If you have an iPhone or iPad, my money is on you having a pair of AirPods. These little earbuds are the most popular on the market. There is a good reason for this. They offer great audio and a truly wireless experience.

They are great for the gym, traveling, or just everyday use. It is no mystery that after using these things can get a bit icky. They are not a cheap item, so you want to make sure you are cleaning them correctly and not causing any damage that may affect the electronics inside.

Below we walk through the best way to clean your Apple AirPods and some of the things you should avoid using and doing to clean them.

What causes AirPods to get dirty?

Not to simplify this too much. Your AirPods get dirty because your ears get dirty and because of their design.

The earbuds are made to fit into your ears perfectly so that you can basically do anything in them. You can go to the gym, run, and wear them in pretty much all weather.

All that time in your ear is bound to mean they get pretty gross because whether or not you are someone with a regular ear cleaning routine and believe in q-tips, ear wax is just something that will end up on your AirPods to some degree.

Even if no one wants to talk about it, it happens, and your earbuds will need a good cleaning. Luckily, your earbuds are easy to clean. Even better, regular cleaning will keep the sound quality of them the best it can be.

What you need to clean AirPods

I am a self-proclaimed clean freak. So there are a lot of different cleansers in my house. But if you aren’t like me and may have only two different products under your sink that you use to clean everything, you will love how simple this cleaning method is.

Cleaning your AirPods does not require any special cleaners or expensive products. You can acquire everything needed for cleaning your AirPods on your next grocery store trip. You will need:

• Soft, lint-free cloth
• Cotton swab
• Clean toothbrush
• Isopropyl alcohol

That’s it. Seriously. Four items you definitely should already have at home.

Not everyone has alcohol at home. It can be found at any grocery or drugstore. Next, we move on to how to clean these guys. Just as easy as this quick list of products you will need is the process itself. Let’s get started.

Keep your favorite earbuds looking new

The steps to clean your AirPods are quick, easy and you can make cleaning these a part of your weekly cleaning. We will go through the steps below to clean your AirPods.

Below are also steps on how to clean their ear tips and for good measure, their case. Keeping all three clean is the trifecta, and your earbuds will feel brand new.

Steps to clean your AirPods:

1. Dampen a clean cloth.
2. Wipe down each earbud.
3. Dry with a second, clean, dry cloth.

Pretty straightforward cleaning process. Now let’s move on to how to clean the ear tips on your AirPods. Because the ear tips are the pieces inserted in your ears the deepest and most likely to get ear wax on them, you want to pay special attention to the ear tips.

They may be the dirtiest of your Airpods. But don’t worry. These are easy to clean as well. Follow the below steps to get them earwax-free.

Steps to clean the AirPod’s ear tips:

1. Pull off each ear tip.
2. Rinse under cold water. Do not use any detergents or cleansers.
3. If there is any debris, you can remove it with a cotton swab.
4. Dry with a clean cloth.
5. Click each back on the AirPods.

Your AirPods are now nice and clean, but you don’t want to put them back in a dirty case. Cleaning the case is easy as well. Just make sure not to disturb the pieces that function to charge the earbuds.

Steps to clean the AirPod’s case:

1. Use a soft toothbrush to remove any debris.
2. Moisten a soft cloth with the isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the case completely.
3. Allow the case to dry.

Easy, right? With cleaning this simple, there is no reason to not keep your AirPods in top condition. No one wants to stick an icky, dirty earbud in their ear. That’s just gross.

What not to do when cleaning

AirPods are not the thing you want to test out new cleaning products or techniques out on. These things are not cheap.

Here are a few things you should never do when trying to clean your AirPods. These may seem like common sense, but it doesn’t hurt to just run down this quick list.

• Do not run them underwater.
• Do not use sharp objects or abrasive cleaners on them.
• Avoid getting any form of liquid or debris in the openings.
• Don’t use them before they have had time to dry completely.

If you avoid the above and keep to the cleaning steps listed in the other sections, your AirPods should last you a long time and keep providing you with quality sound. You invested in a pair of these. Keeping them working well protects that investment.

Your AirPods, ick free and clean!

Anything worn in your ears, like your AirPods are, is bound to get a little gross now and then. The good thing is that although they are full of technology and electronics that are fragile, your earbuds are actually pretty darn easy to clean.

It only takes a few products and minutes to keep them clean and without any of that pesky ear wax that may have built up on them.

Hopefully, the steps above will help keep your earbuds ick-free. If you started reading this article looking for how to clean Apple AirPods, I think you got your answer!