You have airpods for a while and they are great, but you notice one problem: they, well, looks a little used. It might mean it’s time to give the earbuds that are really clean, but like with a soft hardware, you have to do this in the right way, otherwise you can cancel whatever warranty you still have and potentially make the device can’t be used.
Safe disinfectant.
Apple anticipates the question of cleaning a pair of airpod properly, because this is a completely reasonable question to have. The good news is, yes, you can safely clean these earbuds and headphones, and the same official instructions generally apply to all airpods versions, including pros and max (and they can even be used to clean your old cable earpods).
According to Apple, there are some disinfectants that are safe to use to clean airpods: Clorox Desinfecting Tissue, Isopropyl alcohol tissue, and 75 percent ethyl alcohol tissue. These products can be used to “clean the exterior surface gently” airpod products, the company said.
In the same way, Apple also includes several cleaning agents that should not be used with audio products, including anything that contains bleach and hydrogen peroxide.
Things to avoid
There are several things that must be considered, per Apple support documents, including that these products should not be used to wipe the Max AirPods Ear Pillow and Knit Mesh Canopy, also not be used on mesh speakers found in three airpods and earpods models. The company also said users must be careful not to release the moisture of the tissue into product openings, plus the Earbud and headphones cannot be soaked into all kinds of cleaning products.
Airpods max cushions and headband
Apple continues to provide specific steps to clean each audio product. The owner of the Max Airpods headphone that wants to clean the headband and the pillow is advised to mix a cup of water with 5ml (one teaspoon) of liquid detergent, for example.
The mixture can be used with fiber-free cloth for “gently” rubbing the pillows and headbands respectively, then they must be cleaned with cloth and water. Apple notes that when using cloth, it needs to be released; Don’t use a sopping wet cloth to clean the headphone, because it can cause water to enter sensitive components and damage it.
There are a number of other things to remember, including when cleaning the headband, Apple said to hold the headphones upside down so that the cleaning solution does not flow to the ribbon into the component. Max also has to be left dry for a full day before replacing the pillow, according to Apple.
The product case can also be cleaned, the company said can be done with fabric “soft, dry, fiber-free.” If it’s not enough to deal with stains, the Apple Notes isopropyl alcohol can be used to “slightly dampen” fabrics, but users must make sure to let dry cases afterwards and to avoid abrasive use in smart cases.