Safety first for small speakers

Earbuds and AirPods cleaner

Clean AirPods, Galaxy Buds and other earbuds safely, mostly by hand, with a gentle tone option for water. Never play cleaning tones in your ears.

  • Hand cleaning guide
  • Gentle tone at 40%
  • Never in your ears

Take the earbuds out of your ears first. Then press Start.

Cleaning mode

Cycle length
100%

How to clean earbuds safely

Earbuds pick up wax and skin oil more than dust, so most of the work is gentle hand cleaning.

1

Out of your ears

Take the earbuds out and keep them out for the whole cleaning. The tool starts at 40% volume for that reason.

2

Wipe the outside

Use a soft, dry, lint-free cloth on the shell and stem.

3

Clean the mesh

Use a dry cotton swab on the speaker mesh and a soft, dry brush to lift wax from the openings.

4

Water only: gentle tone

If they got wet, connect them, hold them mesh down in your hand and run Gentle mode once. Then let them air-dry.

If your earbuds got wet

Many earbuds, including AirPods Pro, are sweat and water resistant, not waterproof. Wipe them dry and let them air-dry completely before putting them back in the charging case. A wet earbud in the case can damage the charging contacts.

The gentle tone can help shift a little water from the mesh, but most of the drying happens on its own with time and airflow.

Cleaning the charging case

Wipe the outside with a dry cloth. For the inside, use a dry cotton swab, and a soft brush for the charging port. Keep liquids out of the case and its port.

Earbud cleaning dos and don’ts

Do

Use dry cotton swabs and soft brushes

They lift wax without pushing it in.

Let wet earbuds air-dry fully

Before they go back in the case or your ears.

Keep the tone volume low

Gentle mode at about 40% is plenty for small drivers.

Don’t

Play cleaning tones in your ears

They’re loud at close range and can hurt your hearing.

Use sharp objects

Pins and toothpicks can tear the mesh.

Rinse them under water

Even water-resistant earbuds aren’t made for running water.

Earbud and AirPods questions

It can help a little with water sitting on the mesh, played at low volume with the AirPods out of your ears. Air-drying does most of the work.

Wax build-up on the mesh is the most common cause. Clean both meshes, then check the left-right balance in your phone’s accessibility settings.

Yes, at low volume. Put them in after lowering the volume and play Left and Right to check both sides.

Yes. The same dry, gentle methods work for Galaxy Buds and most other earbuds.

Need to check left and right?

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