Washed headphones in the washing machine: what to do

Headphones have long since become common accessories for everyday use. It is not surprising that they can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places. Including in the washing machine.

Having washed the headphones along with their things, most say goodbye to their favorite gadget, sending it to the trash prematurely. Meanwhile, by following the correct algorithm of actions, the device can be saved, making it serve faithfully for many years to come.

First aid

The first thing you should do when you find headphones in washable items is to reduce, if possible, the time the device is in contact with water. When washing by hand, this is quite easy to do right away. If washing is done in a washing machine, you will have to wait until the cycle ends.

Next you should proceed according to the following algorithm:

Remove the device from wet clothes or bags as soon as possible;
Disassemble the headset into its component parts. Wipe the parts with any material that absorbs moisture: a napkin, toilet paper, a piece of cloth;
Dry the device with warm air using a hairdryer. It is important to ensure that the temperature of the blown air is adequate. Otherwise, there is a risk that the hot wind will not only dry out the drops, but also melt the parts;
Place the unassembled headphones in a dry, warm place. For example, next to the battery, or on the battery itself, after spreading a sheet of paper or a moisture-absorbing napkin;
Leave the headphones for 3-5 days until completely dry.

ATTENTION! Under no circumstances should you turn on a wet device. Even minimal traces of moisture can cause an electrical short, after which the headphones will no longer be repairable.

Dry headphones should be carefully inspected in the light. If there are stains left from the powder or water, wipe with a small piece of bandage soaked in alcohol. It is better not to use cotton wool or napkins for this: after that, lint may become clogged in the parts of the headphones.

If for some reason the headphones cannot be disassembled, they will have to be dried for at least a week.

IMPORTANT! Under no circumstances should you pick the headphones with a toothpick, needle, pin or paper clip. This can permanently damage fragile speakers.

Has a similar problem ever happened to you?
Not really

How will we dry it?

What to do if the headphones get wet in the warm season, when the heating radiators are turned off? In this case, the battery will not be suitable for drying; you will have to take a different route. There are several options:

dry the speakers in a dry and warm room with good ventilation, that is, in natural conditions;
place the disassembled headset in direct sunlight;
use a hairdryer. The important thing here is not to overdo it and damage the headphones. Blow the device from a distance, do not bring the device close to the elements of the accessory;
hang the speakers on the fan's protective mesh. The headset will dry quickly under the influence of air currents. The device should be blown for at least three hours.

You should not resort to the help of improvised absorbents, namely burying the accessory in rice or silicone litter for cat litter boxes. It is also not recommended to treat the headset with WD-40 lubricant.

The sound quality of the headphones will depend on how quickly they dry out.

The longer the water drops remain inside the gadget, the higher the likelihood of the winding rotting. When the device does not turn on after drying, or the left or right speaker does not work, the wires of the device may have been broken during washing.

It happens that after drying the headset begins to distort the sound, wheeze or work too quietly. In this case, the reason usually lies in the powder remaining on the membrane. You can deal with the problem in a rather unusual way:

pour 95% medical alcohol into a mug;
immerse the headphones in the container;
turn on music through the headset;
After 10 minutes, remove the gadget.

This method is worth trying when you have nothing to lose and the question is about purchasing new speakers. Typically, this method helps to improve the sound - alcohol dissolves the detergent and thereby restores the functions of the headset. You should check the operation of the gadget only after it has completely dried.

Features of restoring wireless headphones

The algorithm for restoring wireless headphones is practically no different from drying a conventional wired headset. There are just a few features to consider:

In addition to the speaker, the signal reception sources of such devices – Bluetooth or Wi-Fi – can also be damaged by moisture. The only solution to the problem in this case is to remove water from the surface of the device parts as thoroughly as possible;
Wireless headsets are often equipped with a special waterproof membrane. Its task is to protect the device from short-term contact with moisture. Therefore, timely detection of wireless headphones in a basin of water will help avoid further damage.

Lost AirPods in the elevator

Admit it, have you ever been afraid of dropping your keys there?

But this is, perhaps, one of the phobias of most AirPods owners. Right up to the point of goosebumps.

Reader milena***@gmail.com writes

And there are quite a lot of such stories. It’s not surprising that when AirPods first came out, everyone was interested in only one question: what to do if one earbud gets lost? Then Apple representatives told reporters that if a pair of wireless headphones is lost, the user will have to do the same as with other accessories - go to the store and buy a new set. However, if only one of the AirPods was stolen or lost, Apple promised to give the buyer a new headphone. Not free, of course, but in Russia the company still does not provide such a service. What happens, do you need to immediately buy a new set with headphones and a charging case? No.

Washed AirPods

The main feature of the AirPods headset is that they are more resistant to moisture. But nevertheless, they cannot be called absolutely moisture resistant.

Therefore, if the AirPods accidentally ended up in the washing machine, after removing them, you must follow the same algorithm as with regular headphones: disassemble, wipe, dry in any available way.

The nuances of drying an iPhone headset

The main caveat of drying AirPods is that the headset can end up in the washing machine along with the case. Then you need to open the lid, if possible, shake out all the liquid from it, wipe all accessible surfaces and leave it to dry open.

IMPORTANT! Under no circumstances should you disassemble the Air Pods case, as reassembling it in the same form will be problematic.

There is another way to get rid of water that got into the iPhone headset - using the Water Eject shortcut command. This command is designed to push water out of iPhone speakers, but can also be used on headphones if necessary.

The basic operating principle of Water Eject is the creation of special sound waves that push water out of the speakers. The main conditions for activating a quick command are that the iPhone must be turned on, the volume set to the maximum value, and the headphones must have all holes except the main ones and sensors closed, so that the device thinks that the headphones are in the ears and connected to the device.

This method is only relevant for Apple products and even for AirPods it does not provide a 100% guarantee. Therefore, after using it, it is still better to dry the headset in the classic way. You will find reliable and simple ways to clean your iPhone headphones (AirPods) at home here.

The nuances of drying an iPhone headset

Unlike regular headphones, the iPhone headset is more resistant to moisture. Therefore, it is possible that after washing it will continue to work. The main thing is not to try to immediately connect it to your smartphone. The headphones need to be given time to dry.

The manufacturer does not provide any exclusive recommendations for resuscitation of washed Air Pods. They are wiped with a hydrophilic cloth or paper napkin, dried with a hairdryer and placed on a shelf to completely evaporate the moisture.

Even though iPhone headphones resist moisture better than other headsets, they are not waterproof. Therefore, they must be used carefully, avoiding getting into the washing machine.

If water gets into the connector

If not only the headphones themselves, but also the connector for them are exposed to excess moisture, the procedure should be as follows:

Get the phone out of the water as quickly as possible and, if possible, remove the battery from it;
Gently shake out the liquid from the speakers, headphone jack and other hard-to-reach places;
wipe all accessible surfaces with moisture-absorbing material;
Next, you need to disassemble the smartphone, carefully blot all parts from moisture, and lightly dry them with warm air using a hairdryer;
leave the disassembled smartphone on a moisture-absorbing paper pad or on a napkin for 2-3 days;
after three days, making sure that there is no moisture, you should treat all accessible contacts with alcohol;
After the alcohol treatment, you need to dry the phone again.

You can insert the battery into the finally dried phone and check the functionality of the device in general and the headphone jack in particular.

IMPORTANT! When using cotton swabs, you need to make sure that the cotton is wound tightly. Otherwise, the phone may become clogged with fibers, which will only make the situation worse.

Also learn how to clean your phone's charging socket at home.

Rescue of drowned people

Here, as with a person, delay is like death. Naturally, you will need to carry out resuscitation, which consists of the following:

The headset should be removed from the water immediately. Immediately remove the plug from the socket.
Point the holes of the headphones towards the ground and shake out the water using sharp movements. The main thing is not to overdo it, so that other problems besides water in the headphones do not appear. Wipe off any remaining moisture with a napkin. Or any other material, the main thing is that it absorbs moisture well.
Don't forget that no matter how hard you try, there will still be moisture inside. It will need to be dried.

Does it make sense to send it in for repair?

It only makes sense to send washed headphones for repair in one case - if the cost of the headset significantly exceeds the upcoming repair costs. It’s much easier to throw away a headset that costs up to 500 rubles and buy a new one instead.

You can try using the services of a specialist if, after drying, the headphones work, but with sound distortion.

IMPORTANT! It is imperative to inform the technician that the device has been washed, and also tell in detail about all the nuances of an independent attempt to revive the headphones.

Have you already sent your headphones in for repair?

Not really

The decision on the advisability of repairs should be made only after diagnostics: identifying the cause of the malfunction, assessing the effectiveness of repair work and calculating their cost.

Depending on the region, the average price tag for repairing washed headphones is as follows:

speaker replacement – 1000 rubles;
cable restoration – 500 rubles;
replacement of the Bluetooth module – 1500 rubles;
iPhone headset repair – 2500 rubles.

ATTENTION! Prices are approximate and may vary depending on the complexity and urgency of the work.

The main thing you shouldn’t do when you find washed headphones in the washing machine is to panic. It is important not to forget that if you promptly remove the device from the water and carefully dry it, the likelihood that the headphones will remain operational is quite high.

Clean the headphone jack.

The iPhone thinks headphones are connected when it detects something in the headphone jack. This should only happen if the headphones are actually plugged in, but it's technically possible that something else in the jack could trick the phone into thinking it's headphones. It's possible that lint or other debris has gotten into the headphone jack and is causing your iPhone to think there's something in it. Here's how to check and what to do:

On most models, it's pretty easy to see if there's anything in the headphone jack. On very old models, you may need to shine a flashlight into the socket to see it.
When you look into the socket, you should see nothing but the metal insides of the phone. If you see lint or anything that looks strange or out of place, it probably shouldn't be there.
The best and safest way to remove lint or other debris from your headphone jack is with compressed air. You can buy this bottle at most office or computer stores. Use the included snorkel and blow a few bursts of air into the headphone jack to blow out any debris. If you can't get your hands on compressed air, there are other options like a cotton swab or a ballpoint pen.

You may want to use an unfolded paperclip to clear debris from the headphone jack; The paperclip is the right size and allows you to apply some force, but it's best to leave this as a last resort. You probably won't cause any damage to your iPhone using a paperclip, but scraping metal objects around the inside of the phone certainly has the potential for damage.

If you decide to resort to this method, proceed with caution

How to clean dirt from headphones so they become like new

It has long been known that headphones are one of the best carriers of health-threatening diseases. They harbor ear fungus, as well as staphylococci, streptococci and influenza. Headphones live in unknown pockets, so they quickly lose their appearance. The same EarPods turn first into gray and then into yellow.

But I have a solution. For myself, I have long chosen 5 cheap items that can be bought at the pharmacy. They will help wash any type of headphones from both microorganisms and common dirt.

Ear sticks

For some reason, many sites on the Internet write that sulfur and other relatively large debris from hard-to-reach areas of the headphones should be removed using toothpicks. I think this is complete nonsense. Using a toothpick can damage the membrane and other parts of the headphones, so I recommend either being as careful as possible when doing this, or giving preference to ear sticks.

Ear sticks are even quite suitable for removing wax from the inside of EarPods or AirPods where the protective mesh is located. And their soft “tips” will help avoid damage.

Ear sticks are suitable for any hard-to-reach and internal parts of earbuds, in-ear and on-ear headphones. If the dirt is old and dried, you need to moisten them in one of the solutions that I will talk about later.

Cotton pads

Cotton pads are useful for removing dirt from the outer parts of any headphones or wiping them dry after using liquid products from the pharmacy.

Cotton pads are great for cleaning headphone wires. For example, if your EarPods are not yet yellow, but are already gray, you can simply wet a cotton pad with water, squeeze it out as much as possible, and wipe all their outer parts. This can help.

Cotton pads are also good for cleaning the ear pads of large over-ear headphones. Depending on the type of contamination, you can do this either simply slightly damp or soaked in one of the pharmaceutical liquids.

After any, let’s say, wet procedure with cotton pads, it is important to wipe the headphones dry

Formic alcohol

Formic alcohol can also be used for external use, but it is more caustic (as knowledgeable people explained to me) than peroxide, so I do not risk doing this. If the headphones are not of very high quality, you can simply damage them and ruin the entire appearance.

But it’s great for internal parts if you can’t just wipe off the dirt with a dry ear stick. For example, in AirPods and EarPods I usually wipe the mesh this way if too much sulfur has accumulated in it and it’s already like a stone.

You can also use formic alcohol to make baths for in-ear headphones. Remove the nozzles from them, pour just a little alcohol (1 mm in height) into the soda caps and attach them with clothespins so that the inner mesh is in alcohol. So they should soak for about 5 minutes.

After all these procedures, I do not wipe the headphones dry; this is not necessary.

Is it possible to wet

There is no information on the Apple website about the water resistance of the AirPods. In addition, the manufacturer warns that the headphones should not be wet .

However, many users have tried to wet or even immerse the device in water for a long time and found that AirPods are resistant to moisture and water.

A video appeared on YouTube of a man wearing AirPods running in the rain for an hour and the headphones worked flawlessly. Therefore, they can be used for running outdoors in adverse weather conditions.

Is it possible to block stolen (lost) AirPods?

On most Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad or Mac, you can use the Find My app to block them when they go missing.
This stops anyone who finds your device from customizing it and using it as their own. Combined with Activation Lock, this is a great way to deter potential thieves as it makes using stolen Apple devices incredibly difficult.

Unfortunately, none of these features are available for AirPods.

You can't lock missing AirPods or do anything to prevent the new owner from connecting them to their iPhone. Combined with the device's high price tag and its lightweight, compact design, this makes AirPods an attractive target for potential thieves.

Is it possible to take Airpods in the shower?

If you're wondering whether you can wear AirPods in the shower, know that the answer is a resounding no. These devices should never be worn in any wet conditions.

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I washed my phone in the washing machine, what should I do?

We'll tell you what to do if you washed your phone in the washing machine...

Attention: if the battery has traces of exposure to water or remains undried, it is prohibited to insert it into the smartphone! If you accidentally washed your phone in the washing machine, the first thing you need to do is remove the storage media (SIM cards, memory card) and other removable components from it, disassemble it and remove the battery. The first step is to put the phone on the table and leave it for several hours: it should dry

The second step is to turn on the mobile device. If the smartphone is working correctly, we check all functions - WiFi, data transfer, camera, ability to make calls, and so on.

The first step is to put the phone on the table and leave it for several hours: it should dry. The second step is to turn on the mobile device. If the smartphone is working correctly, we check all functions - WiFi, data transfer, camera, ability to make calls, and so on.

It is not possible to avoid the destructive effects of water in all cases. So if the phone does not respond to an attempt to turn it on, you need to disassemble it again - even the smallest parts of the device must be dry. Some “craftsmen” advise using rice to dry the internal components of the device - it has hygroscopic properties

Before drying your smartphone, you need to choose a dry and warm place, lay down an absorbent cloth and disassemble the phone. Drying should take about a week.

Smartphone manufacturers today take into account the most diverse needs of the user - they also produce entire series of waterproof devices. So the problem was washing the phone in the washing machine, which may not be relevant if it arose in the case of washing a water- and shock-resistant smartphone.

Especially for you: Xiaomi wireless headphones 2022: a real competitor to AirPods

The most sensitive element of the phone to washing is the battery - it does not withstand exposure to water, especially high-temperature washing. Washing in this mode can lead to oxidation of the board and melting of the battery. For the same reason, the first thing to do after discovering a drowned person is to remove the battery - we do this very carefully, as sometimes they explode

The device is disassembled and the motherboard of the phone, as well as all connections and contacts of the board, are dried using a hairdryer.

To dry the phone after washing, they use not only rice, but also silicone balls, which can be taken from a set of new shoes. Silicone balls localize the moisture remaining after washing and prevent further penetration of water into the device. So the question of washing the phone in the washing machine is solved quite simply. The main thing is that after washing it does not have fatal damage.

The stages of preparing the phone for drying are as follows:

Carefully remove the battery.
Loosen the screws and remove the back panel.
Place all removable elements on an absorbent napkin.

Especially for you: All about the Groove Music program: How to add music, how to delete the application?

Using a hairdryer, using a medium temperature setting, dry all the parts and leave them on the table for several days. You can also take large rice and spread it over the surface of the motherboard. details.

Do I need to go to a service center and what to do if I washed my phone?

If your mobile device has gone through all the stages of home drying, but after assembly it still does not turn on, you need to send it to service. The phone will be tested - you may have to replace the motherboard, battery or other components. Sometimes even specialists cannot revive drowned people - in this case, it is easier to buy a new smartphone.

After washing, WiFi and the camera often fail, and the smartphone will begin to slow down and lag a lot. Thus, you can answer what to do if you washed your phone in the washing machine anyway...

What to do if one earphone quickly discharges?

Calibration if one AirPods earphone discharges faster

Charge the case fully (it has enough charge to last several charge cycles for the headset).
Charge both AirPods to 100% using the case (until the green indicator).
Make sure enough time has passed to get 100% charge on both earbuds.

23 Apr
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Measures taken to save the Honor smartphone

All measures taken by the user at home cannot be called repairs. You will still have to contact the service, although after the water you should not count on warranty service. But without trying to avoid the consequences during the first minutes after filling with liquid, the phone owner increases the likelihood of the gadget failing to 80–90 percent. And attempts to save the device reduce the risk of breakdown to only 40–50%, which can be especially important for fairly expensive models like Honor 20 or 20 Pro.

Removing the Battery

The first action of the user who is going to restore the phone's functionality is to remove the battery from the case, which supplies voltage to the motherboard even when it is turned off. If the battery is not removed in time, the risk of a short circuit increases.

The owner of an old Honor phone rarely has problems removing the battery, but most modern models with a non-removable battery require service. And before the gadget is delivered to specialists, it must be turned off immediately. Trying to turn on a smartphone that is flooded with water can damage the sensor. Therefore, from new phones like Honor 10 Lite, you will only have to remove SIM cards and memory cards and only then proceed to the drying process.

Removing fluid

In order to effectively dry Honor 8, 9 and any other device of this brand, you can use the following methods:

put the phone itself and its battery (if you managed to remove it from the case) in rice cereal. Rice should be poured into a deep container and the disassembled device should be placed there;
Use silica gel, which can be found in a new shoe box, to protect your phone from water. The principle of drying is no different from drying with rice;
try to dry the gadget by blotting all its parts with a regular towel. This method is only suitable for disassembled models. Non-separable ones will have to be wiped only on the outside, not forgetting the connectors for connecting the charger cable.

On the Internet you can find advice that if water gets into your phone, you should use a vacuum cleaner. Although this does not mean that, for example, the 10i model can be saved from liquid getting inside just by vacuuming. But a vacuum cleaner will help get rid of at least some of the water droplets on the case and inside the connectors, where they cannot be removed with a towel, rice and silica gel.

Is it possible to wet

There is no information on the Apple website about the water resistance of the AirPods. In addition, the manufacturer warns that the headphones should not be wet .

However, many users have tried to wet or even immerse the device in water for a long time and found that AirPods are resistant to moisture and water.