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It turns out you do need to clean your earbuds regularly to prevent bacterial growth — and I've found just the gadget to help you do so. This earbud cleaning tool costs just $6, and will help keep your AirPods working like new.
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Besides being optimistic that it would work better than Q-tips, I'm not sure what possessed me to purchase this little gizmo last year, but I'm glad I did. And now my knowledge is your knowledge. This AirPods cleaner tool has a 4.5/5 star rating and over 11,000 reviews, so others agree with me.
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It's dual-ended, with a soft bristle tool on one side, and a sharp scraper and small brush combo on the other. It does its job and is handy.
While ZDNET's audio expert Jada Jones says you don't need dedicated tools to clean your headphones or earbuds, I prefer keeping this nifty tool on hand. It makes it easy for me to regularly commit to cleaning my AirPods, since I have no excuse not to with this easy-to-use gadget.
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In her October 2025 article, Jones reports that Lachelle Lazarus, AuD, an audiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, recommends cleaning your earbuds regularly, especially if you use them daily (which I do).
“We do advise patients to keep earbuds [and] hearing aids clean to prevent any bacterial growth on the device that they would be re-inserting in their ear. Extensive use throughout the day does not pose a significant health risk, but we would recommend wiping the earbuds daily,” Lazarus says in Jones' article.
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So if you want to try out a handy gadget to help clean your AirPods, now's your chance to nab the tool I use for $6.
Why I recommend this product
It's cheap, easy and functional, so it's worth it to me. It makes the AirPod cleaning experience quicker too, which makes me more likely to participate in regularly doing so.
