Headphones or earphones deserve careful handling which you can achieve with patience and common sense. A caring attitude can extend the life of the wired audio devices, avoiding disruptions and costly repairs, making you feel the true value of money invested.

A well-kept headphone looks great and adds to sound experience. After all, headphone condition matters and tells about your personality.

By following seven simple ways, you can make your headphone or earphones continue for years. Is not that wonderful?

Cleanliness

Headphone pick dust from the environment and wax from your ears. Sweat and moisture are another two agents. When all the four elements interact, they choke headphone speakers affecting sound quality.

So, what to do?

Clean your headphone regularly to avoid dust build up. You can do the cleaning process with a soft cloth or ear buds dampened with hand sanitizers or warm detergent water. You can even use a soft brush for cleaning.

Apart from cleaning, do not share your headphone or earphones with others. This way you are exporting other users’ ear wax that may cause infection as well. We all know people rarely take care of things that do not belong to them.

Don’t forget the headphone jack as well. When dirty, this contact point causes loose connection, sound warping and at times headphones working only on one side. Use a bent paper clip, lined with double-sided tape, insert it into the hole and twist the pin lightly. The carrier material on the tap will catch the dirt and then you can pull the pin out.

Proper Coiling

Headphone or earphone wires often make the situation complicated, especially when one urgently needs them. Wires get entangled and at time so intense that you become frustrated. In haste, your efforts to straighten them may damage the wires, sometimes making them useless.

Here are tips to handle the tangled headphone wires.

• Do not roll the wires in tight loops, this puts extra stress on the internal wires, reducing their life span
• Loosely loop the wire on your left hand repeatedly until it is uniformly coiled
• Hold it together with the help of a Velcro strip that is available online stores

Apart from proper coiling, avoid putting earphones in your pockets, especially in skinny jeans’. Extensive bending in or outside the pocket can deteriorate the wires early.

Use Storage Case

Headphones are not to be stored in backpacks or pockets. There they mix with other stuff and can get crushed or bent. Have a custom built storage for your ear buds and earphones if your goal is to keep them in good shape. Protective or storage cases come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Pick one that is neither too loose nor tight for your device.

Replace Pads/Sleeves

Headphone pads and earphone sleeves, over time, become peeled off and drop their original shape. When you notice, it is time to replace them. It is not a matter of aesthetic only but of comfort and sound quality of the head or earphones. Deformed sleeves cannot block the ambient sounds well.

Protect Connections

There are many connections on a headphone that are weak points. A careless tug can cause damage, so they need be taken care of. The connection between the wire and the plug is always under threat, especially when the plug is in the jack. To detach, always pull the plug, not the wire, otherwise the connection gets damaged.

Most users keep their headphones or earphones plugged in when not in use. Avoid this practice because this weakens the jack’s internal spring. Also, keep your headphones safe from shock, pressure, dropping or tossing on a hard surface like a table, which may break down delicate parts.

Moderate Volume

Speakers on your headphone or earphone vibrate while producing sound. If volume is set to high, it can upset the delicate sound-producing mechanisms, causing the sound to warp, which may invite hearing problems. Best practice is to always to turn the volume down before plugging or unplugging your device. Second, do not become dependent on “Bass Boost” which puts an extra pressure on speakers wearing them down early.

Charge Regularly–Wireless Headphones

Wireless headphones do not entangle wires, but they demand a different duty. Charge them regularly to push battery performance. And to tell you, there is a way to charge your device. Don’t wait until the battery is entirely used up. Like most, users do not overcharge either. Many believe that the headphone drivers handle sound quality. It is not so, multiple parts well aligned produce the great sound output. Another reason to take care of your device is to avoid warranty claim related hassles. Better take care of your device be it a headphone, earphone or ear buds than waste time pleading your case before the store owners.