AirPods have been a huge hit for Apple with good sound, seamless integration with the company’s devices, and a great charging case. However, with a great product comes a lot of use, which in this case means the build-up of dirt, gunk, and yeah, earwax. Follow along for how to clean AirPods and the charging case.
With the main portion of AirPods being white, it can be easy to focus on wiping down the outside of the earbuds and forget to check out the black speaker grilles or the inside of your charging case. If you haven’t been cleaning out your AirPods’ grilles regularly, you’ve probably got some build-up.
How to clean AirPods and the charging case
- Grab a cotton swab, flosser pick, microfiber cloth, and/or Blu-Tack
- Wipe down your AirPods and charging case with a microfiber cloth to start
- You can remove some of the excess cotton from an end for a more precise, yet still soft tool to remove stickier debris
- Try your best to clean your AirPods and charging case without using any liquids
- Use the flosser pick to break up and remove build-up in tough to reach spots
- Blu Tack is another great tool to remove gunk. Press it on your AirPods and remove it to pull away debris (particularly handy for the charging case and AirPods speaker grilles)
Apple’s direction is to “Clean your AirPods with charging case regularly with a soft, lint-free cloth. Don’t get moisture in any openings, and don’t use aerosol sprays, solvents, or abrasives.”
If you must, cautiously try a little bit of screen cleaner, or water on a microfiber cloth or cotton swab to remove any tough debris.
Amazon has a 6-pack of the silk style microfiber cloths for $9 or a 24-pack of the thicker, larger style for $14.
If you end up with debris or build-up down toward the charging contacts in your charging case, you could try a manual air blower instead of canned air. To prevent damage, it’s best to refrain from sticking anything down toward the charging contacts or using aerosols.
Head to your local Apple Store or reach out to Apple support if you find yourself in a tricky situation.
More 9to5Mac tutorials on AirPods:
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