How to Clean iPhone Speakers Without Damaging Them

BY Parth Shah

Published 2 May 2020

Apple occasionally releases maintenance and bug fixes updates for iOS. Similarly, the hardware on the iPhone also requires proper care to function properly. Over time, your iPhone accumulates tiny dust particles in device microphone and speakers. You might have noticed a muffled sound coming out of iPhone speakers or microphones not functioning as expected after a period of time. If you live in a dusty environment, then it is always advisable to clean iPhone speakers once in a month or two.

We have already talked about the top ways to fix iPhone microphone problems and the guide to clean and disinfect iPhone, and in this post, we will mention the techniques to clean iPhone speakers.

Clean Your iPhone Speakers

As you may know, starting with iPhone 7 series, Apple switched to the dual-speakers setup on all the iPhones. One speaker is located at the top beside the microphone. Another is placed at the bottom right near the lighting connector. Let’s talk about the steps to clean them.

Use Toothbrush

Users can opt for a dry toothbrush to clean their iPhone’s speakers. Scrub a dry and clean toothbrush against the speakers or if you have rubbing alcohol laying around then dip a slight top of the toothbrush in it and then rub it on the top and bottom iPhone speakers.

toothbrush

A couple of cautious words here. Don’t dip the whole toothbrush in the alcohol. And while cleaning the speaker, don’t apply too much pressure, keep it gentle. Also, don’t try to use water instead of rubbing alcohol. Compared to alcohol, water doesn’t evaporate quickly, which increases the chance of liquid damage in the iPhone internals.

Use Painter’s Tape

While a dry toothbrush is a solid tool to clean iPhone speakers, it won’t be able to clean some tiny stubborn particles in the speakers. Masking tape or Painter’s tape is the perfect tool for this. It is specifically designed to avoid leaving glue residue on any surfaces. It has pressure-sensitive adhesive, making it an ideal tool to clean iPhone speakers.

painter tape

Tear a small part of the tape. Roll it around keeping the sticky part outside, and then press it on the iPhone speakers. After each application, do check the dust sticking on the tap. Throw it and make a new tap roller and repeat the cleaning process.

ScotchBlue Original Multi-Surface Painter’s Tape: Buy [Amazon] 

Use Compressed Air

Consumers use compressed air to remove dust from desktop, laptop keyboards, etc. You can use it to clean iPhone speakers too. Keep the device 9-10 inches far from the iPhone speakers and then blow the air to clean dust.

clean iphone

I would advise you to not use powerful compressed air and don’t keep it too near the iPhone speakers. It may damage the internals of the phone. Be very cautious using this method as many users have used compressed air haphazardly and ended up with faulty iPhone speakers and microphones.

Falcon Compressed Gas: Buy [Amazon]

You might want to use a toothpick to clean iPhone speakers but I would advise against the practice. The tip of the toothpick is small and sharp. You may accidentally push the toothpick too far in the speakers damaging them.

Are you having problems with audio output from iPhone speakers? Use the above-mentioned methods to clean the iPhone speakers and share your experience in the comments section below.

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