Wireless earbuds quickly become ubiquitous. Apple’s Airpods were launched in September 2016, adding famous True wireless headphones such as Jabra, Sony, Samsung, etc. Soon after, they became the go-to choice for many of us when listening to music, podcasts and streaming services on their phones and tablets.
But wireless earbuds can quickly get very dirty because not only do we use them a lot, but we take them everywhere: on public transportation, on flights and anywhere in between. This is especially true if you use them to cancel noise in a busy office, or just work from home with your family or roommate. This means they will come in contact with ear wax, oil and skin cells. Apart from hygiene, you should clean your earbuds (and their charging case) as it may result in better-sounding, long-lasting headphones.
This is how you can do this quickly and efficiently. If you’re still holding a wired headphone (or tempted by the buds of DAC capability), most of our cleaning tips stay true – you don’t have to worry about refreshing the charging box.
How to clean wireless earplugs
The cleaning process depends on the buds you have. First, there are wireless earbuds, with removable silicone (or plastic) buds, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Buds, Sony’s WF-1000XM5 buds, or most Beats Buds, and several models with a single solid body, such as Apple’s Airpods.
The main difference is that the removable tip is easier to clean. They are also replaceable, and spare tips often appear in boxes. You can also use soapy water or other gentle cleaning products on particularly messy tips without worrying about damaging the electric parts of the headphones.
Wipe the earplugs and the removable tip with a microfiber cloth. Since most wireless buds are stored in one case, you may find that the dirt at the tip has also been transferred to the headphones. Apple says you can use “70% isopropyl alcohol wipes, 75% ethanol wipes, or disinfectant wipes” to clean the exterior of its wireless headphones, but it is recommended that you should not use wet wipes on the speaker mesh section of the Airpods. Samsung’s guidance sticks to soft dry cloth and cotton swabs.
Remove the tip and gently track the inside of each bud with a cotton swab, or if something thinner is needed, you can have a toothpick. If any debris stick around, upgrade to the metal ring at the end of the headphone cleaning tool, but be careful. Metal objects are more likely to scratch and pierce things. The cleaning tool also has a brush on the other end to pull out any loose dirt. After removal, wipe the sides of the tip with a slightly damp cloth.
AirPods Pro tips each have a delicate mesh membrane, making it easier to clean than the membrane on the headphones themselves, but they are also fragile. Apple itself recommends that you rinse the tip with water and adds that you should not use soap or other cleaning products on it. If you do use a damp cloth or rinse them, make sure to place them on a dry cloth and dry them completely before reinstalling them.
Apple recommends using a cotton swab or dry cloth as the microphone and speaker mesh section. You can also use a bulb air hair dryer, which should provide gentle force to drive away dirt without damaging the electricity. But, while it may be stronger, don’t use canned air. Sony said this could force dust to further into the microphone or sound outlet hole.
How to clean the charging case of wireless earbuds
You may find that your charging case is worse than buds. Use deep gaps to pick up dirt from the buds while charging, and the shell can also pick up the pockets from the entrances, pockets and bags. These cases usually use metal contacts to connect and charge the buds, so any accumulation of dirt or ear waves will actually affect your headphones charging. It’s worth keeping those charging contacts clean. A soft cloth or cotton swab for harder-to-reach locations should be able to capture anything that prevents your bud from charging. You can also use some air from the bulb air hair dryer – I found that the air with the brush is perfect for this.
For both earplugs and case, you can use a thin toothpick to pull away any dirt or wax from the seams of the device. Most earplugs are molded plastic, but some have edges and lines where they gather together.
If you find your airpods case or other bud cases get a little dirty, or pick up the blue hue from your jeans – you can also invest in your case. Apple’s AirPod family has unlimited theme silicone cases, but there are many options in the buds made by Samsung, Sony, Google and others.
The prevalence of wireless buds now also has multiple companies offering all-in-one cleaning kits. These include established peripheral companies like Belkin, which has a single utilization kit with cleaning fluid that can relax any hard buildup of wax and dirt, while Keybudz offers a reusable kit that includes different brush head accessories, which can also be used to clean other devices. That said, you may not need the entire kit, but the right tools will make things easier.
You should always use the gentlest cleaning equipment before ham with alcohol or metal tools. Doing so will reduce the chance of damaging the headphones’ usually smooth plastic shell and reduce the chance of damaging the delicate membrane that many buds (and some ears) have. I speak from experience, due to overzealous cleaning, perforated in both Airpod membranes. Even with the removal tip, please note: With Sony’s WF-1000XM5, you need to twist and pull it apart. Just follow the manufacturer’s guidance (we have listed a few guides below), along with the best tips below.
How to keep wireless earbuds clean
Now your buds look primitive, try keeping them that way. If you use Airpods or Galaxy Buds during your workout, wipe them with a cloth to reduce the chances of moisture entering the interior. The more you check the status of your wireless earbuds, the easier it is to clean it.
We will use some digital hygiene to complete this guide: Make sure any companion app is up to date. These updates sometimes add significant new features or improve performance. Smartphones will usually automatically transfer firmware updates to your earbuds after the operating system and apps are updated, so make sure to keep it near your phone. This is especially true for iPhones and airpods, which won’t notify you when firmware updates are available. Check if you have the latest version of firmware in your iOS settings (you may do), and if it isn’t the latest, make sure your iPhone and AirPods are plugged in and (critical) between each other. The update should be beaming its light to the AirPods soon, but you can also leave devices off from each other overnight to make sure the update happens.
