Here's Why Sharing Earbuds Can Cause Infections

We've all been there. You show up to work and dig around for your earbuds, only to realize they're at home on the counter. Ugh. Whatever will you do? You could just ask a coworker for their extra pair, but maybe you'd be further ahead to just grab a crappy pair from the dollar store.

While, yeah, they suck, there are way worse things out there. "Like what", you ask? 

Well, let me tell you, my green young friend! Apparently, sharing earbuds is a HUGE no-no.

Are you a serial sharer? Be sure the SHARE this article with your friends and tell them to get their own earbuds!

I know, I know. 

Sometimes you're desperate. You NEED to borrow earbuds because how else are you gonna make it through the day/workout/train ride?

But the issues with earbud sharing are not just dangerous, they're downright nasty.

Your ear canal is a special little snowflake.

It has its own bacteria and fungi that live there. They are happy where they are, and they are (usually) balanced.

But when you share earbuds, you introduce new micro-organisms.

Unlike teaching your toddler to make new friends at daycare, this is a really bad idea. Especially if you don't clean your earbuds properly.

All of the gunk in your ears ends up on — you guessed it! — your earbuds.

While this gunk is safe for your ears, your earbuds pick up bacteria and fungi from the surfaces they touch. Yeah. That restaurant table that hasn't been wiped all day? Yeah.

And when you share your earbuds, you get the gunk from another person's ear, PLUS the yucky stuff they picked up.

This puts you at risk of a nasty infection. 

So how do we prevent any ear mishaps?

First of all, keep your earphones to yourself. If you must share, clean them before and afterwards.

Second of all, take care of your earbuds!

Wash them once a week. Wipe off any earwax and use a dry toothbrush to loosen dirt from the speaker. Then use a cotton ball dampened with rubbing alcohol to wipe them down. Just make sure they're not plugged into anything! When you're not using them, store them in a case. Even an old pill bottle is better than nothing.

Now that you know better, will you be keeping your earbuds clean? Be sure to SHAREwith friends who might not know this!