been using my thieaudio l4 for a while now (1.5ish years), want to give it a clean just out of general hygiene, was wondering if anyone could give input on if it’d be safe to give a completely submerged alcohol bath to an iem, i’d imagine it could mess with glues/solvents (which i’m not sure this even has) but otherwise wouldn’t be a problem
I wouldn’t advise complete submersion - ethanol can cause corrosion, and even lab grade “pure” ethanol has water content. I’d recommend ethanol and cotton swab and gently wiping external surfaces (ethanol should evaporate quickly enough; make sure the swab isn’t soaking). Tape is also very good at removing dust, but make sure you don’t do this on any moving parts since you run the risk of physical damage
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Absolutely not! Only superficially with a damp but not wet swab with C2H5OH .
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Would hydrogen peroxide not be a better cleaning agent? Given that it readily dissolves ear wax.
It would also oxidize any exposed metal while at it.
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I don’t recommend this, either.
To reiterate: avoid excess liquid of any sort. Use cotton swabs, dampen with alcohol and squeeze out excess, then gently wipe areas, and end by wiping up excess liquid with fresh dry swabs.
What do folks get up to to feel the need to bathe their IEM’s in alcohol or hydrogen peroxide 
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Depends on the metal. BTW not advocating submerging any IEM in anything, merely questioning the efficacy of alcohol. Probably the most sensible approach is to clean with a small amount of soap and water in a damp cloth (or a cotton swab) on the exterior surfaces.