heady 0 Report post Posted October 23, 2005 (edited) Just sharing what happened when I washed my DT880 pads which looked really dirty and awful before washing. I handwashed the pads in detergent and water and then spun them dry in the washing machine after carefully placing them with the velvet part inwards. When the velvet covering dried, my wife recommended brushing them to freshen the velvet. Quite a lot of the velvet "hair" was shed during the brushing. Well, the pads now looked clean and awful. The dark parts of the washed pad is the material underneath the "hairs" showing thru, just like my scalp thru my sparse hair. No prize for guessing which is the washed pad and which is brand new. You think I would have dare washed my ear pads without a new one standing-by? Make your own decision on whether is it worth washing your earphone pads. Edited October 23, 2005 by heady Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evil-zen 0 Report post Posted October 23, 2005 Haha yes that is what I experienced too. But sometimes tradeoffs have to be made between cleanliness and the looks. The instructions that came with my new pads recommends wiping them with a damp cloth so that is what i recommend everyone to do. BTW, washing the pads may have flattened them a bit resulting in a darker sound. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted October 24, 2005 BTW, washing the pads may have flattened them a bit resulting in a darker sound. Ah, yes, I was sharing my results so others can decide whether to kill their pads or not. It's true, the foam seems softer and not so firm now, after the washing. However, I am not sure the sound is affected or my ears are not good enough to tell. Anyway, I think it's good for a laugh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Username 0 Report post Posted October 24, 2005 Haha... looks like cat in water... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2005 (edited) I have also tried washing a pair of these pads too. Here's how I did it. Fill basin with powder detergent (no softener please) and compress the pads to rinse the inards until water becomes murky (don't eeeeee, otherwise why are you washing them). Repeat as many times as you wish. Next drain and fill the basin with fresh water, detergent and Kao bleach. Soak for 3 hours or so depending on condition of the pads. Drain and rinse the pads under running water while you execute CPR (just compressions, no need for mouth-to-mouth) until the pads no longer feel soapy. Lastly, give the pads a last and hard compression between your palms until they no longer drip. Now the trick is here, pinch the pads outwards between your thumb and first finger. This will help to restore its puffy appearance. Hang the pads to dry on a hook. Your should get reasonably puffy pads when completely dry. Also if you were to look at the pads from the side while rotating them, you should be able to gauge from their contours where the top and bottom are and hence, re-mount in the same direction. Edited October 25, 2005 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2005 Or you could just spray lysol onto a clean cloth and use that cloth to wipe the pad's velvet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2005 (edited) Actually there's no need to wash the pads unless they are totally soiled and stinky. The pads I have to wash were used by previous owner. However, pads on the other cans in my collection don't require washing as they've been constantly maintained like what Ramesh has suggested. Do remember to air the pads after usage instead of storing it right away. Edited October 25, 2005 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2005 If u have a clothing dryer at home can consider putting the pads inside and dry for about 20mins. Guess to kill germs rather than remove any stains. However I myself have not done this before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2005 Clothes Dryer might damage the foam that's under the velvet cloth. Air dry is best. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evil-zen 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2005 Mackie, for the pads that you washed, do they have the appearance of the one on the right side of the picture? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted October 25, 2005 (edited) Mackie, for the pads that you washed, do they have the appearance of the one on the right side of the picture? The washed pad do look like a washed cat Actually examining the pads closely, the hairs on the dark part of the velvet are still there, just bent to one side. Could have been due to the long wearing of the cans as the appearance before the washing wasn't great in the first place. No regrets, I don't have to look at them when they are on my head. Seems to work ok, the cans seemed just a little less tight. The DT880 are not supposed to be sealed cans anyway. Will try to listen to something with more bass to see if it makes a difference. Mozart seems to sound ok. Edited October 25, 2005 by heady Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted October 26, 2005 (edited) Mackie, for the pads that you washed, do they have the appearance of the one on the right side of the picture? Affirmative on the color but surface remains good! Those who have not seen the original pads would have thought the pads are cloaked with a brownish tinge! Sadly this tinge remains after washing but the sides all round (none contact surface) turned from dark grey to silver grey. Hence, prevention is better than cure. I suspect high humidity is the cause of it as all my cans were kept in boxes with silica gel packs thrown in for good measure. Incidentally, none of my greygounds turn to pomerarian! Edited October 26, 2005 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
