How to clean AirPods safely

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Earwax and dust in the speaker mesh are the most common reason AirPods sound quiet or uneven, long before anything is broken. Apple describes a cleaning method that restores the sound without harming them. It takes patience more than anything.

Menu names are from recent versions of iOS.

Step by step

1. Wipe the outside

   Use a soft, dry, lint-free cloth. For marks, dampen the cloth slightly with fresh water, wipe, and dry with another cloth. Do not run AirPods under water, even models rated as water resistant.

   Done

2. Clean the meshes: what you need

   For AirPods 3 and later, Apple names a soft-bristled children's toothbrush, micellar water that contains PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides (it gives Bioderma and Neutrogena as examples), distilled water and a paper towel.

   Done

3. Brush with micellar water

   Wet the toothbrush with micellar water. With the mesh facing up, brush it in small circles for about 15 seconds. Turn the AirPod over and blot the mesh on a paper towel. Do this three times for each mesh.

   Done

4. Rinse with distilled water

   Rinse the brush, wet it with distilled water and repeat the brushing and blotting three times, to remove the micellar water.

   Done

5. Let them dry

   Leave the AirPods to dry completely, for at least two hours, before you put them in the case or in your ears.

   Done

6. Clean the ear tips of AirPods Pro

   Pull the silicone tips off, rinse them with water without soap, wipe them dry with a lint-free cloth and wait until they are fully dry before clicking them back on.

   Done

7. Clean the case

   Brush dirt out of the charging port and the wells with a clean, dry, soft-bristled brush. Wipe the case with a dry lint-free cloth, slightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol if needed. Keep liquid out of the charging port.

   Done

Good to know

Do not use needles, pins, toothpicks or anything sharp on the mesh, and no abrasive cleaners, bleach or compressed air.

After sport, or contact with sunscreen, make-up or soap, wipe the AirPods and dry them soon. It protects your skin as well as the AirPods.

If one side is still quieter after cleaning, check the balance: Settings, Accessibility, Audio & Visual on the iPhone. The slider should be in the middle.

A check of your hearing with the same AirPods: how to take a hearing test with AirPods Pro.

In short: Dry lint-free cloth for the body, children's toothbrush with micellar water and then distilled water for the meshes, dry brush and cloth for the case, at least two hours to dry. Nothing sharp, no running water.