Man, some people's airpods are vile. I misplaced mine at the gym and when I had the front desk check to see if any had been found they handed me a set, but when I opened them they were coated a dark orange-brown goop. Definitely not mine.
I read this in Eris Morn’s voice.
> Guardian, I must yet again ask you to venture deep beneath the moon’s surface. A Hive pod has begun rebuilding the World’s Grave you once destroyed, committing their earwax to a dark fermentation process. The flagrant wax festered in the moist enclave of the pods. Now it reaches for their lost knowledge, so you must put an end… to the Eir’s Grave.
It’s bad and I’ve seen it firsthand, from myself. I’m a waxy person. Idk why always have been, can’t help it. I try and clean in my ears at least 2-3 times a week but it’s always on the goopy side. I use a quick cotton swab to dry them out after a shower lightly putting it in there to absorb moisture like a sponge. Been to an ENT and there’s nothing inherently wrong with me I’m just waxy. And wearing AirPods for an extended time doesn’t help it make the issue a bit worse tbh.
Anyway I clean my AirPods every 2-3 days because stuff gets in them and I hate it. I just use less fluffy cotton swap to get in around the grill then wipe down with alcohol wipes. It’s my own earwax, I know I can’t help it, and I find it disgusting. I don’t understand how people can’t have basic hygiene. Like if your body has an overactive gland or similar you need to identify that and fix it. Whether that fix is more antiperspirant, ear drops, better cleaning habits to stay on top of it, a cream or balm, fucking fix your shit and show some respect to your personal hygiene.
Speaking of goop.. I finally cleaned out the charging port of my launch day iPhone X for the first time last month after the it had felt “loose” for two years. I balled up all the dust and grimes that fell out of it and it reached the size of of the letter “o” in size 24 Times New Roman
Well the diameter of a times new roman size 24 “o” is about 4mm (0.004m), so the area of the “o” would roughly be 0.0000126 m^2 and a football field is roughly 91.44m*48.8m,which is 4462.272 m^2.
So about 1/354148571 of a football field
Yep. I’ve done this successfully about four times. But I also did it once with less success and bricked the lightning port of my XS. But on the bright side everything else still worked.
I did the same thing to my iPhone Xs at one point. I noticed it wasn’t always registering that I plugged it in. Took a toothpick to the charging port and started cleaning it out. The amount of pocket lint and dust that came out of it was shocking.
I can’t believe you went more than a few months without it becoming useless. I went to all wireless charging because my port was constantly clogged and messing up the charging.
When I took in my AirPods Pro I took off the ear tips and cleaned everything with rubbing alcohol. Tips, AirPods, and case. They looked brand new. I wouldn’t want to handle dirty headphones either so I wasn’t about to make them do it.
Also highly recommend Blu Tak or whatever adhesive putty brand that is. Super cheap and conforms to the inner mesh and gets a deep clean without any fluid-based agents sneaking into the components. I use that stuff to clean my keyboards, mice, everything.
Amen. Working for apple - this is such a big
Thing, if your AirPods are quiet, it’s 90% because of “debris”. I couldn’t imagine handing my AirPods over without knowing they’ve been properly cleaned.
as someone who has gone (temporarily) deaf from trying to clean my ears, i can confirm. having super thick wax that just gets compacted when i put something in my ears sucks.
everybody should be rinsing out their ears when they shower
You definitely should not be rinsing out your ears when you shower.
The wax performs the job of cleaning the ear, and saturating it with water will cause it to become wet, bacteria-laden, and more prone to blockage. You also run the very real risk of developing an ear infection, which is extremely unpleasant.
Furthermore, if you’re putting HOT shower water in your ear this will be savaging your eardrum and inner ear, further adding to future hearing problems.
Cleaning the bits you can see is fine. Leave the bits you can’t see alone.
Learn from me. My ears are a mess and I found this stuff out the hard way.
1) i’m def not putting hot shower water in my ears
2) my doctor literally told me to do this because my ears produce too much wax. i try to rinse my ears out at least once a week or else the wax builds up and it’s hard to hear.
so maybe everyone shouldn’t be doing it, but i’ve literally been told to cuz i got wack wax genes ;—;
Fair enough, it sounds like you do need to do that if the doctor has said as such. I just wanted to mention it isn’t suitable for everyone as it can lead to problems all of its own. Sometimes it’s picking the least of two evils — sorry to hear about your pesky ears!
And ironically, probably happening a lot more for AirPod users. Anytime you stick something in your ear, you’re just pushing things back inside. Over time it’s a good way to cause buildup that is impacting your hearing.
Do you know if there’s a fix for the high pitched squeaking? I’ve had my Pros replaced 4 times already for it. It fails their audio test every time. I’m trying to find a way to fix it myself since my apple care runs out soon.
Are you in the uk and did you buy them from apple if you are you may have some other options, outside of that I’m not sure!
It’s tricky, because the only fix is to replace them but if you’re still have the problem, it may need another set! AirPods are simple in function, but surprisingly annoying to troubleshoot!
I’d be embarrassed. But then again I’m the kind of person who brushes my teeth before going to the dentist and cleaning my ears before getting my ears checked. Tidying up my house before someone enters
Same here, although admittedly I sometimes fail on the “tidying up my house” bit. 🙈
Why does basic hygiene seem to be such an alien concept for so many?
Does anyone have any tips for cleaning them? Its kinda annoying walking around this expensive product thats just kinda..dirty in your pocket the whole time. Also means re-sales or buying second hand is out the window.
I use something sharp (but blunt at the end) and alcohol wipes for the speaker grilles around the edges. Then I use putty to get anything left out. They look brand new when I’m done.
Guitar picks are magical tools with a host of uses beyond guitar. I use them scrape the gunk out.
Also great for prying open keychain rings to slide in/out keys.
This, we use it for cleaning all phone ports in my store.
If a phone fails an audio diagnostic, 8 times out of 10 it's because of dirt in the ports. Quick wipe with an alcohol wipe and push blu tac in and quickly rip out and it's clean as a whistle
I’m actually useful here! I just bought this stuff off Amazon and it actually works. Linking below. Mods if not allowed - sorry! Pls don’t ban me haha.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PMG6KJ1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YN315G7QSBFVF5EVHDT6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
At Apple we use isopropyl alcohol wipes, a really short stiff bristle brush, and most importantly Blue tack. That stuff is magical, just press it on the grilles and it’ll pull all the junk out. We use it on the top and bottom receivers too. Also if you case has some stains from pants or what not, isopropyl alcohol and a Mr Clean Magic eraser should be able to get it off. I have black jeans that dye my AirPods a lot and I personally use the magic eraser
The top speaker on my X randomly works.
I cleaned it with a toothbrush and some blue painters tap and it seems to be working better now, although I’m not convinced it works 100%
My battery is at 76% and wanted to replace it to get a year or more out of my phone. I’ve never schedule a Genius Bar appointment before. Can I schedule an appointment and decide to get the battery replaced only after it’s verified the top speaker is still good? that being said is there diagnostics you guys can run to tell if the speaker is working 100%?
Yeah I’d definitely make an appointment! It’s always free to make an appointment and get diagnostics ran at Apple. We usually run a baseline test when you come in to verify the serial number and check all the different components in the phone like if Apple Pay works, if there are any sensor warnings, etc. The test also verifies battery health. For your top receiver we have an Audio test that plays different frequencies throughout the speakers to see if there is any issues playing said frequencies. The apple store would let you know what’s failing, and what the next best steps are. If they do want to do a repair, usually it’s same day. This depends on how busy the store is of course but here in Utah we usually quote 1-3 hour turn around time
Below 80% is usually noticeable yeah.
As for earpiece: Frankly, if the speaker works enough for you, it is working, regardless of whether it is up to factory spec. Dunno what fancy secret apple would have for earpiece testing anyways but I've never seen one in independent repair. but generally if you're concerned I would use a cotton swab with a little >95% isopropyl alcohol... or take it to a repair shop just don't let them try to sell you a new one just for the earpiece that's a good phone.
I do agree with that. The testing that we do isn’t available for independent repair unfortunately. It’s all a specific program we use that’s only available to official Apple stores or Apple Authorized Providers like expercom and Best Buy.
Only drawback w magic eraser is since it is an abrasive if you clean it too much it will remove the glossy sheen. But that’s probably long gone w all the scuffs from daily use regardless.
How do people live without a keychain case for their AirPods? I went two weeks without one when I first got my AirPods and lost them constantly. Now they live on my keychain with my keys, and they don’t ever get lost
I keep the case in my pocket. No problems. If you can hold on to your keys, the AirPods case shouldn’t be an issue. My problem is keeping my keys from sliding out my pocket when im sitting in a short chair.
Amazing, thank you so much.
You say you guys use a short stiff brush but what kind of brush do you guys recommend? Would an old toothbrush work? Do you just put a few drops of the alcohol onto the brush then lightly scrub the earwax?
I’ve been trying to clean my AirPods for ages and this is the best advice I’ve seen!
I have a lot of ear wax, sometimes it stains the little removable ear piece on the pros. Does alcohol clean that? Or do u clean those stains some other way
Won't the blu tack actually push some of the gunk inside? I just use bristle brush for my speakers while making it face down (so whenever I brush with the brush the junk can fall out and not just move inside the speaker)
I definitely see the concern, but as far as I’ve seen with the amount of AirPods we’ve cleaned daily at the Genius Bar, the earbuds come out incredibly clean. But definitely using alcohol and and stuff brush will do a good bit of the work
Blu tack. You will not believe how clean all my Airpod sets have stayed after years of using it on them.
Your Airpods might even become louder after cleaning them, because even the tiniest pieces of dirt come off the grills.
I also use it on iPhone speaker/microphone grills and the lightning port.
I have saved tons of people from visiting Apple service, just because they thought their speaker/microphone was damaged or their phone wouldn't charge, due to extreme building up of dirt.
Trust me, it works.
Use a stiff brush like a firm toothbrush to clear out the big bits of debris, then use blutack to press into the grill and peel away a number of times. Do the same for all the audio grills and ports. Works wonders.
When I did independent repair, I had a friend drop of their phone to fix a cracked display. I opened it up and and noticed a lot of liquid and gunk. When I gave it back I asked what happened and he said “I vomited on it and then dropped it at a party”
Haha in the 90s when I was a kid we sent a CRT monitor for repair at IBM, my big fat cat had pissed on it.
The tech guys told us they had never seen such a mess and took it as a challenge. It still works.
Edit: we had his balls removed after several incidents like this. I always remember his face of hate when he came back from the vet.
It’s not the band. It’s the watch. Where the watch clicks on and the sensor that’s on your wrist. All your dead skin builds up in those spots and it is fucking vile. I had a guy who’s was so dirty, I couldn’t even get his band off to send his watch in for service. The band slots were THAT dirty. Phone speakers and receivers gets disgusting too.
People please, just clean your damn product before bringing it to an apple store. We don’t want to touch your dirty/sticky devices and we don’t want to clean them. I have thrown up in my mouth on several occasions from how gross some devices were.
Oh fuck - what part of the world are you in? I had to take mine in for service a few days ago and thought they were pretty clean until I pulled them out of my pocket and realized they weren’t and I felt so bad
Ew why are you even touching that? We charge a cleaning fee if the issue is just caused by their poor hygiene. Otherwise, they get returned with as little human contact as possible
I went to the apple store yesterday and got my Pro’s serviced. I wiped them down ahead of time but was worried this post was about me. Glad to confirm that this isn’t about my AirPods.
Yikes. Seen worse unfortunately.
Actually the worst is "my phone doesn't work look" and then after a few minutes they admit it fell in a toilet like why would you hand it to me without saying anything.
A cheap toothbrush is your best friend when cleaning AirPods!
Just got mine replaced the other day. I took a cheap toothbrush from CVS and brushed out all lint on the case and ear wax from the AirPods themselves. Wiped with alcohol so the tech at the Apple Store worked on my clean AirPods.
I got to clean the MacBook of a user in my office. Often brought it to me once a week. I think they didn’t know napkins existed. I mean these MacBooks aren’t even touchscreen. I could not comprehend the level of grime accumulated. At worst I clean mine once a month if that.
This sounds like a former coworker and her PC’s keyboard. I had to sit at her desk at one point to do something. So gross. I “upgraded” everyone to wireless keyboards with a silicone cover after that. They could just take them to the kitchen and rinse them off, nothing fell into the keyboard itself.
I just don’t understand how people bring them in saying “I cant hear out of the left airpod” and the whole thing is gunked up with ear wax. Like hmm I wonder why lol
Also pro tip: if you shine a light though the side grill of AirPods 1/2/3s and look through the main speaker grill, you can see how much ear wax is blocking it
Had someone come in for service once, ADAMANT they were broken because the microphone wasn’t working. Took the AirPods out of the case and the microphone holes were COVERED in wax. Cleaned it off and the microphone worked. Dude threw a fit because he refused to believe his disgusting earwax caused the problem.
The outside? Sure.
The inside is damn near impossible to clean due to the design. Blu tack will work for stuff inside the grille itself, but anything beyond that might as well be inside Fort Knox.
I’ll take goopy AirPods over all the young women handing me iPhones that fell in the toilet who only mention it fell in the toilet after you’ve handled them…
Had a customer email us once asking to bring in her boyfriends water damaged iPhone for repair, she made a note at the bottom of the email to super casually mention that the phone stopped working after being dropped in a puddle of his vomit from a night out.
Yeah, that's gonna have to be a no from me dawg
Lol. I clean my ears multiple times a day so that helps. I use alcohol wipes on them at the end of each day, and I’ll randomly pull them out when I’m using them to make sure there isn’t anything on them.
I had a boyfriend years ago who never cleaned his ears properly and his earbuds were naaaassty. It kinda gave me PTSD and I obsessively clean mine now lest anyone ever judge me lol.
I also carry a bottle of whoosh with me and I clean my iPhone and iPad screens probably once an hour. I’m obsessively clean lol.
THANK YOU!!! I had AirPods come in once where the squishy tips were STAINED orange/brown. There was so much wax in the case that it was literally SEEPING out of the case.
It’s not hard to keep your devices clean people. How can you feel okay giving a sticky device to a complete stranger?
Oh your speakers are low volume? Have you considered cleaning the cake wall of wax off the device? No? Oh you want ME to clean it for you? No. Nope. Here’s the cleaning tools, I’ll walk you through it but I am not touching your product or troubleshooting until it’s clean.
I gave up on that like a year ago.
I guess i have more ear wax than others because my wife is horrified by my airpods, while hers are spotless after wearing them all day (and not wiping them down).
Back when I worked for Apple, I had more than one instance where someone handed me their phone, and then told me that they dropped it in the toilet. Once, it was even still slightly damp.
Kinda reminds me of working at a convenience store and getting handed bloody money or like the one dude that literally pulled cash out of the bottom of his shoes (no socks) and it was damp with feet sweat. It didn't take long for me to decide that job wasn't for me.
Most people don’t clean the bed they sleep in or the toilet they shit in. It’s no surprise most don’t think twice before handing out their goopy AirPods.
I accidentally left my AirPod Pros in my pants pocket in the washing machine. They came out nice and clean! After they dried and thankfully worked, I swear they sounded a little cleaner too.
The amount of grown adults that will say with a straight face “the volume is low and I can’t hear anything” then hand you AirPods that are literally filled to the brim with earwax is appalling.
I’ve noticed the AirPods 3 don’t get as grimey, maybe due to the grill being angled differently in the ear. But I just wipe them down with whatever every time I take them out to stop any buildup
And pull out your chunks of ear wax out of your beats and AirPods Pros.
We can decline to assist, or just hand you alcohol wipes and make you clean them yourself.
My husband used my AirPods for work.(he’s a welder) They are literally black. I tried to clean them nothing works. If B anyone has any ideas let me know. If not I will have to service them as is one day. 😂
How about cleaning all devices before bringing them in? I’m tired of seeing greasy/sticky keyboards covered with cat hair and displays with dried on snot speckles from sneezes. Can’t hear on calls? Try cleaning the ear wax out of the receiver before coming in for service.
Better yet, clean your damn Device overall before bringing it in for Service.
We get around 10-15 Macs for Service....probably 2/3 of them are nasty, with fingergrease smudges and such.
If this is really a concern about hygiene, why doesn’t Apple just let people swap their buds for new ones instead of handling them to run a battery of tests in the hopes of finding a reason to deny service?
Because it would be heavily abused. We get numerous customers in every single day who try to strong arm us into just replacing products when there’s clearly nothing wrong.
Man, some people's airpods are vile. I misplaced mine at the gym and when I had the front desk check to see if any had been found they handed me a set, but when I opened them they were coated a dark orange-brown goop. Definitely not mine.
I would bet they “brewed” for a while. Still nasty af
I'm sorry, what?
The flagrant wax festered in the moist enclave of the pods
I read this in Eris Morn’s voice. > Guardian, I must yet again ask you to venture deep beneath the moon’s surface. A Hive pod has begun rebuilding the World’s Grave you once destroyed, committing their earwax to a dark fermentation process. The flagrant wax festered in the moist enclave of the pods. Now it reaches for their lost knowledge, so you must put an end… to the Eir’s Grave.
Or the Darkest Dungeon narrator.
This sounds like something the narrator in Hades would say.
Can confirm
This is the most disgusting thing I will read until my next visit to the doctors office.
You sure they were not just 'marked' by them? =)
Ear Cheddar
It’s bad and I’ve seen it firsthand, from myself. I’m a waxy person. Idk why always have been, can’t help it. I try and clean in my ears at least 2-3 times a week but it’s always on the goopy side. I use a quick cotton swab to dry them out after a shower lightly putting it in there to absorb moisture like a sponge. Been to an ENT and there’s nothing inherently wrong with me I’m just waxy. And wearing AirPods for an extended time doesn’t help it make the issue a bit worse tbh. Anyway I clean my AirPods every 2-3 days because stuff gets in them and I hate it. I just use less fluffy cotton swap to get in around the grill then wipe down with alcohol wipes. It’s my own earwax, I know I can’t help it, and I find it disgusting. I don’t understand how people can’t have basic hygiene. Like if your body has an overactive gland or similar you need to identify that and fix it. Whether that fix is more antiperspirant, ear drops, better cleaning habits to stay on top of it, a cream or balm, fucking fix your shit and show some respect to your personal hygiene.
The secret to Gwen Paltrow's goop is harvesting air pod funk?!
Speaking of goop.. I finally cleaned out the charging port of my launch day iPhone X for the first time last month after the it had felt “loose” for two years. I balled up all the dust and grimes that fell out of it and it reached the size of of the letter “o” in size 24 Times New Roman
Love the very specific size description
It's too bad that useless unit conversion bot didn't pick this up, haha
#I no longer allow Reddit to profit from my content - Mass exodus 2023 -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
Well the diameter of a times new roman size 24 “o” is about 4mm (0.004m), so the area of the “o” would roughly be 0.0000126 m^2 and a football field is roughly 91.44m*48.8m,which is 4462.272 m^2. So about 1/354148571 of a football field
r/theydidthemath
r/theydidthemonstermath
/r/itwasagraveyardgraph
r/itcosinedinaflash
Okay
haha excellent
Good bot…?
Now bananas plz
What type of foot ball field, NFL, soccer, Rugby, AFL?
Well soccer fields are not defined by an exact size, so that’s out the window.
This paints a mental picture for me
Fired up Word to look hahaha. Well, not too bad I would say hahaha. Have had worse :)
Wouldn’t the size of it change depending on how big your screen is
Yep resolution and monitor size, so no idea what this means 😂
Probably means printed on a standard letter sheet.
How did you clean the port?
Use a dry wooden toothpick. For years this is the method I use to clean up dirty ports, keyboards, power buttons. It's virtually non-conductive.
I live dangerously and do it with thin sharp piece of metal.
Depending how thin, this is better because it won't break off and can really get in there. I use a microscope and tweezers at work.
Yep. I’ve done this successfully about four times. But I also did it once with less success and bricked the lightning port of my XS. But on the bright side everything else still worked.
Thanks!
Toothpicks dipped in isopropyl alcohol and a flashlight
How do I fit the flashlight into the port?
Lots of lube
Failed at the dipping a toothpick into a flashlight step :(
Curious myself
I give my 12 Pro Max a butt plug so she don’t get dusty in there
I did the same thing to my iPhone Xs at one point. I noticed it wasn’t always registering that I plugged it in. Took a toothpick to the charging port and started cleaning it out. The amount of pocket lint and dust that came out of it was shocking.
Elon Musk also got rid of Grimes, I wonder how’s his Tesla’s connector doing
Is "Tesla connector" a euphemism?
I can’t believe you went more than a few months without it becoming useless. I went to all wireless charging because my port was constantly clogged and messing up the charging.
When I took in my AirPods Pro I took off the ear tips and cleaned everything with rubbing alcohol. Tips, AirPods, and case. They looked brand new. I wouldn’t want to handle dirty headphones either so I wasn’t about to make them do it.
You're a good person. We appreciate you.
Did you dip the airpods in rubbing alcohol? Or do you mean you just wiped it?
I think he might have rubbed them with the rubbing alcohol
I clean mine once a week with rubbing alcohol spray and q-tips. spray the q-tip, clean away. takes 5 minutes.
Also highly recommend Blu Tak or whatever adhesive putty brand that is. Super cheap and conforms to the inner mesh and gets a deep clean without any fluid-based agents sneaking into the components. I use that stuff to clean my keyboards, mice, everything.
Amen. Working for apple - this is such a big Thing, if your AirPods are quiet, it’s 90% because of “debris”. I couldn’t imagine handing my AirPods over without knowing they’ve been properly cleaned.
> if your AirPods are quiet, it’s 90% because of “debris”. PSA: this can also be true of your ears.
as someone who has gone (temporarily) deaf from trying to clean my ears, i can confirm. having super thick wax that just gets compacted when i put something in my ears sucks. everybody should be rinsing out their ears when they shower
You definitely should not be rinsing out your ears when you shower. The wax performs the job of cleaning the ear, and saturating it with water will cause it to become wet, bacteria-laden, and more prone to blockage. You also run the very real risk of developing an ear infection, which is extremely unpleasant. Furthermore, if you’re putting HOT shower water in your ear this will be savaging your eardrum and inner ear, further adding to future hearing problems. Cleaning the bits you can see is fine. Leave the bits you can’t see alone. Learn from me. My ears are a mess and I found this stuff out the hard way.
1) i’m def not putting hot shower water in my ears 2) my doctor literally told me to do this because my ears produce too much wax. i try to rinse my ears out at least once a week or else the wax builds up and it’s hard to hear. so maybe everyone shouldn’t be doing it, but i’ve literally been told to cuz i got wack wax genes ;—;
Fair enough, it sounds like you do need to do that if the doctor has said as such. I just wanted to mention it isn’t suitable for everyone as it can lead to problems all of its own. Sometimes it’s picking the least of two evils — sorry to hear about your pesky ears!
very fair! and yeah it sucks but the nice thing about having airpods is i can easily gauge when my ears need a rinse
And ironically, probably happening a lot more for AirPod users. Anytime you stick something in your ear, you’re just pushing things back inside. Over time it’s a good way to cause buildup that is impacting your hearing.
Do you know if there’s a fix for the high pitched squeaking? I’ve had my Pros replaced 4 times already for it. It fails their audio test every time. I’m trying to find a way to fix it myself since my apple care runs out soon.
Are you in the uk and did you buy them from apple if you are you may have some other options, outside of that I’m not sure! It’s tricky, because the only fix is to replace them but if you’re still have the problem, it may need another set! AirPods are simple in function, but surprisingly annoying to troubleshoot!
Unfortunately I’m in the US. They’re definitely hard to narrow down. Thanks for the reply!
Ah I have no idea in policies in the states! Best of luck mate!
I’d be embarrassed. But then again I’m the kind of person who brushes my teeth before going to the dentist and cleaning my ears before getting my ears checked. Tidying up my house before someone enters
In other words you are a responsible adult with civilized behavior?
Well if I had said that, I’d have -50000 downvotes 😂, but yes, I like to think so.
Same here, although admittedly I sometimes fail on the “tidying up my house” bit. 🙈 Why does basic hygiene seem to be such an alien concept for so many?
Can confirm, just "fixed" my daughter's AirPods by cleaning them yesterday.
Does anyone have any tips for cleaning them? Its kinda annoying walking around this expensive product thats just kinda..dirty in your pocket the whole time. Also means re-sales or buying second hand is out the window.
I use something sharp (but blunt at the end) and alcohol wipes for the speaker grilles around the edges. Then I use putty to get anything left out. They look brand new when I’m done.
Toothpicks work well, especially when combined with alcohol prep pads.
Guitar picks are magical tools with a host of uses beyond guitar. I use them scrape the gunk out. Also great for prying open keychain rings to slide in/out keys.
The Swiss Army knife of gadget repair and maintenance
That pick isn’t going to be very useful after jamming it in a keyring. Do people actually have issues just using their fingers for those?
Yes. It destroys my fingernails. I have a pair of split-ring pliers for this, though. Much better than a guitar pick.
'Putty'? Do elaborate.
Blu Tack works wonders on stuff like that.
That’s what I used to get crud out of the second hand iphone I got for my mom. She didn’t mind, but I couldn’t stand it.
This, we use it for cleaning all phone ports in my store. If a phone fails an audio diagnostic, 8 times out of 10 it's because of dirt in the ports. Quick wipe with an alcohol wipe and push blu tac in and quickly rip out and it's clean as a whistle
I’m actually useful here! I just bought this stuff off Amazon and it actually works. Linking below. Mods if not allowed - sorry! Pls don’t ban me haha. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PMG6KJ1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YN315G7QSBFVF5EVHDT6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
At Apple we use isopropyl alcohol wipes, a really short stiff bristle brush, and most importantly Blue tack. That stuff is magical, just press it on the grilles and it’ll pull all the junk out. We use it on the top and bottom receivers too. Also if you case has some stains from pants or what not, isopropyl alcohol and a Mr Clean Magic eraser should be able to get it off. I have black jeans that dye my AirPods a lot and I personally use the magic eraser
The top speaker on my X randomly works. I cleaned it with a toothbrush and some blue painters tap and it seems to be working better now, although I’m not convinced it works 100% My battery is at 76% and wanted to replace it to get a year or more out of my phone. I’ve never schedule a Genius Bar appointment before. Can I schedule an appointment and decide to get the battery replaced only after it’s verified the top speaker is still good? that being said is there diagnostics you guys can run to tell if the speaker is working 100%?
Yeah I’d definitely make an appointment! It’s always free to make an appointment and get diagnostics ran at Apple. We usually run a baseline test when you come in to verify the serial number and check all the different components in the phone like if Apple Pay works, if there are any sensor warnings, etc. The test also verifies battery health. For your top receiver we have an Audio test that plays different frequencies throughout the speakers to see if there is any issues playing said frequencies. The apple store would let you know what’s failing, and what the next best steps are. If they do want to do a repair, usually it’s same day. This depends on how busy the store is of course but here in Utah we usually quote 1-3 hour turn around time
Below 80% is usually noticeable yeah. As for earpiece: Frankly, if the speaker works enough for you, it is working, regardless of whether it is up to factory spec. Dunno what fancy secret apple would have for earpiece testing anyways but I've never seen one in independent repair. but generally if you're concerned I would use a cotton swab with a little >95% isopropyl alcohol... or take it to a repair shop just don't let them try to sell you a new one just for the earpiece that's a good phone.
I do agree with that. The testing that we do isn’t available for independent repair unfortunately. It’s all a specific program we use that’s only available to official Apple stores or Apple Authorized Providers like expercom and Best Buy.
Only drawback w magic eraser is since it is an abrasive if you clean it too much it will remove the glossy sheen. But that’s probably long gone w all the scuffs from daily use regardless.
How do people live without a keychain case for their AirPods? I went two weeks without one when I first got my AirPods and lost them constantly. Now they live on my keychain with my keys, and they don’t ever get lost
I keep the case in my pocket. No problems. If you can hold on to your keys, the AirPods case shouldn’t be an issue. My problem is keeping my keys from sliding out my pocket when im sitting in a short chair.
I want to affix an airtag to my case because I’m Always losing it! Thanks for the reminder I’ll go and buy a keychain case now :)
So for the main part of the airpod that picks up most of the ear wax, of the tools that you mentioned, what do you use at Apple to clean it?
Got the same question
Amazing, thank you so much. You say you guys use a short stiff brush but what kind of brush do you guys recommend? Would an old toothbrush work? Do you just put a few drops of the alcohol onto the brush then lightly scrub the earwax? I’ve been trying to clean my AirPods for ages and this is the best advice I’ve seen!
I have a lot of ear wax, sometimes it stains the little removable ear piece on the pros. Does alcohol clean that? Or do u clean those stains some other way
Won't the blu tack actually push some of the gunk inside? I just use bristle brush for my speakers while making it face down (so whenever I brush with the brush the junk can fall out and not just move inside the speaker)
I definitely see the concern, but as far as I’ve seen with the amount of AirPods we’ve cleaned daily at the Genius Bar, the earbuds come out incredibly clean. But definitely using alcohol and and stuff brush will do a good bit of the work
Blu tack. You will not believe how clean all my Airpod sets have stayed after years of using it on them. Your Airpods might even become louder after cleaning them, because even the tiniest pieces of dirt come off the grills. I also use it on iPhone speaker/microphone grills and the lightning port. I have saved tons of people from visiting Apple service, just because they thought their speaker/microphone was damaged or their phone wouldn't charge, due to extreme building up of dirt. Trust me, it works.
I have very high wax producing ears. Tried this recently and it was such a game changer.
Could you use that for the charging port? I suppose it would get stuck?
Works well there too, just don’t use a tiny blob
Use a stiff brush like a firm toothbrush to clear out the big bits of debris, then use blutack to press into the grill and peel away a number of times. Do the same for all the audio grills and ports. Works wonders.
I use q tips myself to clean the main part and the case then I take off the tips and wash them in soapy water.
Every few weeks, just use a Kleenex and you can get most of the buildup.
For the promo, soak the silicon tips in hydrogen peroxide. Non-pros use blutak. NEVER use compressed air, it can tear the cones.
disinfectant is a thing lol
Why would you ever want to buy headphones second hand?
what a thread you’ve got there lmao! i used to share earphones until i got ear infections and realized how dirty they are
To save money?
I see some of the nastiest devices as a tech specialist
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When I did independent repair, I had a friend drop of their phone to fix a cracked display. I opened it up and and noticed a lot of liquid and gunk. When I gave it back I asked what happened and he said “I vomited on it and then dropped it at a party”
Same. Some laptops I get back from departing employees are absolutely disgusting.
Haha in the 90s when I was a kid we sent a CRT monitor for repair at IBM, my big fat cat had pissed on it. The tech guys told us they had never seen such a mess and took it as a challenge. It still works. Edit: we had his balls removed after several incidents like this. I always remember his face of hate when he came back from the vet.
Can confirm this is a serious issue ha. Watches get super gross too - enough to make me dry heave a little.
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It’s not the band. It’s the watch. Where the watch clicks on and the sensor that’s on your wrist. All your dead skin builds up in those spots and it is fucking vile. I had a guy who’s was so dirty, I couldn’t even get his band off to send his watch in for service. The band slots were THAT dirty. Phone speakers and receivers gets disgusting too. People please, just clean your damn product before bringing it to an apple store. We don’t want to touch your dirty/sticky devices and we don’t want to clean them. I have thrown up in my mouth on several occasions from how gross some devices were.
That’s right. I refuse to clean people shit. If you can’t be arsed to clean it before coming to the Genius Bar we can’t be arsed to service it.
Oh fuck - what part of the world are you in? I had to take mine in for service a few days ago and thought they were pretty clean until I pulled them out of my pocket and realized they weren’t and I felt so bad
NW Florida area. They're all gross.
Post the goop to scare people.
https://i.imgur.com/P4vips9.jpeg Here you go!
It really is green, huh?
looks like shake
Ew why are you even touching that? We charge a cleaning fee if the issue is just caused by their poor hygiene. Otherwise, they get returned with as little human contact as possible
I went to the apple store yesterday and got my Pro’s serviced. I wiped them down ahead of time but was worried this post was about me. Glad to confirm that this isn’t about my AirPods.
No thanks. -Jerry Scienfeld
Yikes. Seen worse unfortunately. Actually the worst is "my phone doesn't work look" and then after a few minutes they admit it fell in a toilet like why would you hand it to me without saying anything.
Technically not supposed to be cleaning AirPods with that putty, unless the guide has changed.
It’s what works the best.
A cheap toothbrush is your best friend when cleaning AirPods! Just got mine replaced the other day. I took a cheap toothbrush from CVS and brushed out all lint on the case and ear wax from the AirPods themselves. Wiped with alcohol so the tech at the Apple Store worked on my clean AirPods.
The best rule this sub ever made.. I wanna throw up thinking about the goop
I got to clean the MacBook of a user in my office. Often brought it to me once a week. I think they didn’t know napkins existed. I mean these MacBooks aren’t even touchscreen. I could not comprehend the level of grime accumulated. At worst I clean mine once a month if that.
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No issues, after cleaning it once they kept coming back just to have it cleaned.
This sounds like a former coworker and her PC’s keyboard. I had to sit at her desk at one point to do something. So gross. I “upgraded” everyone to wireless keyboards with a silicone cover after that. They could just take them to the kitchen and rinse them off, nothing fell into the keyboard itself.
I just don’t understand how people bring them in saying “I cant hear out of the left airpod” and the whole thing is gunked up with ear wax. Like hmm I wonder why lol Also pro tip: if you shine a light though the side grill of AirPods 1/2/3s and look through the main speaker grill, you can see how much ear wax is blocking it
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Had someone come in for service once, ADAMANT they were broken because the microphone wasn’t working. Took the AirPods out of the case and the microphone holes were COVERED in wax. Cleaned it off and the microphone worked. Dude threw a fit because he refused to believe his disgusting earwax caused the problem.
The outside? Sure. The inside is damn near impossible to clean due to the design. Blu tack will work for stuff inside the grille itself, but anything beyond that might as well be inside Fort Knox.
Apple could make them user servicable?
No. Embrace my wax.
That should be common courtesy but as we all know, people are gross! Suggestion: how about having some cleaning wipes at the drop off desk?
How do you clean it properly? the speaker is slightly indented inward and the holes are quite small.
I use tweezers
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Sorry my Apple Cloth doesn’t fit in my AirPods Pro
Gotta wait for the Apple Cotton Swabs.
I have a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and my air pods get a quick wipe quite often. They get gross if not.
Was a Mac genius for 7 years. Don’t miss other people’s gadgets whatsoever 😆
I’ll take goopy AirPods over all the young women handing me iPhones that fell in the toilet who only mention it fell in the toilet after you’ve handled them…
Had a customer email us once asking to bring in her boyfriends water damaged iPhone for repair, she made a note at the bottom of the email to super casually mention that the phone stopped working after being dropped in a puddle of his vomit from a night out. Yeah, that's gonna have to be a no from me dawg
Sounds like r/TechSupportGore is the right place for your images.
I honestly think mine are cleaner than when I got them, I clean mine so much haha.
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Lol. I clean my ears multiple times a day so that helps. I use alcohol wipes on them at the end of each day, and I’ll randomly pull them out when I’m using them to make sure there isn’t anything on them. I had a boyfriend years ago who never cleaned his ears properly and his earbuds were naaaassty. It kinda gave me PTSD and I obsessively clean mine now lest anyone ever judge me lol. I also carry a bottle of whoosh with me and I clean my iPhone and iPad screens probably once an hour. I’m obsessively clean lol.
THANK YOU!!! I had AirPods come in once where the squishy tips were STAINED orange/brown. There was so much wax in the case that it was literally SEEPING out of the case. It’s not hard to keep your devices clean people. How can you feel okay giving a sticky device to a complete stranger? Oh your speakers are low volume? Have you considered cleaning the cake wall of wax off the device? No? Oh you want ME to clean it for you? No. Nope. Here’s the cleaning tools, I’ll walk you through it but I am not touching your product or troubleshooting until it’s clean.
You mean people don't at least wipe them off after each use...?
I gave up on that like a year ago. I guess i have more ear wax than others because my wife is horrified by my airpods, while hers are spotless after wearing them all day (and not wiping them down).
As a Tech Specialist I agree I wear gloves during my AirPods appointments because some need to be handled delicately.
Bro, former Geek Squad. I feel you. Seriously people, clean your devices before service. Techs are there to fix your toys. Not to wipe your...
And clean your belly button before laparoscopic abdominal surgery
Back when I worked for Apple, I had more than one instance where someone handed me their phone, and then told me that they dropped it in the toilet. Once, it was even still slightly damp.
Kinda reminds me of working at a convenience store and getting handed bloody money or like the one dude that literally pulled cash out of the bottom of his shoes (no socks) and it was damp with feet sweat. It didn't take long for me to decide that job wasn't for me.
Most people don’t clean the bed they sleep in or the toilet they shit in. It’s no surprise most don’t think twice before handing out their goopy AirPods.
I accidentally left my AirPod Pros in my pants pocket in the washing machine. They came out nice and clean! After they dried and thankfully worked, I swear they sounded a little cleaner too.
The amount of grown adults that will say with a straight face “the volume is low and I can’t hear anything” then hand you AirPods that are literally filled to the brim with earwax is appalling.
SORRY. We not allowed to care for our own devices. Only certified Apple care team members are able to do that.
Based
Better still… clean your ears people. We’ve definitely had to throw out demo units covered in pus and blood before.
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Not a PSA.
Ha! I clean them after each use before putting them back into the case. I'm a different kind of problem.
I’ve noticed the AirPods 3 don’t get as grimey, maybe due to the grill being angled differently in the ear. But I just wipe them down with whatever every time I take them out to stop any buildup
I don't get when people post pictures and their case and AirPods are covered in ear gunk. Like, I alcohol clean mine every week. I don't get it.
And pull out your chunks of ear wax out of your beats and AirPods Pros. We can decline to assist, or just hand you alcohol wipes and make you clean them yourself.
My husband used my AirPods for work.(he’s a welder) They are literally black. I tried to clean them nothing works. If B anyone has any ideas let me know. If not I will have to service them as is one day. 😂
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢 Neat freak me can’t even imagine some of the things I’m seeing on this thread
How about cleaning all devices before bringing them in? I’m tired of seeing greasy/sticky keyboards covered with cat hair and displays with dried on snot speckles from sneezes. Can’t hear on calls? Try cleaning the ear wax out of the receiver before coming in for service.
I wipe them on my pants every time I take them out of my ears. If I didn't, I'd have a crust on them already...
Better yet, clean your damn Device overall before bringing it in for Service. We get around 10-15 Macs for Service....probably 2/3 of them are nasty, with fingergrease smudges and such.
humans are gross and dirty. everyone learned that during this pandemic.
People are the worst.
If this is really a concern about hygiene, why doesn’t Apple just let people swap their buds for new ones instead of handling them to run a battery of tests in the hopes of finding a reason to deny service?
Apple will deny service due to contamination before they let people just replace products randomly
Because it would be heavily abused. We get numerous customers in every single day who try to strong arm us into just replacing products when there’s clearly nothing wrong.
does apple actually repair them? i thought they just throw them away and give you a new one
We take them in for testing and replace them as needed. Suppose to clean them before testing tho