How to clean your AirPods
Updated on
by Joseph Maxim
Cleaning your AirPods is an important part of maintaining their longevity and ensuring the safety of your ears. Like many other gadgets, these earbuds may develop some grime over time which can be hard to remove. Luckily, it’s an easy process that you can do at home with a few simple items.
What you need
First, you’ll need to acquire the following materials and then follow our step-by-step guide.
- Rubbing alcohol or Hydrogen Peroxide
- Q-tip
- A microfiber cloth or paper towel
- Soft bristle toothbrush
- Hairdryer
Step 1: Use a microfiber cloth and alcohol
Remove the AirPods from the charging case and place them on a clean microfiber cloth and apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to the cloth and gently rub both sides of each AirPod to remove dirt and ear wax.
Step 2: Use Q-tips
If you have sensitive ears, it’s unlikely you’ll be pleased with what comes out of your AirPods; they’re far from “clean”. The good news is there’s a quick and easy solution with Q-tips. Just make sure the tip of the Q-tip is damp(using alcohol), and gently rub all areas on the AirPod’s frame, bottom housing, and the rubber tips. Repeat as necessary until you’ve cleaned out as much debris as possible.
Step 3: Use a toothbrush
Use a very soft toothbrush that won’t hurt the delicate parts of your earphones, make sure to clean the inside of the holes where all that gunk tends to settle first, and lastly, be sure not to apply too much pressure when brushing.
Step 4: Soak rubber tips in alcohol
Soaking the rubber tips of your AirPods Pro in alcohol can help remove dirt, debris, and bacteria that may have accumulated on the tips over time. The alcohol can also help disinfect the tips and kill any germs or bacteria that may be present. This can help keep your AirPods clean and hygienic. It’s also worth noting that if you regularly use your AirPods for activities such as exercising or working out, the rubber tips may become more prone to collecting sweat and dirt.
Step 5: Dry Airpods using hairdryer’s cool setting
Using a hairdryer on a cold setting after cleaning your AirPods can help dry them out thoroughly and prevent any damage or malfunction caused by moisture. When you clean your AirPods, the alcohol, used to remove dirt and debris can leave a small amount of moisture on the surface of the AirPods. If not dried properly, the moisture can seep into the internal components and cause damage or short-circuit the device.
The cold setting is recommended to prevent any heat damage to the AirPods, which may cause warping or melting of the plastic components. Additionally, The cold setting will also prevent to heat up the battery inside the AirPods which can be dangerous.
Conclusion
It’s important to repeat this process weekly to keep your AirPods clean and fresh. Cleaning your AirPods case will also help extend its life and protect you from bacteria that can build up over time. However, it’s not recommended to share your AirPods with others due to sanitary reasons.
One of the most important things you can do for your Airpods is clean out any bacteria that may build up over time. Bacteria loves dirty spots and will start harming not only yourself but also other people who use them. Though we do not recommend sharing your Airpods with other people due to sanitary reasons cleaning your Airpods case will help extend its life, as well as protect you from bacteria that can build up over time.
Bonus Tip!
If you’re having problems with your phone speakers, we have a solution for you. FixMySpeakers is a webapp that can help fix all those glitches and bugs in the sound coming from your device no matter what type of smartphone or tablet you own.