Posted By Lance Morgan The risk of passing on any infection in this way is virually nil unless the user has a discharge from the ear, in which case they should'nt use the ear phones. I presume the ear phones are of the 'plug in' type in which are inserted into the meatus. If this is the case the risk would be greater if somebody has an ear infection. In normal circumstances cleaning with a moist detergent wipe will suffice however some people advocate the use of alcohol wipes. This practice could limit the life of earphones if fluid gets into the electronics. It is possible that someone manufacturers disposable ear pieces that fit over the microphones but sorry I am not aware of any.