How to clean Apple AirPods: tips to make your earbuds bright and gunk-free

The popularity of the Apple AirPods hasn't gone anyway since their launch in 2016. The shiny white earbuds fit comfortably in the ears and most people rarely take them out while commuting, exercising, working and relaxing. But if you're putting off cleaning your AirPods, you'd be surprised how dirty your best earbuds are.

If you’ve noticed some earwax, gunk or other residue sitting on your precious earbuds or inside the case, it’s time to clean your Apple AirPods. Thinking about giving technology a wash always comes with its own set of fears but there are a number of easy ways to clean your AirPods so you can get that sparkling box fresh-feeling all over again.

 How to clean Apple AirPods: the Apple way 

The first thing to remember when cleaning your AirPods is that they're only sweat and water resistant, not waterproof. This is an important distinction, which means no running anything under the tap or submerging your AirPods in the sink. As with cleaning all tech, caution is required.

Apple Support’s official recommendation if you want to give your AirPods a clean is to use a lint free cloth. It primarily suggests to only use this in a dry state but if your AirPods have been in contact with anything staining or damaging, Apple suggests wiping clean with a cloth slightly dampened with fresh water.

It’s important to make sure you dry your AirPods carefully with another lint-free cloth, making sure no liquid gets into openings. If there are any waxy incursions on the microphone or speaker meshes, Apple suggests cleaning those with a dry cotton swab. Always make sure everything is completely dry before you put the AirPods back into the charging case.

How to clean Apple AirPods: other methods 

If you want to rebel against Apple’s cloth technique, there are a number of other solutions to try. There are plenty of AirPod cleaning kits available to buy online, complete with alcohol wipes, anti-static cloths, and soft bristle brushes. As long as you're keeping all moisture to the exterior and making sure you immediately dry it, you can use alcohol wipes to fully disinfect your pods.

Apple has said that you can use a 70% isopropyl, 75% ethyl alcohol wipe or other disinfectant wipes to “gently wipe the exterior surfaces of your AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max or EarPods.”

Don’t use these on the speaker mesh, though, or on the cushions of your AirPods Max. Bleach and hydrogen peroxide are a big no no, and if you don’t want to actually touch anything and just want to make sure there are no bugs, you could always use a UV-C box to disinfect with light. This won't shift earwax, but it'll kill bugs stone dead.