How To Clean Your AirPods Max Headphones
The AirPods Max are Apple’s newest entry into the world of wireless headphones following the very successful AirPods and AirPods Pro. They offer exceptional sound quality, noise cancelling technology for noisy environments, and, of course, the pair seamlessly to all your other Apple gadgets.
The downside is that they also come at quite a high price. At $549, they are certainly not cheap so you’ll want to make sure you do everything you can to keep them in tip-top shape so they’ll last you as long as possible. Giving them a good regular cleaning can help you protect your investment, and yourself.
Keeping our things clean and sanitized was important even before the events of the past year, but in this day and age, it’s all the more vital to keeping you and your family healthy. Luckily, keeping your AirPods Max clean is quick and easy.
If you caught our previous post about keeping your iPhone clean, luckily the AirPods Max don’t have any unique display coatings or materials to worry about destroying. However, you still need to be careful as they are still somewhat delicate and quite expensive.
The biggest thing to watch out for is not to get any water into the earpieces themselves, as that could damage some of the delicate components inside. You’ll also want to be careful not to use harsh cleaning chemicals when cleaning them so you don’t damage the materials.
You’ll want to clean the AirPods Max and the ear cushions separately and Apple offers some tips on how to do that on their website.
How to Clean Your AirPods Max
- Don’t run your AirPods Max under water.
- Use a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.
- If your AirPods Max are exposed to anything that might cause stains or other damage—for example, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, perfumes, solvents, detergent, acids or acidic foods, insect repellent, sunscreen, oil, or hair dye:
- Wipe them clean with a cloth slightly dampened with fresh water and dry with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.
- Do not attempt to use them until they're completely dry.
- Make sure not to get any liquid in the openings.
- Don't use sharp objects or abrasive materials to clean your AirPods Max.
How to Clean the Cushions and Headband of Your AirPods Max
- In a clean container, mix 1 tsp. (5 mL) of liquid laundry detergent into 1 cup (250 mL) of water.
- Remove the cushions from the ear cups.
- When you clean the headband, hold your AirPods Max upside down to prevent liquid from flowing into the headband attachment point.
- Dip a lint-free cloth into the soapy water solution, wring it out slightly, and rub the cloth on the cushions and headband gently for 1 minute each.
- Wipe the cushions and headband clean with a separate cloth that's slightly dampened with fresh water.
- Dry the cushions and headband with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth, making sure to remove any excess moisture.
- Lay your AirPods Max flat to dry for at least a day before you reattach the cushions and use them again.
Although it’s a good idea to keep your gadgets clean and sanitary any time, during a public health crisis you want to be extra careful. The good news is that you can quickly and easily sanitize your AirPods Max with the same products you’re already probably using to sanitize your home.
Again, from Apple’s website:
“Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe, 75 percent ethyl alcohol wipe, or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the exterior surfaces of your AirPods Max. Don’t use it on the knit mesh canopy and ear cushions of your AirPods Max. Don't use products containing bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Avoid getting moisture in any openings, and don’t submerge your AirPods Max in any cleaning agents.”
Just as important as keeping your AirPods Max clean is keeping the case for them clean as well. You probably touch the case just as much, if not more, than the headphones themselves, not to mention all the other surfaces that the case will touch throughout the day. Everything from your kitchen counter, to your backpack, to anywhere else you might take out your headphones for a bit.
Apple does provide a smart case to use with the AirPods Max, but they don’t actually offer much protection for the extremely expensive headphones other than some light scratch protection. Getting a good AirPods Max case not only helps protect your investment, it also helps keep them clean as well.
There are quite a few cases available for the AirPods Max now and keeping the case clean really depends on the type of case you buy. For simple, hard plastic cases, you can simply wipe them down with a damp rag or Clorox wipe and be done with it. More the cases made out of other materials like cloth or leather, you’ll want to check out the company’s recommendation for keeping it clean.
Pad&Quill has designed a premium leather case for the AirPods Max that actually doubles as a stand for the headphones as well. As we’ve discovered, keeping the case clean is just as important as keeping the headphones themselves clean and Pad&Quill’s case is easy to keep clean and in great condition for years to come.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep the things we use in our lives every day clean and sanitary. We all know how easy it is to spread germs, but letting expensive electronics like the AirPods Max get dirty and stay dirty exponentially increases the chance of them breaking much sooner than expected.
The truth of it is, our devices actually accumulate millions of germs and get quite dirty. Just think about all the different surfaces your devices touch every day, including your hands. Our gadgets are some of the dirtiest things we have in our lives and until recently, we probably didn’t keep them very clean.
Thankfully, the AirPods Max and Pad&Quill’s leather case are both easy to keep clean.