How To Clean Your AirPods

Michael Grothaus 17/04/2019 – 12:01am

So they don’t become AirWaxPods.

Apple’s AirPods looks like a work of art. They’re sleek, shiny, and slightly out of this world looking. People who haven’t used them before are always asking me how they sound and if they can try them out.

I tell people they sound great, but I’m always afraid to let them try my AirPods. Not because I don’t like sharing, but because I don’t want to gross them out if any earwax happens to be on one of my pods.

Unfortunately, Apple’s AirPods, like any earbuds, do collect wax from time to time, so cleaning is a must if you want to keep them sounding and looking the best. But the AirPods are very small and delicate electronic devices, so you want to be careful how you clean them so as not to damage them.

Cleaning Your AirPods

Cleaning your AirPods is a two-pronged approach. First, let’s talk about cleaning the body of the AirPods—that is, their stem and bulb.

The easiest way to clean the outer shell of the AirPods is by using a microfiber cloth. These are the same types of clothes that you clean your eyeglasses with. Just give each AirPod a good scrub with a microfiber cloth and you’ll find they are as shiny as the day you bought them once again.

However, things are a little trickier when cleaning the microphone and speaker meshes on the AirPods. The speaker meshes are obviously found in the build of the device while the microphone can be found in the opening of the silver ring at the end of an AirPod’s stem.

The best way to clean the microphone and speaker meshes is with a cotton swab, also known as a Q-tip. Simply give each microphone and speaker mesh a good swap with the Q-tip and any gunk should fall right out.

Another tip to clean the speaker meshes is with a very soft toothbrush. Just give the meshes a few very gentle rubs with the brush.

But no matter what DO NOT spray any kind of cleaning liquid or water inside the microphone or speaker meshes or you could do permanent damage to your AirPods.

Cleaning Your AirPod Charging Case

Cleaning the AirPods charging case is much easier. Simply use a microfiber cloth to give the outside of the case a good rub down. It’ll quickly look as shiny and new as the day you got your AirPods.

Now open your AirPods case and use a cotton swab, also known as a Q-tip, to gently clean each of the AirPod silos inside. But again, DO NOT spray any kind of cleaning liquid or water inside the case or you could do permanent damage to your AirPod case as there are sensitive charging prongs inside the silos in the case.

And that’s it! Now your AirPods and their case should look as good as new!