Is it safe to use earbuds you ve found?

I found this pair of iPhone 7 EarPods at school and they seem fairly clean, I've cleaned them out with soap and wanted to know it was fairly safe enough to use these, thanks

Hmm! Disinfect them first!

Not very hygienic -it's like using someone else's toothbrush. YUCK!

They're never going to be totally safe to use as soap and water won't kill all viruses which can be present, nor does it touch bacteria which have gone into their inert spore form.

All sure and safe means of sterilising them will damage them beyond use.

But there's a more fundamental issue here: they're not yours, they belong to someone else and by keeping them you became a thief.

So use them, risk a long-lasting and painful ear infection, and then realise that it would have been better to pay just £18 or so for genuine Apple Lightning EarPods or as little as £2.50 for identical quality fakes, OR do the right thing and hand them in to the office at school with details of when and where you found them. If not claimed after a set period the school might have a policy which mirrors police practice in most countries and then allow you to take legal possession of them. Typically that's about six months. If the school has no such policy you might want to suggest they adopt one as the lost property box and register at any school or office soon tends to get so full that it becomes a burden.

I wouldn't…

Soak them in a cup of rubbing alcohol for 5 minutes. It won't hurt them, alcohol is used to clean electronics all the time.