How to Clean a Stethoscope: Caring Tips

Stethoscopes are crucial diagnostic tools, and if you’re like me, you won’t leave for work without one. However, we all have a duty of care to our patients by making sure our stethoscopes are cleaned and sanitised regularly, and stored properly when not in use.

Otherwise, they could pose a serious risk of spreading viruses and causing life-threatening infections for many patients.

However, there’s no need to worry. With an efficient and proactive cleaning and care routine, you can always ensure your patients are safe and healthy whenever you diagnose them. In this guide, I’ll show you what parts to clean, how to clean them, and how to store and repair stethoscopes if necessary.

Key Areas of a Stethoscope That Need Regular Cleaning 

The most crucial areas of a stethoscope that need regular cleaning and sanitising are the diaphragm and bell, the tubing and earpieces, and the chest piece and stem junction. This is because these areas are most likely to pose a risk of microbial spread and infection.

Diaphragm and Bell

These are the pieces that come into direct contact with your patients’ bare skin. Therefore, any bacteria or viruses that may be lingering on one person’s skin could pose serious harm to another. Even if you use Littmann stethoscopes, some of which have smarter diaphragm designs, the infection risks remain the same.

Tubing and Earpieces

Unfortunately, it’s easy for microbial nastiness to build up in your stethoscope tubing. What’s more, placing earpieces in and out of your ears every day without cleaning is also a risk factor for spreading disease.

Chestpiece and Stem Junction

Even the seals and protection around the chestpiece and stem need careful attention. You may not see it, but dust, dirt, and other debris can build up and compact without cleaning, which can, of course, pose risks to patients.

Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning a Stethoscope Effectively

To clean your stethoscope safely and effectively, make sure to wash your hands, use appropriate cleaning products, clean the diaphragm and earpieces properly, clean down the tubing without stretching it, and dry and inspect the tool before using it again. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Wash Your Hands

Thoroughly wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap or antibacterial handwash. Dry them thoroughly with a fresh paper towel or a clean towel of your choice.

Step 2: Use Appropriate Cleaning Agents and Products

Personally, I recommend using 70% isopropyl alcohol, which you can buy in the form of wipes. This not only ensures that harmful microbes are taken care of, but also spares you from having to submerge the stethoscope in water, which may damage it.

Don’t confuse this alcohol with hand sanitiser, which is often fragranced and may damage your stethoscope.

Step 3: Wipe Diaphragm and Earpieces Thoroughly

Carefully remove the diaphragm from the chest piece and (along with the chest piece itself), wipe thoroughly with your cleaning product. Do the same with the earpieces, which you should be able to remove from the stethoscope.

Step 4: Clean Tubing Without Stretching

You can use either the alcohol I suggested or some mild and soapy water to carefully clean down your stethoscope’s tubing. Be sure not to stretch out the tubing while doing so, but ensuring the whole tool is cleaned and rinsed thoroughly.

Step 5: Dry and Inspect Before Reuse

You can either leave your stethoscope’s parts to air dry or use a paper towel to dry it all down before reassembling. The crucial part to remember is that all parts must be fully dry before being put back together. Otherwise, moisture could lead to harmful bacterial growth.

If you’re just using alcohol wipes, you might not need to wait long for your stethoscope pieces to dry!

It’s crucial to take cleaning your stethoscope seriously. In-depth studies reveal some pretty revealing, and revolting facts:

“Out of 62 participants, 53.22% individuals had never cleaned their stethoscope. All the initial swab samples showed bacterial growth.”

And, thankfully, this particular study proved the power of cleanliness:

“After cleaning with an alcohol-based disinfectant, there was a significant decrease in the average number of bacterial colony-forming units.”

Bansal et al.

Best Practices and Maintenance Tips for Stethoscope Care

To keep optimum care of your stethoscope, I recommend cleaning after every patient visit, disinfecting after high-risk interactions, checking and replacing earpieces regularly, and using protective covers when needed.

Clean Between Every Patient Visit

Even if a Patient is presenting as being well generally and not contagious, you never truly know what bacteria they may be carrying. Remove the risk of infecting other patients completely by cleaning down after every visit. That goes for stethoscope accessories, too!

Disinfect After High-Risk Interactions

When you know that a patient is contagious, it makes all the more sense to disinfect and dry your stethoscope after interacting with them. When in doubt, clean extra or doubly disinfect. Or, you may wish to use removable pieces (which vary depending types of stethoscopes).

Check and Replace Earpieces Regularly

Earpieces can wear down and clog up with dirt and other nastiness, meaning it’s healthy to change them around every so often. Personally, I choose stethoscopes with changeable earpieces that I can swap in and out every few weeks.

Use Protective Covers When Needed

To avoid any risks at all, invest in protective covers for your stethoscope, or where possible, use remote stethoscope technology to listen to patients via telemedicine.

Proper Storage and Care Between Uses

Proper care for your stethoscope should also include keeping it clean and dry, away from your body, and in a cool place. All steps should ensure that your stethoscope remains uncontaminated when not in use, and therefore safe to use from case to case.

Store in a Clean, Dry Area

Where possible, store your stethoscope in a carry case it is provided with, and keep it away from moisture. As mentioned, moisture can harbour lots of bacteria, and keeping it stored in a sterile environment should go without saying!

Avoid Hanging Around the Neck Long-Term

You never know what bacteria you might be carrying, meaning while you may feel clean, it’s not safe to be hanging your stethoscope around the neck when it’s not in use. Again, look for a carry case and leave it there.

Keep Away from Extreme Temperatures and Sunlight

Extreme temperatures and intense sunlight can cause serious damage to your stethoscope’s tubing over time, and that goes for hot and cold extremes.

What to Avoid During Stethoscope Cleaning

Cleaning your stethoscope is a straightforward process, but mistakes such as using harsh chemicals, immersing in liquid, and using abrasive methods can all do more harm than good.

Avoid Harsh Chemicals 

Harsh chemicals such as bleach, while very effective at killing bacteria and viruses, can cause serious damage to stethoscopes. That means you’ll need to find a new tool sooner rather than later.

Don’t Immerse in Liquids

Immersing any parts of your stethoscope in liquid – such as water – also puts it at serious risk from degrading and from the tool simply not working to its full potential.

Never Use Excessive Force and Abrasive Scrubbing

Your stethoscope is highly sensitive! Even using rough scrubbing brushes or cloths, or simply cleaning it too hard, can cause damage to the tubing. That means it’ll degrade, and again, become less effective over time.

Signs for Repair or Replacement of a Stethoscope

Always keep your eyes peeled for cracking, sound quality changes, loose parts, and visible wear and tear. You’re likely to need a repair or replacement.

Cracked Tubing or Hardened Earpieces 

Cracking in the tubing and hardening up of earpieces indicate that your stethoscope has taken on some serious damage. Look into replacing the earpieces where possible, but replace the stethoscope outright if tubing appears to be cracking. It’s not worth the risk!

Reduced Sound Quality or Performance

Carefully monitor how effective your stethoscope is, both via the bell and the diaphragm, to ensure it’s giving you the best-quality audio for your diagnoses. If you’re in doubt, replace parts, or change your tool out completely.

Loose Parts or Frequent Disconnections

Loose parts and disconnections are very frustrating and can harm the accuracy of your auscultation. I recommend taking a zero-tolerance approach to this issue – swap pieces out or upgrade your stethoscope the moment it starts loosening up.

Visible Wear After Repeated Cleaning

Visible wear isn’t going to mean your stethoscope is less effective at its job, but it can be a sign you’re perhaps being too rough with it during cleaning.

Final Thoughts

All good stethoscopes need regular cleaning, care, and maintenance. Otherwise, they could put patients at risk and deliver inaccurate readings! Take it from me – you’ll want to care for this crucial tool for as long as you can. And, thankfully, it’s not hard to show it some TLC.

Sources

Bansal, A., R S, S., Bhan, B. D., Gupta, K., & Purwar, S. (2018). To assess the stethoscope cleaning practices, microbial load and efficacy of cleaning stethoscopes with alcohol-based disinfectant in a tertiary care hospital. Journal of Infection Prevention, 20(1), 46–50. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757177418802353

Cumper, S. (2024). Ultimate guide to different types of stethoscopes. Medshop Australia. https://www.medshop.com.au/blogs/news/ultimate-guide-to-different-types-of-stethoscopes

Littmann Stethoscopes Best Sellers. (n.d.). Medshop Australia. Retrieved September 15, 2025, from https://www.medshop.com.au/collections/littmann-stethoscopes

Stethoscope Accessories. (n.d.). Medshop Australia. Retrieved September 15, 2025, from https://www.medshop.com.au/collections/stethoscopes-accessories