It happens to all of us. We released our beloved and expensive AirPods for the first time, with that nuclear target iconic Apple headphones, we tested them, we saw that they sound very good, that they fit perfectly in our ears (or not) and that they were worth what we just paid for them.
And when you take them out of your ear to put them in their charging case: Horror! wax from the ears! You look left and right in case someone sees you, you wipe them quickly with your fingers, and you put them away, thinking for a moment that you are the only person on the entire planet who has wax in their ears ...
All human beings, to a greater or lesser extent, we secrete wax in our ears. It is necessary to protect them. This wax contains special chemicals that fight infections that could damage the skin inside the ear canal. It acts as a protective shield between the outside world and the eardrum.
And that's when we act against Nature, and put a strange element, made of white plastic, into the holes of our ears for long periods of time: AirPods. Well, the inevitable happens. Either you thoroughly clean the inside of your ears every time you want to use your headphones, which no one does, or you will inevitably impregnate them with wax.
And if the days go by, and in the rush, you don't remember or you don't have time to clean them every time you remove them from your ears, in the end you will stop listening to your favorite music with the clarity of the first day. And it is not that you are going deaf, nor do you have them damaged, it is that you simply it's time to clean them. Let's see how to do it without damaging them.
The official water resistance of the AirPods and AirPods Pro is only sweat and splashes. That you know.
What Apple Says You Can Do
Apple has on its website a support page where it recommends what you should and what you should not do when cleaning your headphones. We are going to make a summary of your indications.
- For the white plastic of the internal AirPods shell, and its charging case, you can use a wipe soaked in ethyl alcohol al 75%.
- If not, simply with a cloth dampened in water, and dry them with another lint-free cloth.
- For AirPods Max, use a cloth slightly dampened with running water and dry with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.
- To clean the ear pads AirPods Max, remove them from the headphones and dampen a cloth in a solution of 5 ml of liquid laundry detergent in a glass of water. Rub them in and dry them well.
- Clean the microphone and speaker grilles with a cotton swab dry.
- Eliminate connector debris lightning with a clean, dry, soft-bristle brush.
- Take the rubber bands out of the AirPods Pro and run them under the tap. Only with water. Dry them well before putting them back on.
And what not to do
- Do not use the alcohol wipes to clean the grids from the AirPods speakers.
- Do not use products that contain bleach nor hydrogen peroxide.
- Avoid getting the openings wet. That no liquid enters through them.
- Do not submerge the AirPods or AirPods Pro underwater.
- Do not put the AirPods Max under the tap.
- Do not try to use them until they are completely dry.
- Do not put anything in the loading ports.
Don't even think about putting your AirPods under water. Leave these tests for the crazy YouTubers.
Our recommendation
All this theory that Apple explains to us is very good to know, so as not to make any mistakes, but we are going to explain in a more practical way how to keep our Apple headphones in perfect condition.
For housing white exterior of the AirPods, you can use a dry cloth, or at most lightly moistened with water or alcohol. Rub them and dry them immediately, avoiding wetting the speaker grill, since if you do so and it has accumulated wax, it can form a paste and accumulate in the small holes in the grill, thus being a nuisance.
The best way to clean said grill is to always do it in dry. Attach a dry toothbrush and scrape the rack. This will make the small particles of dry wax pop out, and you will leave it clean. If you get it wet, you will have a problem. You can also use the typical "Bluetac" putty. All the dry wax will stick to it, and the grid will be very clean.
For gummies of the AirPods Pro, remove them and run them under the tap, just with water. Dry them very well, and put them back. And ready. For AirPods Max ear pads, don't play around and follow Apple's instructions. Take them apart and wipe them with a damp cloth in a glass of water with a teaspoon of liquid laundry soap. Dry them very well and that's it.
This is what you should use to clean your AirPods: a cotton swab and a toothbrush.
Also clean the charging case
El charging case deserves separate mention. Do not wet it for anything in the world, especially avoiding that liquid can get into it. At most, on the outside, as you have done with the plastic of the AirPods. And on the inside, clean it with a cotton swab.
Be very careful what you put in the holes where the AirPods are housed. In the background, there is two connectors which are responsible for passing the charging current to the AirPods batteries. As you will understand, they must always be clean, so that they make good contact, otherwise, they may not charge. If you see them dirty, use a wooden toothpick or a dry cotton swab.
Another critical point is the port lightning. If you usually carry the charging case in your pocket, lint may accumulate inside the port of your clothing. It does not hurt that from time to time you put a wooden toothpick to remove said fluff very carefully. Never wear anything metallic.
With these little tips you can keep your AirPods in full magazine condition. It seems incredible how they get dirty if you use them very frequently, either because of the ear wax, or because of the games of clothes from pockets.