Statistics show that 69% of AirPod owners use them for exercising, while 60% of them use them for walking.
With such vigorous use, it’s common for AirPods to accumulate debris, dirt, earwax, sebum, and even dandruff. As a result, it’s no surprise that its sound quality drops with time.
To ensure your AirPods perform their best and produce superior sound quality for years, it’s important to clean them.
However, one wrong step might ruin your precious AirPods for good. So, let’s learn all the different ways to clean your AirPods without damaging them here!
1. Soft, Lint-Free Cloth
Apple recommends cleaning your AirPods with a soft, lint-free fabric or microfiber cloth. These materials are gentle and don’t scratch the AirPods’ delicate surface while removing dirt, smudges, and slight moisture.
Steps:
- Gently wipe the external surface of the AirPods and charging case with a soft cloth.
- If nasty gunk is stuck in the meshes, use a dry cotton swab with a soft-bristled brush.
- If you have AirPods Pro, remove the ear tips and wash using room temperature water without any cleaning solution. Dry it with a lint-free dry cloth, and completely dry it before reattaching it.
2. Isopropyl Alcohol & Cotton Swab
If your AirPods are dirty or stained and a dry cloth didn’t help much, get your hands on 70% isopropyl alcohol or 75% ethyl alcohol.
While the official Apple support website recommends getting wipes, that’s a bad idea. Wipes are saturated with solutions and can lead to unwanted liquid transfer to delicate areas.
Instead, get a small bottle of the above-mentioned solution and a pack of cotton swabs.
Steps
- In a small container, pour some isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol and slightly dip the cotton swab.
- Take out the swab before it completely saturates with the solution.
- Gently rub the swab on the AirPods’ body to clean stains and get rid of germs. Don’t use it on the mesh areas as it may push the dirt further in.
- For the meshes, gently rub with a dry cotton swab. Don’t push the swab too hard on the mesh to prevent damage.
3. Mounting Putty & Toothpick
Many Apple product users have sworn that the cotton swab doesn’t work for them especially if they don’t clean their AirPods frequently. In that case, mounting putty (a reusable and repositionable adhesive) and toothpick will help.
Steps
- Take a minute piece of mounting putty, stretch it out, and knead it until it warms up with your body temperature.
- Once it’s warm, place it on a mesh area of your AirPod speaker.
- Press it gently a few times against the mesh to help the ear gunk stick to it. Don’t put excess pressure, or the mesh might get damaged.
- Slowly take the putty off to get rid of the gunk.
- Repeat on all mesh areas until clean. Don’t use the putty if it’s covered in dirt and grime.
- With the toothpick, gently scrape the sides of the hollows of the speaker or microphone around the mesh. This won’t scratch the plastic or rupture the wire mesh.
4. Professional-Grade Cleaning Kit
If you want a more reliable and hygienic solution for AirPods cleaning, invest in a professional cleaning kit from a reliable Hygadget. Their Hybuds Pen is a 3-in-1 AirPod cleaning kit.
The kit is compatible with a range of AirPods and removes dirt, fingerprints, and smudges.
Steps
- Gently clean all the dust in the holes and mesh with its high-density soft brush. This is designed so that your speaker doesn’t get damaged.
- Use the metal tip to scrape out dirt from nooks and crannies.
- Get rid of any dust or waxy buildup from the charging case with the flocking sponge bud tip.
Things to Remember
To make the cleaning sessions less rigorous and ensure the safety of your AirPods, keep these in mind during cleaning:
- Clean the AirPods and charging case at least once a week to avoid blocking the mesh with gunk or forming stubborn stains on the body.
- Never run your AirPods under water or touch them with wet hands or cloth wet with water.
- Never use sharp objects to clean AirPods. Otherwise, you’ll damage the delicate finish or ruin the mesh for good.
- When using liquid cleaners, ensure liquid doesn’t drip and enter through any openings.
Conclusion
With these simple cleaning hacks and preventive measures, you can keep the sound quality of your AirPods as good as new and ensure a top-notch audio experience!
