Can I clean my on-ear headphones that have soaked in smelly liquid?

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Bose OE Audio

Brand Name: Bose Model: 331394-0010

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lionplusfox @lionplusfox

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Posted: Aug 27, 2018

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Can I clean my on-ear headphones that have soaked in smelly liquid?

This weekend I took my daughter to the park and picked up some sandwiches. My husband likes the french dip, so I bought one for him and (because I’m an idiot and I was juggling holding a toddler and her three stuffed animals) threw the take out bag into a tote bag where my bose on-ear headphones happened to be also. Unfortunately, some of the horribly smelly dipping sauce spilled onto the headphones. They still work, but if I wear them, my hair and face smells like a French dip sandwich and I’m understandably grumpy.

They make replacement covers for the ear cushions, but not the headband. Any thoughts as to how I can clean them? Can I take them apart? I don’t really want to break an expensive pair of headphones, but I’m desperate. We have a stupid white noise generator at work that makes me sleepy, and I usually wear these to drown it out, but not without smelling like an absurdly stinky sandwich I now hate.

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3 Comments:

I'm sorry but I couldn't help but laugh when you said you smell like a French dip sandwich! :) What is the model number of the headphones?

Aug 27, 2018 by Justin Robison

It's like when some cruel monster makes microwave popcorn in your office and then immediately disappears. It lingers, and even if you enjoy the smell, you're still irritated because you don't get any. I smell like a sandwich I don't have, so even if I found it appetizing, I'm still haunted by it.

So to answer your question, I have these:

"Bose SoundLink On-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones"

ASIN# B00M58CMYC

I cleaned the outside of plastic parts with 91% isopropyl alcohol and baby q-tips (they're really puffy and absorb well) and a paperclip wrapped in masking tape to scrub the crevices a bit without scratching the plastic because it's what I had. Unfortunately, after the smell of the rubbing alcohol wore off I could still detect a faint whiff of sandwich...

I'd really like to be able to clean the headband because I think it's probably the greatest source of sandwich fragrance and because it transfers so easily to my hair. Any thoughts?

Aug 28, 2018 by lionplusfox

Dogs will love you ;-)

Aug 28, 2018 by mayer

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1 Answer

I'm sorry but I couldn't help but laugh when you said you smell like a French dip sandwich! :) What is the model number of the headphones? — Justin Robison
It's like when some cruel monster makes microwave popcorn in your office and then immediately disappears. It lingers, and even if you enjoy the smell, you're still irritated because you don't get any. I smell like a sandwich I don't have, so even if I found it appetizing, I'm still haunted by it.

So to answer your question, I have these:

"Bose SoundLink On-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones"

ASIN# B00M58CMYC

I cleaned the outside of plastic parts with 91% isopropyl alcohol and baby q-tips (they're really puffy and absorb well) and a paperclip wrapped in masking tape to scrub the crevices a bit without scratching the plastic because it's what I had. Unfortunately, after the smell of the rubbing alcohol wore off I could still detect a faint whiff of sandwich...

I'd really like to be able to clean the headband because I think it's probably the greatest source of sandwich fragrance and because it transfers so easily to my hair. Any thoughts? — lionplusfox