By: Alia Hoyt  |  Jan 10, 2022

Everyone enjoys a good podcast or playlist delivered by way of AirPods. What we don't love is the icky-sticky gunk that builds up over time on these tiny wonders. It's not just an issue of aesthetics, either. Earwax, dirt and grease left to accumulate on AirPods put the ear canal at risk of infection.

Fortunately, AirPods have been around long enough now that sanitizing methods have been effectively fine-tuned. That includes the case! The following instructions from Apple apply to AirPods and AirPods Pro.

First, the list of things NOT to do:

Cleaning Items: You'll need a dry cotton swab, a soft lint-free cloth (like a microfiber cloth) and a bottle of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol), available at any drugstore.

After a time or two, this cleaning method will be second nature!

The main difference between AirPods and AirPods Pro is that the latter has active noise cancellation.

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