[TheChosen0ne]

And hang em up to dry then put em back on?  I got my HD600s a little over a year ago and it smells and feels dirty because of the oil build up.  People say use wool washer or whatever it's called but I'm scared of using any kind of soap cause it might screw up my ear.

 

[skimminst]

I just put my 20 years old HD540 ear pads in the washing machine and dried them on a radiator:

The already rotten pleather fall off and left the nylon backing material but the fabric is still in best shape.
 
Trying to avoid soap you may just want wash them manually in warm/hot water…

 

[TheChosen0ne]

any more opinions?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

And hang em up to dry then put em back on?  I got my HD600s a little over a year ago and it smells and feels dirty because of the oil build up.  People say use wool washer or whatever it's called but I'm scared of using any kind of soap cause it might screw up my ear.

 
I can't imagine exactly how the soap will get into your ear to mess it up, barring pouring it in there, or you don't rinse it properly and some dried residue/powder detergent gets left behind and then by sheer luck this drops straight into your ear and contributes to earwax build up

 
In any case if your concern is using any sort of detergent/cleaner that you wouldn't otherwise use on your body, the closest being your clothes but that's about it, I don't think there's any real disadvantage to using the stuff that you would use on yourself (unless your earpads really, really, really stink that they need laundry detergent). I use menthol body wash (it won't be that cool to the cheek once they dry though) and I don't see any adverse effects so far.
 
Other alternatives you can experiment on - check if the earpads are drier safe. If they are, dry them out in the sun to start killing off any microbes, then put them in a porous/net bag and toss 'em in there with a light load (like socks and handkerchiefs) and just add more than the usual number of Bounce drier sheets to remove the scent. Or get one of those disposable dry cleaning bags, then toss 'em in the drier.

 

[kramer5150]

I washed my 580 pads (same as the 600) in warm water with a little anti-bacterial hand soap.  Soft soap brand I think.  They turned out fine.  Just put them in the sink and squished them around.  The sink water turned BROWN... pretty yuky!!  It was definitely worth the efforts.  I blotted them as dry as I could.  Put them in a mesh laundry bag, and tumble tried them by them self for ~10-15 minutes, pulled them and let them air dry overnight. 

 

[obobskivich]

I washed my 580 pads by hand a few years ago - one of the worst experiences of my life. Anyways, what I did:

Took two lids from 50pk CD cake boxes, put one with warm water + my laundry detergent (I use dye/perfume free HE detergent, so it also lacks a surfactant), and another with cool rinse water. I just messaged them in the "wash" area for a few minutes, and then rinsed them (which takes multiple cyclings of the water; I think I exchanged it 4-5 times to get them fully clear of the soap (basically go until they don't release anymore soap and the water stays clear)).

Then I patted them dry with a towel to get the "sopping wet" off of them, and set them out to dry. But that wasn't happening fast enough, so I wrapped them in a clean t-shirt, wrapped that in aluminum foil, and put that on the shoe-insert for my dryer, and put the thing on "low" and let it run for ~hour. They were mostly dry by then.

Things I learned:

- Don't rush the rinsing, or you'll leave soap in the pads (which is bad)
- If you're using a dryer, if you have a shoe insert it's a good thing, but still wrap them in something. Don't use "ultra high" heat, as it may damage the plastic.
- Be gentle while washing them by hand, and be especially gentle if you decide to wash the foams (those will air dry, no need for putting them in the dryer).


I would not use shampoo or body wash or triclosan or alcohol based soaps, as they're generally fairly harsh by fabric standards. Laundry detergent is designed for what you want to do, and using the HE stuff will remove the surfactant and make the rinsing easier. Woolite is also a popular suggestion, because it's even milder - it would work, but I don't like going out and buying extra stuff.

I would avoid fabric softener, detergent boosters, etc.

 

[kcazbarach]

I just (very gently) use anti bacterial wipes that are alcohol free....... I use them lightly  and gently. I haven't had a problem yet (i use them on my hd 555 pads, just to clean them even though I don't use them)
 

 

[calipilot227]

I put a pair of '580 pads in a mesh bag with a load of laundry (sheets and blankets), let them air dry, and they came out fine.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

i cleaned my hd 650 pads by hand. 
 
i would put them in a little bucket or container with warm water and a few drops of soap or detergent
 
let them soak for a bit, then hand wash them over running water making sure to rinse them well and making sure to press on the foam to make sure everything washes out + to make sure it fluffs up again. 
 
then finally, squeeze most of the water out of the pads, and then either hand dry them with a towel, or just lay them down to dry, i personally just use paper towels to keep absorbing all the water until they're fairly dry, then i just let them dry out the rest. 
 
hand washing them like this is pretty gentle and shouldn't damage them or ruin them. since you're only using light soap and mostly water, it doesn't damage them. 
 
ive washed my beyer pads and hd 650 pads like this and it always comes out perfect like new.
 
 
for minor dust and debris on the pads, just use a lint roller on the pads to pick up all the dust and hairs off of them.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

I would not use shampoo or body wash or triclosan or alcohol based soaps, as they're generally fairly harsh by fabric standards.

 
Thanks for the tip, I'll avoid substituting anything that has those when I run out.
 
Quote:

The sink water turned BROWN... pretty yuky!!  

 
It's not necessarily gunk; it could be the dye on the earpads (plus the handsoap's dye or color) ?

 

[TheChosen0ne]

So HE liquid detergent would be a good thing to help clean the ear pads?  I got some and it's non scented one

 

[obobskivich]

So HE liquid detergent would be a good thing to help clean the ear pads?  I got some and it's non scented one

Worked for me. And on more than the HD 600 pads.

Again, remember to rinse appropriately after, be gentle with them, and make sure you dry them sufficiently (the reason you want to rinse detergent out + dry them is to prevent mold).

 

[ev13wt]

Shampoo + warm water. Yes. Makes sense doesn't it?

Beyerdynamic recommended. Should work for Senns as well.




Also works awesome for those white shirt collars that won't come clean.

 

[TheChosen0ne]

Is it a good idea to use the hair dryer and use that to dry the ear pads?

 

[obobskivich]

Is it a good idea to use the hair dryer and use that to dry the ear pads?

If it has a low-heat mode, and you put them in something like a t-shirt, I would think it okay. My primary concern would be damaging the plastic component with heat.