Tip into some rubbing alcohol. Make sure the Q-Tip is barely damp, just enough to wet the surface.

If your headphones have any rubber or removable parts, take these apart and clean them first. Simply rub the Q-Tip over it to remove build up, and then use the soft cloth to dry this part. Set them aside and examine the rest of your headphones, particularly the small speaker. In most cases, the removable parts will contain the most build up and you will only have to keep those areas clean. However, if you notice build up on any other part of your inner ear headphones, you want to clean them in a similar fashion as above.

Cleaning your inner ear headphones can cause damage to them if you are not careful. However, you have to weigh the pros and cons. If you do not clean your inner ear headphones, they will begin to degrade quicker and you may have to buy a new set sooner than you anticipated. If you do clean them, and you over saturate the headphones, you may come out with inner ear headphones that sound good as new. However, you may also over saturate the headphones in the process and ruin them.