How to Clean iPhone Microphone

This article will show you different steps on how to clean iPhone microphone and the different materials you may use
This article will show you different steps on how to clean iPhone microphone and the different materials you may use

When you use your iPhone for a while, it is bound to get dirty.

Care should be taken with your iPhone’s microphone and speakers, as dust accumulation can degrade audio quality. This dirt prevents sound from entering and exiting your iPhone’s microphone grilles.

People won’t be able to hear you during the call, and your music will be very quiet. Hence, knowing how to clean the microphone on an iPhone can be extremely useful.

There are two main ways how to clean iPhone speaker;

1. Dislodging Debris with a Tool.
2. Using a Cleaning Product to Get Rid of Dirt.

1. Dislodging Debris with a Tool

1. Pluck out any dust or dirt with a toothpick.

Insert the point of the toothpick just barely into the microphone hole, twist it around, and pull it out. Repeat as needed until the area is clean.

To avoid damaging your iPhone, do not insert the toothpick too far into the microphone.

Insert the point just past the inner rim of the opening but not any further.

Make small, gentle movements and move slowly.

If you jam it down the center, it will puncture the microphone. If you’ve gone too far, you’ll feel it pop.


A image of how to use a toothpick to carefully pluck out any dust or dirt

2. Make use of a soft-bristled brush

The first process of cleaning the iPhone speakers is to brush them gently with a stiff brush to remove any debris. It could be a clean and dry toothbrush or a paintbrush of your choosing. If you’re using a paintbrush, you might want to cut the stitches down to a shorter length to have more control.

An image of a super-soft bristled toothbrush

3. Use a masking tape

An image of a masking tape

The first process on how to clean iPhone microphone speakers is to brush them gently with a stiff brush to remove any debris. It could be a clean and dry toothbrush or a paintbrush of your choosing. If you’re using a paintbrush, you might want to cut the stitches down to a shorter length to have more control.

Below is a safe way of using masking tape;

  • Roll a thin strip of masking tape with the sticky side facing outwards.
  • Then, gently rub the tape along the entire length of your iPhone’s microphone, which is located at the top.
  • Roll the tap into a very thin cylindrical shape, preferably around a toothpick, to clean the speakers at the bottom holes of your iPhone. Then place it in the holes to attract dirt from the speakers.
  • When the tape becomes dirty, replace it immediately with a new strip of tape. This is done to avoid returning the dirt collected to the speaker.

An image of a rolled masking tape

4. Use cotton earbuds

The first step is to wipe your iPhone speaker with cotton earbuds. This is useful for cleaning the top speaker located above the screen. To begin, locate a dry cotton swab stick:

  • Start the cotton earbud at one of the speaker’s edges.
  • Use gentle pressure to avoid breaking the screen.
  • After that, slowly roll the swab back and forth across the mesh.
  • You may notice dirt on the swab.

An image of cotton earbuds

2. Using a Cleaning Product

1. Use of compressed air

Compressed air or spray dusters are excellent tools for keeping equipment clean, especially in hard-to-reach places like MacBook fans or behind a keyboard. If used incorrectly, compressed air can also damage the iPhone’s speaker and microphone.

This is due to the fact that compressed air has a surprising amount of force and can shatter the moving elements inside speakers or microphones. Many customers have discovered that after using compressed air at random, their speakers or microphones have completely stopped working.

To clean your speakers with compressed air, follow these steps:

  • Make sure the compressed air can is standing straight.
  • To clean the top speaker, position the compressed air can a few centimeters away from the speaker,
  • pointing at the mesh hole rather than the screen.
  • To remove the trapped dust, use a few blasts of air.

An image of compressed air

2. Using alcohol

Alcohol is an extremely good cleaner for your iPhone.

You can use it to clean not only your microphone, but also your iPhone’s charging port, screen, camera lens, and body.

You can use it to clean not only your microphone, but also your iPhone’s charging port, screen, camera lens, and body.

The only thing you should do is avoid using too much alcohol when cleaning your iPhone.

An image of a person cleaning his iPhone

3. Use of an electronics cleaning putty

Puff away any stuck debris with compressed air. Compressed air is an excellent tool for removing dust and dirt from inside electronics and other difficult-to-reach areas.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Never blow air directly into the hole, as this can damage your phone.
  • For best results, aim the blast parallel to the microphone.

A picture of multi-purpose duster

Conclusion

Hopefully, you found the various methods described in this article to be extremely beneficial.

Instead of using just one method to clean your iPhone speaker, try a few.

After cleaning, play a song or video to test the speakers.

Take note of the difference in audio quality before and after cleaning.