Hydrogen peroxide is great at dissolving earwax off of any metal grills that aren't removable. Dip the grill in (but no more) for a few minutes, wipe with paper towel, and let dry.

Now if someone knows how to make my faux-suede over-ear headphone pads less stinky, I'm all ears.

I can't audiobook or podcast. Processing spoken language takes my full mental capacity and even at it's peak I can always read several times quicker. Without my full and undivided attention I may as well be listening to white noise.

I attribute this partially to books and (non voice acted) video games being the primary media I consumed as a kid. I never really watched TV/listened to radio. I also think it is some mild kind of neurodivergence.

Similarly, I find music with lyrics in English either distracting or annoying. I happily listen to music with lyrics in other languages though.