If you’ve ever had your earbuds get wet before, you know how much anxiety and panic occurs when you don’t know how to fix them. If you’re worried about what to do if your earbuds get wet, then we’ve got just the fix to help you. No matter which facet of the problem you’re dealing with.
If your earbuds get wet, we recommend not trying to use them immediately. Additionally, un-pair them from your device if they’re connected via Bluetooth. And power them down as soon as possible so the device does not continue to receive electrical damage.
Finally, you can use an air drier or you may dry your earbuds with a desiccant. Make sure to not use your earbuds unless you know they have been completely dried out.
These are major recommendations. However, if you would like to receive more details about what to do if your earbuds get wet, then lets discuss that as well.
Related: How To Stop Earbuds From Falling Out When You Run Or Talk
What to Do If Your Earbuds Get Wet?
Before you do anything while attempting to fix your earbuds after they’ve gotten wet, you need to immediately take them out of whatever source of water they’re placed within. If the exposure to water continues, this will cause more significant damage to the internal circuitry of the earbuds.
Damage can mainly happen to your earbuds if you attempt to use them while they are still primarily wet or submerged in the water. This can usually occur if you turn on your earbuds or try to send an audio signal to them while they are still wet in some form.
We would also recommend that you be mindful that various impurities exist in the water. These impurities in the water may cause a short circuit in your earbuds that can directly harm their internal structure and might be extremely harmful to you, the user as well.
If you wish to use your earbuds once again, then you will have to ensure that all of the water has evaporated or dried out from the circuitry. Once this has been removed, electrical power or audio signals can flow through the device.
Otherwise, you risk the electrolytes in the water, or any form of liquid, conducting the electricity and creating a strong static that might damage the internal structure of your earbuds.
So our very first recommendation and the fix would be to completely and utterly remove all water, liquid, and material that might be inside of your earbuds before you attempt any further fixes.
What to Do After Drying Your Earbuds?
Once you’ve dried off your earbuds, you need to make sure that all the little water droplets or absorbed water particles are removed from your device as well. Even after you’ve evaporated water, some tiny droplets remain and can cause problems within your Earbuds.
To mitigate this, we will have to specifically carry out various fixes that can directly aid in removing these water droplets from your earbud systems. This will allow you to use your device more without worrying about potential damage.
1. Open the Front Case
First, remove the casing that might cover the speaker of your earbuds using a screwdriver or some other method. We suggest skipping this part if the seal is locked in place and will not detach. Use a soft cloth or a paper towel to wipe the speaker as dry as possible. This might take a few minutes.
2. Shake to Remove Water Droplets
Secondly, now that the earbuds have been wiped with a cloth, you can begin using some physical force to shake or dislodge the water droplets out of the surfaces that they might be sticking to within the earbuds. Water has an adhesive nature and requires some force to dislodge them completely.
We recommend that you shake the earphones slightly so that you do not cause any damage by the force of your movement of the device itself. You should be able to tell as you shake the device that different water droplets are being dislocated and removed from the internal system. Use a paper cloth to wipe any that might be outwardly visible.
Warning on Using Excessive Force
Please note that you are not supposed to strike your earbuds against a hard surface in an attempt to shake off the water droplet. This is because blunt physical damage might cause internal circuitry to disconnect, and that can cause more significant problems for your device.
3. Blow-dry Your Device If Possible
Finally, try using your mouth to blow into the gaps of your device. This will help to remove tiny water droplets that might yet persist in your system.
Vital pressured air will cause the water to dislocate completely, and make sure your device can be prepared to run again.
Related: Earbuds And IEMs Hurt Your Ears? 3 Causes And Fixes
What to Do If Your Earbuds Are Wet Due to Another Liquid?
Many fluids and liquids surround us on a day-to-day basis. And sometimes, it’s not just water that we have to worry about, but various other hazards that can cause our devices to get wet. The worst is probably sticky, slimy, or dirty liquids that even outwardly damage our devices.
We’ve just the solution for you if you’re wondering how to fix that problem. You can quickly fix your earbuds dropped in dirty water or whatever using the steps we mention here.
4. Use Distilled Water
This might seem counterintuitive. You’re trying to fix your earbuds after they got wet, and we want you to put your earbuds back into some water. Well, the reason is quite important. Most dirty water or sticky liquids have electrolytes and other harmful particles. These can cause damage to your circuit.
So you need some way of washing them clean, but you don’t want to introduce new particles and electrolytes that might cause more damage. In that case, we suggest using distilled water to help remove and clean your earbuds before you try to completely dry them out.
You must understand, however, that distilled water does not contain the same sort of particles and electrolytes. This is because these have been removed from this particular water. Hence it is called distilled.
Moreover, while the device is being cleaned with distilled water, we recommend moving the device around to clean up any unwanted particles that might be trapped inside. This is done to dislodge those pesky problems from your device’s internal circuits, wires, and metallic parts.
Follow the drying method that we’ve detailed after this, and you should have earbuds that at least have a possibility of functioning again.
How to Clean up the Last Bits of Liquid from Your Earbuds?
You might be wondering, what if you can’t get your front case to open then how are you supposed to clean the insides of your device? Well, the answer isn’t self-evident, but certainly, something that you might have thought to try if you’ve been worried about your wet device.
The first step is to give it a good shake once you’ve taken out your device. As we mentioned earlier, this will be carried out to push out any water droplets lodged inside, but it’s also useful as a tactic for getting water out if your device is sealed.
Once the water has been removed, place the earbuds in a soft cloth or paper towel. In our experience, an electric fan will be beneficial. This is because it can quickly circulate dry air that might be around your earbuds and remove vapor in the air.
Just a tip, but please try and refrain from using high-powered hairdryers to dry out your earbuds. We know that the idea might seem appealing, but the sheer temperature of the air that a regular hairdryer blows can cause some severe damage to your device.
Perhaps even more than the water it was submerged within. So stay safe in that regard. Also, it probably goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway. Do not microwave your earbuds. They will not respond the way you want them to, which can be a significant fire hazard.
How Long Does It Take for Earbuds to Dry?
If the exposure to water that your earbuds experienced was brief, then you don’t have to worry. After a quick shake-off, a cloth wiping, and some time spent blowing dry air on the device, your earbuds should be ready to use again.
This is simply because not enough water would have gone into the system of your earbuds to make them malfunction. And you can quickly recover your device without having much damage done to it, which is a blessing for many of you.
However, if you’re in the camp of people who’ve had their earbuds submerged in water for a significant amount of time, then the time it will take to dry up completely will be considerably higher. On average, it might take your earbuds anywhere from one to two days to completely dry off.
If they still do not work, then we’re sorry to inform you, but you might have to replace them with a new pair or take the device to a manufacturer to get them repaired by an expert. Nonetheless, regardless of which timeframe your earbuds fall within, we suggest you make sure not to utilize them or try to use them before drying.
This is for obvious safety reasons, and it goes without saying that electrical starts before complete drying can be detrimental to your well-being and the life of the earbuds.
Related: Are Expensive Earbuds Worth It? Here’s How To Decide
Why Get Waterproof Earbuds?
A good way to solve the issue of wondering whether your wet earbuds are far too damaged to ever work properly again is to simply use waterproof Earbuds. Now you no longer have to worry about droplets entering your earbud system, because they’ll be secure from any mishaps that might occur.
We would like to highlight the thought that no device is completely waterproof, but rather most waterproof devices are simply water-resistant when all is said and done. Earbuds have varying degrees of water resistance, and this all depends on their Ingress Protection standards.
These standards are what dictate just how resistant a particular electrical device is to be damaged or harmed by water. The industry largely uses this method to ensure that they provided a standardized level of protection to their device if they claim to be water resistant or waterproof in the first place.
What you generally want to look for in terms of Ingress Protection is the rating of IPx6. What this score means is that the device can withstand heavy splashes and being dropped into a pool of water. This means that the device is sturdy enough to work perfectly afterwards and does not require immediate attention.
Recommended waterproof Earbuds
Down below, we have compiled a list of 7 waterproof earbuds that we think anyone, who’s fearing that their earbuds will fall into the water, should try and get. These include the following:
- Jabra Elite Active 75t Waterproof Earbuds
- Tozo T12 Wireless Earbuds
- Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Earbuds
- SOUL Sync Anc Earbuds
- Sony WF-1000xm4 Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbud
- Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earbuds
- Underwater Audio Hydroactive Headphones
And that’s about everything you need to know to get your wet Earbuds fixed up and ready to use again. Throughout this article, our goal was to give you the information necessary to make well-informed decisions. We hope that we’ve achieved that.
If you have any queries or questions regarding the process that we’ve mentioned, then let us know. Till next time! Ciao.