Will Cleaning Apple AirPods With Alcohol Damage Them?

It's okay to admit that you've been in a situation where you took a close look at your AirPods and became a little disgusted by the things you see. We've all been there! Earwax buildup affects everyone differently, but the effect of seeing it on our AirPods or stuck to the inside of their case is pretty universal for many people. Your instant reaction might be: "Yikes, I need to clean that." The common solution might be a good, gentle scrub with rubbing alcohol to get the AirPods sparkling clean and free of residue, but that, though, could lead to a bigger problem.

We've talked about how to best clean your AirPods in the past. Using isopropyl alcohol wipes or Clorox wipes is permissible by Apple's standards in certain scenarios. However, if you're in a pinch or just a little impatient, is rubbing alcohol going to damage your precious AirPods? Let's take a look at what Apple says about using run of the mill isopropyl alcohol for cleaning your Apple AirPods products.

Apple's official instructions for cleaning your AirPods highlight the fact that you can indeed use a soft rag dampened with isopropyl alcohol to clean the cases for AirPods or AirPods Pro devices. The instructions also recommend being extremely careful not to get any sort of liquid in the charging port of the case. Additionally, users should allow their cases to dry thoroughly before attempting to plug in and charge them once again. If the actual charge port needs a cleaning, Apple suggests gently scrubbing the lightning connector with a clean, dry, soft-bristled brush. Dry being the very important term there. However, do not put anything in the ports — especially liquid — as it can damage the metal contacts.

What about the AirPods themselves? Apple's recommendation is to use a dry, clean cloth to clean your AirPods and very explicitly highlights that users should not get any liquid in any of the openings. Effectively, if you're wondering if cleaning your AirPods with alcohol can damage them, the simple answer is yes. Any liquid introduced into the openings on the AirPods can cause serious damage to the electronics within.

Apple largely advises only cleaning the AirPods with a dry cloth and cleaning the speaker mesh and openings with a dry cotton swab. However, the instructions emphasize that, in the case of the presence of things like sunscreen, lotion, conditioner, or hair dye, users can choose a very slightly dampened cloth, but it must be with fresh water, not rubbing alcohol. Overall, it seems pretty clear that Apple doesn't recommend using alcohol to clean AirPods.