With regular use, all AirPods need cleaning eventually. It’s inevitable that earwax and other gunk will build up. This isn’t just unsightly; it can potentially impact sound quality and, worse, even lead to health issues such as ear infections. If you’re not careful, though, earbuds such as AirPods and over-ear headphones like the AirPods Max and Max 2 can easily be damaged during the cleaning process.

The most important tip: Don’t soak them or blast them with running water. You should also avoid using most cleaning products or wipes. Fortunately, even with those limitations, cleaning your Apple headphones is pretty easy — and we’ve got a few methods to help.

If you have some non-Apple headphones you want to clean, too, check out How to Clean Your Headphones and Earbuds (and Yes, You Should).

Apple’s AirPod cleaning instructions

As with all pricey tech devices, take care when cleaning your AirPods — you don’t want to get overzealous and damage them. To carefully clean, Apple instructs you to use a slightly dampened cloth and a soft, dry, lint-free cloth and cautions you against employing soaps, shampoos and solvents or running your AirPods under water (if you accidentally get soap on them, wipe them with a slightly damp cloth and let them dry before cleaning further). For digging out the nasty bits in the microphone and speaker meshes, Apple recommends using a dry cotton swab and a soft-bristled brush. 

For the AirPods Pro, you can remove the ear tips and rinse them with water, according to Apple, but without soap or other cleaning agents. Apple then wants you to follow its general rules of using a soft, dry, lint-free cloth to wipe the ear tips clean and letting them dry completely prior to reassembly.

For the over-ear AirPods Max, the above methods apply, but watch out for any oily substance that could stain or damage them — Apple’s extensive list of worrisome liquids includes soaps, perfumes, solvents, detergents, insect repellents, sunscreens and even hair dye. If any of that winds up on your AirPods Max, wipe them with a cloth slightly damped with water and dry with a soft, lint-free cloth. 

To clean the AirPods Max ear cushions and headband — which you’ll want to do every so often, especially if you wear them working out or sweating in hot climates — make a solution of 1tsp (5 mL) of liquid laundry detergent with 1 cup (250 mL) of water. Remove the ear cushions, dip a cloth into the solution and wipe the cushions, then wipe the headband (making sure you’re holding the AirPods Max upside down so nothing drips down into the audio electronics). Then wipe them with a water-dampened cloth, and finally a dry cloth. Lay them out to dry flat for at least a day before reattaching the cushions.

To kill any germs that might have hitched a ride on your AirPods, Apple says it’s OK to gently wipe the exterior surfaces (but not the speaker mesh) with a 70-percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or a Clorox disinfecting wipe. And it would be good to avoid using a wipe that is overly saturated because you don’t want to get moisture in any of your AirPods’ openings. Lastly, no matter how grimy and disgusting your AirPods may be, do not submerge them in any cleaning products.

CNET’s Matt Elliott put Apple’s methods to the test, but trying to use a Q-tip ended up just smooshing the wax and dirt in further. He then used an old toothbrush to attempt to remove the grossness but didn’t have any better results.

Elliott’s solution: Fun-Tak and a wooden toothpick

Elliott was fine with wiping the exterior of my AirPods (and their case) with a dry cloth to rub off the grime, but needed a better way to get the wax and dirt out of the mesh and hollow of the speakers. 

This Cult of Mac article pointed Elliott to the solution — or rather, readers’ comments on the article did. It involved two items already in the house: Fun-Tak (because he has kids with posters hanging in their rooms) and wooden toothpicks (from baking).

To remove the wax and dirt that’s stuck inside the hollow of your AirPod speakers, just grab a small piece of Fun-Tak and stretch and knead it a bit to warm it up. Then press it against the speaker a few times and it’ll pick up the wax and dirt.

The wooden toothpick can then be used to gently remove the stubborn bits that are struck to the sides of the speaker hollow. A wooden toothpick is pointy enough to pick out individual specs of gross, waxy dirt, and it’s much safer than a sharp metal object like an unfolded staple that can scratch the plastic or tear the wire speaker mesh.

Looking for more AirPod tips and tricks? Check out our best AirPods tips and 11 awesome AirPods Pro tricks, and learn how to pair AirPods with your Windows PC in 1 minute.