How To Clean AirPods & EarPods Without Damaging Them

I walk you through Apple's guidelines for cleaning AirPods, AirPods Pro, EarPods and their Charging Case, and also try out a third-party cleaning tool designed specifically for these products.
✨👇 See the products featured in this video:
Doormoon Multifunction Headphones Cleaner Kit cnet.co/36ND4k5
Earbuds Cleaner Kit for AirPods cnet.co/37InI0F
Apple Polishing Cloth cnet.co/3vM9Iee
AirPods (3rd generation) cnet.co/3veRymu
AirPods Pro cnet.co/3vdeYbQ
EarPods with Lightning Connector cnet.co/3OAbaJp
Wireless Charging Case for AirPods cnet.co/3vMOInx
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths cnet.co/3ELXXIM
AIDEA Microfiber Cleaning Cloths-8PK cnet.co/3Lq21RO
*CNET may receive commission for these offers
Read the CNET article: How to clean AirPods: 2 tricks for removing your icky earwax buildup cnet.co/3vgGgOk
Apple's Official Guidelines for cleaning AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and EarPods support.apple.com/en-us/HT208729
0:46 Apple's warning about water
1:05 How to clean your AirPods or AirPods Pro
1:41 How to clean chemicals & stains
2:45 How to clean the speaker & microphone mesh
3:07 Apple's warning about using sharp & abrasive objects
3:30 How to clean wired Earpods
3:55 How to clean your Charging Case
5:00 How to clean the AirPods Pro Ear Tips
5:26 3rd Party cleaning tools for AirPods
7:05 Clean the Lightning Connector on Charging Case
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#Apple #AirPods #AirPodsPro

[@dblakewood1907]

So an 8 min video all to say wipe with a towel dipped in water... Nice

[@mawwalersh7893]

Thank you this comment was needed I literally needed a minute video 8 minutes well I be damned this ain’t a church supper on a Sunday

[@itsimani]

Thanks for saving me 8 minutes 😂

[@swervy_1k229]

Preciate it ✌️

[@frozenduck74]

Lint free cloth, a normal towel would damage them

[@mbdg6810]

Nope wrong. You’re oversimplifying and that negates the very simple *specific* instructions regarding what not to use. If you can’t find 8 minutes, thats a you problem.

[@cppctek]

I love the tool @6:00 that’s about the coolest thing for cleaning these. The rest is common sense

[@alphaj9]

What about removing the dirt that builds up on the magnets that hold them shut. They look like crap after a few months and the dirt won’t come off with anything

[@alter112]

I used drinking alcohol but it makes it look weird after

[@MannUpTv]

Isopropyl

[@marshallaffleck6229]

Old dry toothbrush will do the job

[@pretty.littleghoul]

@@alter112 same but the magnetism still made them have a little brown spots

[@julianporter5]

Mine does not come clean even with alcohol. The case is pretty much horrible after a few months.

[@kennynakawaki]

Using Qtips splashed with a little bit of rubbing alcohol did the trick for me!

[@JogBird]

I bought a pair of Shure Se535 over a decade ago and they still sound fantastic

[@Jeffmorgan1991]

Congratulations 😂

[@garrys3312]

Same I have 10 year old Pioneers 50mm. Also have 15 year old Philips.

[@Milloou]

hi!what kind of tool, where to buy what is it called?thank you!

[@wedembois4023]

Worked like an absolute charm thankyou!

[@benhickey792]

Hey if one is quieter than the other it might seem crazy but sick on the big vent and then brush with a cotton swab. Works amazing

[@martfort]

a suggestion is to ask your ENT Med Dr. to use the same vacuum cleaner he uses to remove wax from your ear canal on the mesh surface - that should remove the dirt. BUT the question is: will it damage the speaker by creating to strong of a vacuum?

[@obmijnivre]

Cleaning the outside does nothing. Just pushes gunk into the mesh. I just popped the speaker cover off and it was awful inside. Couldn’t see through the mesh. I used water used and a q-tip and it’s 100 times better. Louder than the right one now. I’m going to use alcohol them tonite and see if I can get to the mics. I haven’t been able to talk through them for months

[@vigilanttt619]

would you mind posting a video or reel explaining what you did?

[@thecuteization]

How you take the speaker cover off

[@Mftv12]

How did you take the cover off?

[@seyedkhashayartaghavirad8909]

Use damped tooth brush helps a lot!!! And try to have the speaker towards the ground so gravity helps you :)

[@danishqaril8919]

I read some of the comments. Some are ethical and very useful. Some of them are either sarcastic or plain disgusting. Those who are sarcastic doesn’t own AirPods or AirPods Pro.

[@no_handle_required]

compressed air, alcohol q-tip. Done. None of that other bs.

[@tammiochoa1678]

OMG! I was cleaning along with you. I used 10 qtips on 1 AirPod alone. I was shocked at how much ear wax was inside of it. I thought the qtip would never come out clean.

[@pollutingpenguin2146]

You need to clean yours ears more often🤢

[@Anonyme09865]

Just use a brush for everything. It’s all you need to clean them properly before wiping them with a microfiber cloth.

[@WhirlOmar]

When it gets gunky, the only thing that helps is a toothpick, used carefully. A wooden toothpick is not gonna damage the mesh. Lightly brushing with a little soft brush or no lint dry towel ain’t gonna do nothing with the gunk.

[@clevermind6798]

Dose brushing airpods with toothbrush is save?

[@osdkiller9258]

This good with dirty out the outside inside you need tool

[@CamTGM]

I used a Q-tip and now they sound muffled ☠️ I’m on the verge of exploding rn

[@BLAZN420_ECS]

Q-Tips FTW lol

[@alinaif192]

I use an used oral b brush head to on silicon tips to remove ear wax and stuff that vacuum the AirPods Pro itself and wiping it with a cloth

[@dnordon]

An electric toothbrush works really well - up to you whether you use the same head as you use for your teeth

[@ryanmartinroyals]

I tried the dry q-tip and it still damaged my air pods, thanks a lot

[@mbdg6810]

Did you go over it gently?

[@bel.sat.9051]

​@mbdg6810 I guess not?😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ryanmartinroyals]

@mbdg6810 yes. I’ve found that using a thumbtack very carefully is the way to go. Just scrape on the sides of the inner lip and don’t make any contact with the mesh

[@brendaeagle97]

What about the earwax that gets inside the mesh? 😢

[@starboy5653]

for the 3rd gen right? worst investment of my life

[@yankis.]

Blu-tack works. Gently push it on the mesh and the wax clings onto the blu-tack.

[@bpacheco6]

I've got skullcandy earbuds over 2 years...I douse with ispopropyl alcohol.....works fine. Water isn't bad for electronics...impurities in it is...causes corrosion. I fix electronic circuit boards for a living....we douse stuff much more delicate than these earbuds with isopropyl all the time...it's fine.

[@outermarker5801]

Been using it forever for various small cleaning jobs. ENT Docs say use it on the fleshy 'contacts' too. Helps control the excess even before earbuds get contaminated 👂

[@graemepeterhoward20]

6:38 very informative!

[@ksandbergen]

6:32 soft flucking sponge😂

[@Tyrionhessen]

i thought he will teach do DIY open airpod literally then remove the dirt then reglue it. but naaa instead we got the cheap version with a nice amazon affiliate link of a product that works 2 times out of 20.

[@marek8678]

reprot this tool because it's working

[@infinityzer054]

They made AirPod mesh that way to get more bucks per pod

[@Wildwoodbadboy]

I can't believe Captain obvious is making videos now LOL

[@orsolyaujhelyi2338]

I tried to clean it with a cleaning putty but I might pushed it too hard and it stuck in and I don't know how to get them out. 😰😰Any suggestions?

[@insignificancee]

toothpick

[@Azidust]

Me using sharp items then watching the video😂😂😂

[@Solemn_Kaizoku]

Water and a microfiber cloth? This literally does nothing to disinfect the earbud itself. Might get rid of earwax buildup with enough time and patience, but that's it.

[@xmasgrump2398]

I use alcohol and cotton swabs. It dries and disinfects fast.

[@sirwinkallot]

Airpods 2nd gen here. Had to remove the mesh over the mic with the end of a push pin and it was disgusting. A few careful swirls and I went from under water sound to clear to the other person. Understand this is the last ditch effort to be able to talk and having the other person hear you clearly. If they are new, your best bet to keep the integrity of it intact is bring it in to an Apple Store of you don’t want a permanent alteration of the AirPod! This worked for me but may not work for all!!

[@JestaLad]

OMG!!!!!!👍👍👍👍👍SO HELPFUL

[@Jeffmorgan1991]

soft dry bristle brush... soft dry bristle brush

[@pklemm1]

Rubbing alcohol works wonders

[@Hayleigh.Dews02]

Can it be any alcohol?

[@Hayleigh.Dews02]

Nail varnish remover works wonders, no need for all this complicated Stuff just one pump on tissue and wipe and you will see no dirt ! 🎉😊

[@thaBootyologist]

Bruh did he just clean his AirPods with a towel that was soaked in motor oil out of the garage? 🤣

[@wtfudc]

Bruh didn’t know you can look inside the fabric in the towel from a video. You must have some kind superhero vision to see through the video without touching or smelling it to call out motor oil. This is one of the stupidest comment I have ever seen.

[@thaBootyologist]

@@wtfudc Bruh you don’t joke very often with people do you?

[@monsiu]

@@thaBootyologist yes he doesn't

[@BelindaRen]

very good, professional

[@gatblox396]

took someone’s airpods and they the dirtiest i’ve ever seen😂

[@aun5931]

Same bruh

[@Will.M3]

Lol

[@dblakewood1907]

Dip the damn thing into 99% ipa , done

[@BossMan-yz3jq]

can i usea clorox whipe on the tips of the airpod pros?

[@richardromero1736]

That's kind of like you saying can I use acid wipes or corrosive wipes...

[@user-ln9zo2ji4d]

No sharp objects inside the charging ports? Dangit, I really wanted to stick the business-end of a meat thermometer in there too…

[@WhatsThis9977]

等于没有说起

[@JustZexy.]

I did this and now my airpods sound doesn't work on the right and the left is low

[@dt3510]

There’s a balance scale on I phone

[@Elite_99]

Guy basically said wipe the AirPods with a towel dipped in water in 8 minutes.

[@lahcenehakimi5474]

Your answer does not cover if a toddler filing it with saliva! It’s wet and not performing right, so it need inner cleaning, the outside is kids game!!

[@andrewtate2595]

I dropped one of mine in a bowl of soup but it was fine

[@8520456]

Use a soft toothbrush instead.

[@Rafi_Farishadeen]

What I just used to lick mine to clean them 😂

[@Elainerulesutube]

I hate ear pods as they keep falling out.

[@MB-mh6xv]

I accidentally ran mine through the wash in the pocket of my pants. They came out nice and clean and after letting them sit for a day to make sure they were dry,... I put them in my ears and went on bike ride.

[@cjheaford]

No video ever shows how to clean the charging contacts deep inside the case. Why don’t you show this? They get so dirty pods stop charging.

[@Imfinity_YT2810]

I damaged mine😭

[@thomasmwangi8136]

The new don't in the logo? No. Just no. It's bad. Please change it back CNET

[@kelvinnakamura]

I always leave it in dish washer.

[@bobboberson2024]

This is ridiculous. Simply reading the Apple brochure. Wow.

[@iRemol]

I always lick them to clean :)

[@LettingHellLooseGaming]

Why would you ever use sandpaper ahahaha

[@MathiasRexX]

This thing is one the reasons we need dislike button count back… it’s bad.

[@samanthafoxxx]

Adapter problems, thanks apple😒😂

[@henrygarcia5071]

They still stayed dirty

[@Urazz45]

Just dropped my phone on my face 😣

[@xiomaramirnarodezno7754]

This video was more of a waste of my time than anything I’ve experienced

[@mbpeterson8643]

Sorry, this was a waste of time watching .everyone can clean the outside .the screens get gummed up full of earwax only way to clean them and make them work good is it take the freaking screens out perhaps. I did They sound like new again. Maybe to help people you could come up with a way to clean the screens not just what Apple says, and be a mimic.

[@YASHBANTROUT]

It's like everyone has airpods

[@WalterPavlikII]

They have sold MILLIONS of them.

[@kingmarkseven17]

Apple overcharges for everything and the iDrones fall for it.

[@InTheEndOnlykindnessMatters]

Man ur would be nice to just get to the point , too much unnecessary talk

[@allemander]

Alcohol. Prep. Pad. Safe, effective, sensible.