ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

People are being urged to clean their ear bud headphones after an alarming study carried out by consumer watchdog Which?

Researchers took swabs of 11 pairs of in-ear and earbud headphones and sent these off to a lab for analysis.

"We found bacteria from people's skin, as you'd expect, but also the types of germs you'd commonly find in soil and dust as well as from pets," claim the Which? team. "And in one pair of headphones the lab found gut bacteria."

Dirty earbuds can cause infections according to US ear, nose and throat specialist at Arizona's Banner University Medicine North Nicholas Dewyer.

"Using dirty earbuds could cause pimples or otitis externa, a painful infection of the ear canal that's also known as swimmer's ear," he said. "And if your skin gets irritated easily-for example, if you have eczema or psoriasis-you could be more prone to earbud-related infections."

According to both Dewyer and Which? all earbuds should be cleaned regularly following the manufacturer's instructions. Which? warns that antibacterial sprays should not be used because these could damage the device, however.

"If ear buds are exposed to anything that might cause stains or other damage they should be wiped clean with a cloth slightly dampened with fresh water and then dried with a soft, lint-free cloth," said the team.

"Alcohol wipes can be used to clean the exterior, though again users should be careful not to get any moisture in the opening or speaker mesh. And the microphone and speaker meshes can be wiped with a dry cotton swab."