REVEALED: How your dirty Apple AirPods could trigger constant ringing in the ears – as Tiktokers show genius ways of cleaning them

It's part of your morning routine: grab your phone, keys, and your pair of Apple AirPods.

You use them for commuting, during meetings, and to drown out office noise so you can get some work done.

But you probably hardly ever clean them.

Although they may seem harmless, AirPods can become covered in earwax.

Not only do they look dirty, but they can also cause too much wax to build up in your ears, which studies show can cause constant ringing noises, dizziness, and even hearing loss.

However, TikTokers have taken to the platform to show simple ways to scrape the gunk off your AirPods.

TikTokers have been showing off their dirty AirPods, which are covered in earwax and other debris

Ms. Soloman used isopropyl alcohol to clean her AirPods. She cautioned against keeping the solution away from the speakers to avoid damaging them

The search query “AirPods cleaning” has been viewed 265 million times on TikTok, where many creators have shown DIY ways to clean the technology.

Caroline Soloman, a cleaning expert in New York City, shared a video to her 250,000 followers in 2021 showing her scrubbing her AirPods with alcohol and a cotton swab.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 1.7 million times, she popped open the case containing her first-generation AirPods, revealing a layer of grime.

She first rubbed a clean cloth along the rim of a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, a pure alcohol solution with a pungent odor that wipes bacteria from a surface.

Ms. Soloman then wiped the AirPods case with the cloth.

Once the case was clean, she removed the AirPods from the case and dipped a cotton swab into the bottle of isopropyl alcohol.

She rubbed the cotton swab along the inside edges of the box. To clean the inner compartment that houses the AirPods, she took a clean cotton swab and swirled it around each hole.

Ms. Soloman recommended grabbing another cotton swab and dipping it in the alcohol solution to clean the AirPods themselves.

“Avoid the speakers,” she warned.

Failure to clean your AirPods can lead to thick layers of earwax and other debris. Too much earwax can cause it to build up in your ears.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, excessive earwax can become stuck in the ear canals.

This leads to pain, dizziness and even hearing loss.

Studies have also linked excess earwax to tinnitus, a ringing sensation that affects 15 to 20 percent of Americans.

A Study from 2014 of the 437 patients who visited the doctor for excessive earwax, found that almost half of them suffered from tinnitus due to the buildup.

If left untreated, tinnitus can lead to sleep problems, concentration problems, irritability, headaches and memory problems.

Additionally, if your AirPods haven't been cleaned in a while, it may compromise the sound quality, requiring you to keep increasing the volume gradually.

Listening to loud music for long periods of time has been linked to hearing loss because it damages the cells in the inner ear, also called the cochlea.

When cleaning your AirPods, Apple recommends not using disinfectants that contain bleach or hydrogen peroxide. These chemicals are aggressive and abrasive and can damage the headphones.

“Prevent moisture from entering the openings and do not immerse your AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max or EarPods in cleaning products,” the brand writes on its website.