 *Photo: Unsplash*
Take your AirPods out of your ears right now and look at the speaker mesh — the small oval grille at the bottom, the one facing your ear canal. If it looks grey or yellowish rather than clean white or black, your AirPods have a wax and debris buildup that is measurably reducing sound quality. The speaker driver sits just behind that mesh, and the buildup acts as a physical barrier to sound.
This guide covers how to clean every AirPods model — AirPods 2nd and 3rd gen, AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 1st and 2nd gen, and AirPods Max — plus the most common third-party earbuds used in Montréal: Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Sony WF-1000XM5, and Jabra Elite 10. It also explains why Montréal commuters, BIXI cyclists, and STM metro riders face a faster buildup cycle than people in most cities.
Why AirPods Get Dirty Faster Than You Think
The ear canal is a warm, humid, skin-lined tube that produces earwax (cerumen) continuously as the body’s natural cleaning mechanism. In-ear headphones sit directly in this environment. Every hour of use deposits a small amount of wax on the speaker mesh.
Earwax accumulates in two distinct ways: - Wet wax (more common in people of European and African descent): soft, yellowish, oil-based. Smears onto mesh and adheres easily. - Dry wax (more common in people of East Asian and Indigenous descent): dry, flaky, grey-white. Accumulates as small particles that settle into mesh holes.
Montréal has one of Canada’s most diverse populations — roughly 50% francophone, 20% anglophone, and 30% allophone, with large communities from China, Lebanon, Haiti, Morocco, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Both wax types are common in the city, and the cleaning method for each differs slightly, which this guide addresses.
The Montréal Factors That Accelerate Buildup
Summer (June–September): Montréal summers are more humid than most people expect. The Saint-Lawrence basin traps warm, moist air — July and August routinely reach 70–85% relative humidity, with Environment Canada recording heat warnings when Humidex values exceed 40°C. The city’s BIXI bike-share system has over 9,600 bikes and 858 stations across Montréal, Laval, Longueuil, and Gatineau. Millions of outdoor workouts, cycling trips, and walks happen with earbuds in. Sweat entering the ear canal mixes with earwax, producing a viscous film that adheres to speaker mesh far faster than dry earwax alone.
The STM metro system: Montréal’s 70-station metro carries over 380 million passengers per year through an underground network that uses rubber tires — one of only a handful of subway systems worldwide with this technology. Rubber-tire systems generate fine particulate that settles throughout underground stations. Commuters wearing AirPods for 30–60 minutes each way are exposed to this airborne particulate continuously, which settles on mesh surfaces.
Winter (November–April): Forced-air heating in Montréal homes, offices, and underground buildings drops indoor relative humidity to 20–35%. Dry air causes slight dryness and increased exfoliation of the ear canal lining, producing more flaky, crumbly earwax that breaks apart easily and settles deeper into speaker mesh holes.
Montréal hard water (charging contacts): Montréal tap water, drawn from the Saint-Lawrence River and treated at the Atwater and Des Baillets filtration plants, carries 90–150 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium carbonates. Any moisture — wet hands, condensation from a sweaty commute — that reaches the charging contacts inside the AirPods case deposits a microscopic film of mineral scale with each evaporation. Over months, this film increases contact resistance and can cause intermittent charging failures.
What You Need (No Special Equipment Required)
All supplies are available at Dollarama, Jean Coutu, Pharmaprix, Canadian Tire, or Walmart:
- Dry soft-bristled toothbrush — a new, dry child-size toothbrush works perfectly. The bristles reach into mesh without scratching.
- Blu-Tack / poster putty (Patafix in French) — sold at Dollarama ($1.25), Staples/Bureau en Gros, Walmart. This is the single most effective tool for speaker mesh wax removal.
- Dry cotton swabs — for case contacts and interior surfaces.
- Microfibre cloth — for the exterior body and case lid.
- Wooden or plastic toothpick — for the charging port. Never metal.
- Isopropyl alcohol 70% — from Jean Coutu or Pharmaprix ($3–5 for 500 mL). For the charging case exterior and silicone surfaces only — never near speaker mesh.
Do not use: water directly on the earbud drivers, alcohol wipes directly on speaker mesh, cotton balls (leave fibres), metal picks (puncture mesh), or compressed air into the earbuds (can dislodge internal acoustic foam or push debris deeper into the driver).
Cleaning AirPods 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, and AirPods 4
These models use a bare speaker mesh without removable silicone tips. The speaker mesh faces directly toward the ear canal and has no physical barrier against earwax.
Step 1: Speaker mesh (the most important step) Hold the AirPod with the speaker mesh facing up. Take a small piece of Blu-Tack (about the size of a pea), warm it between your fingers for 10 seconds until pliable, then press it gently against the speaker mesh and lift straight up. The putty bonds to wax and debris without liquid and pulls the material out of the mesh holes. Repeat 3–4 times, using a fresh surface of the putty each time. You will see the extracted material on the putty.
Step 2: Dry brush Use the dry toothbrush to gently brush the mesh in one direction, removing any remaining loose debris.
Step 3: Body and stem Wipe the earbud body and stem with a lightly dampened microfibre cloth (water, not alcohol). Dry immediately with the dry portion of the cloth.
Step 4: Repeat for the second earbud.
Cleaning AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd Generation)
AirPods Pro have removable silicone ear tips and a more recessed speaker mesh. The silicone tips are the primary earwax collection point.
Step 1: Remove the ear tips Grip the ear tip at the oval base where it meets the AirPod body and pull firmly outward. The tip releases with a slight resistance. Each pair of AirPods Pro includes three tip sizes (S, M, L).
Step 2: Wash the ear tips Rinse the silicone ear tips under lukewarm running water. Apple officially approves water for silicone ear tips. For heavier buildup, add a single drop of dish soap, rub gently between your fingers, and rinse thoroughly. Dry completely with a soft cloth and leave to air for at least 30 minutes before reattaching. Never reattach wet ear tips — moisture wicks into the AirPod through the contact point between tip and body.
Step 3: Clean the exposed speaker mesh With the ear tip removed, you can clearly see the recessed mesh. Use Blu-Tack pressed gently against the mesh opening — do not press hard enough to push material inward, just enough for the putty to make contact with the mesh surface. Lift straight up. Follow with the dry toothbrush.
Step 4: Clean the microphone mesh There is a small secondary microphone mesh on the AirPods Pro body. Use the dry toothbrush on this mesh as well. Wipe the body with a lightly dampened microfibre cloth.
Cleaning the Charging Case
Step 1: Lightning / USB-C port Use a wooden toothpick to loosen debris in the charging port. Never use a metal tool — it scratches the port interior and can damage the charging contacts. Gently tilt the case and tap the open port downward to dislodge loosened material.
Step 2: Interior charging contacts Each AirPod slot contains three small metal circles — the charging contacts. Use a dry cotton swab to wipe each contact. For mineral scale (visible white film, common with Montréal’s hard water), lightly dampen the cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol 70%, wipe the contacts, then wipe again immediately with a dry swab. Also clean the matching three contacts on the bottom of each AirPod itself.
Step 3: Case lid hinge and exterior Wipe the hinge area and exterior with a dry microfibre cloth. A dry toothbrush cleans the hinge gap effectively.
AirPods Max
AirPods Max are over-ear headphones with cushion ear pads and a braided headband. The cleaning approach differs significantly from in-ear models.
Cushion ear pads: Remove by turning until they release (magnetic attachment). Wipe the inner ear cushion surface with a lightly dampened lint-free cloth. Do not immerse. Allow to dry fully before reattaching.
Mesh headband: Wipe with a lightly dampened lint-free cloth. Avoid soaking the braided mesh — excess moisture can migrate into the headband housing.
Ear cup exterior and controls: Wipe with a dry microfibre cloth. For smudges on the Digital Crown and button, a lightly dampened cloth.
Third-Party Earbuds
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro ($169–199 CAD at Best Buy, Samsung.com, Costco Anjou/Kirkland/Laval): The same protocol as AirPods Pro. The silicone wingtip and ear tip are separate components — remove both for cleaning. Samsung’s silicone ear tips rinse safely under running water.
Sony WF-1000XM5 ($279–329 CAD at Best Buy, the Sony Store on Sainte-Catherine, Amazon.ca): Sony’s foam ear tips are more porous than silicone and absorb earwax faster. Replace foam tips every 3–6 months — they cannot be effectively cleaned once saturated. The WF-1000XM5 has particularly fine speaker mesh; the Blu-Tack technique is essential. Never use any liquid near the mesh.
Jabra Elite 10 ($279–299 CAD at Best Buy, Amazon.ca): Silicone ear tips rinse with water. Jabra’s ear tips have a wider bore than AirPods — wax accumulates at the bore edge. A dry cotton swab cleans the bore edge effectively.
Frequency Table
| Task | Frequency | |---|---| | Dry wipe of ear tips | After every use | | Blu-Tack speaker mesh clean | Weekly (heavy users: twice weekly) | | Wash silicone ear tips (AirPods Pro / third-party) | Every 1–2 weeks | | Clean charging case contacts | Monthly | | Full deep clean (all steps) | Monthly | | Replace foam ear tips | Every 3–6 months (Sony / foam-tip users) |
Montréal Summer Protocol
BIXI cyclists and outdoor exercisers: dry the ear tips with a cotton swab immediately after a sweaty ride or workout. Sweat left in silicone tips for 24 hours in 30°C / 70%+ humidity adheres significantly more strongly to the silicone material and makes wax considerably harder to remove. The 30-second post-exercise wipe prevents most of the buildup that later requires deep cleaning.
Internal Links
For related home-care guides, see our articles on [how to clean a laptop keyboard in Montréal](/en/blog/how-to-clean-a-laptop-keyboard-montreal), [how to clean a TV screen in Montréal](/en/blog/how-to-clean-a-tv-screen-montreal), and [how to clean a gaming controller in Montréal](/en/blog/how-to-clean-a-gaming-controller-montreal). For professional home cleaning services in the Greater Montréal area, visit our [home cleaning services page](/en/services/home-cleaning) or [deep cleaning services page](/en/services/deep-cleaning).
Q: Will cleaning my AirPods fix muffled sound?
A: In most cases, yes. Muffled or quieter sound on one AirPod — or noticeably lower volume than when the AirPods were new — is almost always caused by earwax buildup on the speaker mesh. Clean the mesh with Blu-Tack (Patafix) and a dry soft-bristled brush as described above. The Blu-Tack method removes wax from mesh holes without liquid, which is the critical safety requirement — liquid wicking through mesh holes to the speaker driver causes permanent damage that cleaning cannot fix.
Q: Can I use alcohol wipes to clean AirPods?
A: Not directly on the speaker mesh or microphone mesh. Isopropyl alcohol wicks through mesh holes to the speaker driver and can cause permanent damage. Apple’s official guidance is a dry lint-free cloth for the earbud body, water only for silicone ear tips, and no liquid near speaker or microphone meshes. 70% IPA on a cotton swab is appropriate for the charging case contacts and the exterior plastic body of the AirPods — not the mesh surfaces.
Q: How do I clean the AirPods Pro silicone ear tips?
A: Remove them by gripping the oval base where it meets the AirPod body and pulling firmly outward — they release with slight resistance. Rinse under lukewarm running water (Apple officially approves this). For heavier buildup, add a tiny drop of dish soap, rub gently between your fingers, and rinse thoroughly. Dry completely — at least 30 minutes — before reattaching. Never reattach wet ear tips, as moisture will wick into the AirPod.
Q: Can I use compressed air to clean AirPods speaker mesh?
A: No. Compressed air forces material deeper into the mesh and can dislodge the internal acoustic foam or damage the speaker driver diaphragm. The correct tool is Blu-Tack (poster putty / Patafix), which lifts material out of the mesh rather than pushing it in. Patafix is available at Dollarama for approximately $1.25, at Bureau en Gros (Staples), and at Walmart stationery sections.
Q: My AirPods are not charging reliably — is this a cleaning issue?
A: Quite possibly. The three small metal charging contacts inside each AirPod slot accumulate mineral scale from Montréal’s moderately hard tap water (90–150 mg/L CaCO₃) and surface oxidation over time. Clean the contacts with a dry cotton swab. For visible white scale deposits, lightly dampen the swab with 70% IPA, wipe, then immediately wipe again with a dry swab. Also clean the matching contacts on the bottom of each AirPod.
Q: How often should I clean my AirPods in Montréal?
A: A full cleaning (all steps) once a month is the baseline for typical use. During July and August — when Montréal humidity and heat are highest and outdoor exercise peaks — clean the silicone ear tips with water every week and perform the Blu-Tack mesh clean every 5–7 days. Daily STM metro commuters (1+ hour each way in the underground system) should also clean weekly, as the rubber-tire subway system generates fine particulate that settles on mesh surfaces faster than in open-air commuting environments.
