How Often Should Your AirPods and Earbuds Be Cleaned?

AirPods are not your average pair of inexpensive earbuds. They’ll cost you at least a hundred bucks, and if you’re not cautious, they can get filthy quickly. The dirtiness of the AirPods not only impedes their style, but it can also have an effect on the device itself.

So, what causes AirPods to become so filthy? Because of the wax in your ears, AirPods are prone to becoming dirty. Furthermore, their case is constantly in your pocket, backpack, or on other dirty surfaces. You can clean them with a microfiber cloth and cotton swabs. Cleaning the casing is also necessary. Being proactive might assist in keeping them clean.

Here, you’ll discover why your AirPods always seem to become dirty, and why this may be worse than it appears. You’ll also learn how to clean them in a variety of safe methods, as well as how to keep them clean after you’ve cleaned them. You didn’t pay over a hundred dollars for AirPods just to make them look like Pigpen from Peanuts is carrying them around.

Why Are AirPods So Dirty?

This question has two parts: the actual AirPods, which go in your ears, and the AirPods case, which charges them while you’re not using them. Both are equally susceptible to becoming dirty, and you must pay close attention to both to ensure that they remain clean.

The AirPods themselves, unlike the case they come in, are less likely to get soiled by resting in your pocket or at the bottom of your bag. Instead, you are the primary cause of things becoming soiled over time.

What exactly do we mean by this? Because they sit in your ears, they can and do gather ear wax as you use them. The oval-shaped speaker at the front of the AirPods is the most important area to keep clean. Not only does it have the deepest hollow, but it also rests closest to the interior of your ear. If you do not clean them and your ears on a regular basis, you will notice a buildup of wax.

Of course, because the earpieces spend so much time in the casing, they can pick up dirt from there. That is why it is critical to clean both your device and the case. Failure to do so will result in dirty AirPods once more.

The Case

The case for your AirPods will most likely become dirty as you continue to use them. That’s because it’s a catch-all for anything, whether it’s at the bottom of your pocket, in your luggage, or in your car.

The AirPods case features a few dirt-prone nooks and crevices. There’s a USB-C charging connector on the bottom, a hinge on the rear, and the inside of the case. The lid swings up to show empty space, which is a magnet for lint and crumbs. Another source of dirt is often the case’s edges, where the edge rises to meet the platform with the holes for the AirPods to put into. Then there are the AirPods themselves, which take up room.

What’s the harm in that?

Dirty AirPods may really ruin your look, especially if you have to share them. As the owner of a pair of AirPods, I can tell you that the thing I dread the most in life is sharing one with a friend and having them comment on how dirty and waxy it is. Furthermore, if yours are filthy and you do decide to share, no one wants an ear infection, which is a possibility because bacteria can grow up on them.

The Health Consequences of Sharing AirPods

To begin with, sharing your AirPods or any other form of earphone is usually a poor idea. You are inserting something into your ear that you do not possess. You have no idea how many other individuals it has come into contact with, what their ears are like, and so on.

It is possible to get an ear infection or ear fungus through sharing earbuds, though this does not happen very often. Even if their AirPods do not appear dirty, bacteria live on the AirPod that do not present in your ear. If you’ve been fortunate enough to escape ear infections thus far, you know how painful they can be. If you have, you are aware that therapy and antibiotics can be expensive.

Unfortunately, sharing AirPods and other types of earbuds is often inevitable, particularly among younger people. I’m absolutely guilty of being in class or out in public and simply handing a friend one of my AirPods to watch a little movie.

Is the grime harmful to the AirPods?

Maybe you don’t share your AirPods with anyone, and the fact that they’re a little dusty doesn’t bother you. That is an excellent point; the purpose of having the AirPods is not to show them off to your buddies. Having unclean AirPods, on the other hand, will be detrimental to the product’s performance as well as its appearance. Allowing the smartphone to become dirty will have an effect on every aspect of it, from the sound quality to the charging capabilities.

The Sound

While previously stated, the real AirPod earpieces will accumulate ear wax as they sit in your ear. While it may appear that you can just keep letting it pile up with no consequences, this is simply not the case.

As more ear wax accumulates, the old ear wax burrows further into the earpiece. When you look closely at your AirPods, you’ll notice that the main speaker is nearly mesh-like. Because items can travel through there, you may discover that earwax has accumulated through the mesh and is now touching the real speaker section.

If enough ear wax seeps under that mesh protection and presses up on the speaker, the music will be muffled and the quality will be ruined.

Cleaning out the mesh part of the speaker and looking underneath is a fantastic technique to determine whether or not this is happening to you. It may appear overly simple, but there will undoubtedly be a huge buildup.

Some people are born with naturally damp ear wax. Wet chemicals and AirPods do not get along. If your ear wax is damp and comes into touch with your AirPods for an extended period of time, you risk shorting out the gadget and damaging it. Replacement pods can cost up to $90 if they are out of warranty, or up to $60 with an AppleCare warranty claim.

The Mechanics

Another thing that will damage your AirPod experience is destroying the device’s mechanical components. A accumulation of debris, lint, or crumbs in the earpiece holes will obstruct the charge conductors at the bottom of the stem, rendering your charging case inoperable.

Unlike traditional wired headphones, AirPods are powered by a wirelessly charged battery, therefore failing to maintain appropriate contact with the charge nodes inside the case might impair charge performance and render them useless.

The AirPods case, too, has a charge that must be maintained, and the case charges in one of two ways

Wirelessly, which is when you place it on a charging pad without connecting it to a power source, or

The classic method, in which your lightning wire is plugged into the bottom port. Both are possible with the wireless charging case.

When you stuff your AirPods case into your pocket or bag, pocket and purse filth is more likely to find its way into the charging port. While you can see grime accumulate in the earpieces and their charging holes, you won’t be able to notice anything hiding in the case charging port. That means the every time you charge it, you may be pushing some of that dirt deeper into the port, potentially short-circuiting your gadget.

What Can You Do To Make It Better?

You may clean the AirPods and charging case without causing any damage to them. If done correctly, you may quickly restore the sound quality of your earpieces as well as the charging capabilities of your case. Thankfully, Apple has your back and has released a cleaning instruction for your AirPods to get them looking as good as new. As an experienced AirPods Pro owner, there are several hacks that can be passed on from one user to the next

How to Clean Your AirPods

I do not recommend using sharp pointy objects to clean your AirPods, and neither does Apple. With a single slip of the hand, you’ve perforated the speaker and effectively burned $90.

That’s fine, but it’s largely for cleaning the insides of the earpieces, also known as the speaker meshes. However, your AirPods may become soiled from time to time. You’ve colored both your hair and your AirPods at the same time. In this scenario, dab a small amount of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and gently scrape the soiled area until it is clean.

The earpieces

Cleaning the earpieces is far less difficult than it appears. If you don’t see any major ear wax buildup, simply wipe clean the speaker meshes with a dry cotton swab. Even if you can’t see it, this will catch any ear wax that is present.

If you observe a lot of ear wax in and under the speaker mesh, especially in the main compartment, carefully remove it with a toothpick around the edges. You won’t cause any damage if you don’t push too hard or apply the toothpick straight to the speaker meshes.

If that makes you uncomfortable, you can use a Q-tip or a tech-friendly cleaning putty like this one that I keep near my devices around my workplace. It will cling to the ear wax and draw it up and away from the Pods.

Never submerge the earpieces for any reason, and never use alcohol on the speaker meshes. If you do that, you will undoubtedly lose a pod towards the end. On the other sections, you can use a very small amount of rubbing alcohol, but never use bleach, even if you believe it will make them look whiter.

Can you disenfect your airpods ?

Disinfecting AirPods is vital these days, especially before and after sharing them, which is something that many people overlook. While your ears will be at risk once you’ve shared them, keep in mind that other people’s ears will be at risk while you’re sharing them. Foreign ear germs can travel both ways.

While you can disinfect the AirPods with up to 70% isopropyl alcohol, you cannot use it on the speaker meshes since it would enter the speakers and short the device. But don’t be disheartened. Some businesses make lens wipes, such as these from Care Touch that I use on a daily basis, that will disinfect the speaker meshes without getting them wet. The same sanitizing process applies to the AirPods case as well.

The video below details one of the dirtiest airpods cleaning ever done!

The AirPods Case Must Be Cleaned

If you’re going to clean the physical case, Apple recommends having the following items on hand: a microfiber cloth, another dampened cloth, and a cotton swab. Apple also suggests having a soft-bristled brush on hand.

To clean the outside of the case, simply wash it off with a moist cloth dampened with water or isopropyl alcohol. However, you should never use bleach or any other harsh cleaners. Avoid wiping down the USB-C charging port on the bottom; doing so will damage the port. When you arrive, take your soft-bristled brush and carefully clean out the port.

You must not moisten the brush at all, or you will be in big danger.

Don’t Forget About the Case’s Inside!

It’s likely that the inside of the case isn’t much better. Take the dirty AirPods out or set aside the clean AirPods, depending on whatever order you’ve selected to do this in. Put them in a container and thank us later when you don’t have to look for them everywhere.

To begin, clean the interior of the lid with a damp cotton swab. Wipe it off promptly with your dry cloth behind it. Then, look down. The area where the AirPods rest is raised somewhat, and there is a lip around the edge.

Take a toothpick and run it around the edge to remove any stuck-on material. Then, using a moist cotton swab and a dry cotton swab, clean the platform. To avoid shortages if water gets into contact with any of the metal contact points, make careful to dry every single item as soon as you wet it. Only a cotton swab should be inserted into the charging holes.

Is cleaning different for aipods pro ?

There are only a few differences in cleaning the AirPods Pro, and they all revolve around the ear tips. Unlike conventional first and second-generation AirPods, the silicone ear tips may be removed. Pull them off carefully or you’ll tear them.

You can run these pieces underwater when you remove them. Dry them fully before re-applying them, and make certain that they are properly re-applied. If you skip that step, you may end up with an uncomfortable fit.

How to Maintain AirPods

The first thing you should include in your regimen is frequent cleaning, as we discussed above. Another thing you should think about is obtaining a case for them to keep them clean in between cleanings. If there is a lot of filth, you can spot clean using a cotton swab.

The one I have is silicone, and it has a flap that fits over the charging port to keep crumbs out. You can acquire them in a variety of patterns, colors, and styles, but make sure to get one with a clip. You may believe you don’t need it, but you’ll be glad it’s there the first time you think you’ve misplaced them.

Techniques and Tips

As someone who has had a pair of AirPods Pro for a few months now (and nearly lost them several times! ), there are a few things you should be aware of that will undoubtedly save you time and money.

Following these general standards will not only keep your AirPods clean, but will also keep them from falling out of your hands. Cleaning the AirPods is critical to ensuring that you introduce as little bacteria as possible into your ears and avoid infection.

Source: Insider / Healthline