YOUR DIRTY POCKETS — When do you use your AirPods? At work? During your sweaty workout session? Do you put them inside your lint and dirt-filled pockets? Has it ever occurred to you to clean them? You should.

Turns out, AirPods and in-ear style earphones can get pretty nasty. Last year, Business Insider swabbed 22 pairs of earbuds to find out what kind of gunk we are inserting in our ears every day.

Results showed that two of them had grown yeast and one was hosting a dirt-bacteria. Imagine how much they would have found if they had swabbed more samples? Ugh.

On top of harboring bacteria, in-ear headphones also increase wax build-up. According to Allina Health, our ears are self-cleaning but in-ear headphones can push down wax into the ear canal and prevent wax from naturally coming out as well as cause infection and hearing loss.

So what can you do to keep your ears protected? Well, the answer is pretty obvious. Stop blasting the volume and just clean 'em. Business Insider suggests using dry toothbrushes and cotton swabs dipped in rubbing alcohol to disinfect and brush out the ear wax and bacteria.

You should also make it a point to clean the AirPod charging case, which can get just as nasty as the earphones themselves. Business Insider also used cotton swabs, a toothbrush, and a microfiber cloth to wipe the case which can also host all types of germs.

How often should you be cleaning your wax-filled earphones, you might ask? It truly just depends on how much buildup you can take. Just don't share those icky suckers with others. It's disgusting enough to have your own gunk stuck in your ear canal, let alone share your bacteria-buddies with others.