How do i clean the speaker on my phone

It doesn’t take long for dust, dirt, and debris to find their way into all of the nooks and crannies of your phone, irrespective of whether it is an Android flagship or an iPhone. If your phone speaker has started to sound a bit muffled, or the grille is looking a bit furry around the edges, then it's probably time to give it a clean. Here’s how to clean your phone's speaker grille.

How to clean your phone’s speaker grille with things around the house

While there are definitely advantages to having the right tools to clean your phone, you can also get good results using things you probably already have lying around the house. 

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Sticky Tape

Sticky tape is surprisingly versatile and is great for getting surface dust and dirt off your phone’s speaker grille. Simply tear a piece off and loop it around your finger and then gently dab your phone’s speaker grille.

Blu Tack

Blu Tack or any other non-branded adhesive putty is also a pretty good way to get the dust out of your phone speaker grille. While sticky tape fails to get inside the tiny holes of the grille, adhesive putty will morph into the right shape, allowing it to lift dirt from deeper within the speaker.

Be very careful when using Blu Tack or putty to clean your phone as pushing it in too deep can end up causing more harm than good -  especially if it breaks off inside!

Blu Tack adhesive putty

Blu Tack adhesive putty

The Blu Tack adhesive putty can be used to catch dust and other particles that are otherwise hard to clean with sticky tape.

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Cotton Buds

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While they may not be very good at cleaning your ears, cotton buds make a good alternative to the sponges found in professional phone cleaning kits. Use a dry cotton bud to lift surface dust, and apply a spritz of alcohol cleaner to lift away more stubborn grime. 

Cotton swabs

Cotton swabs

Cotton swabs can be an excellent alternative to the cleaning sponges that come with a professional cleaning kit.

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Toothbrush/Interdental Brush

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Last but not least, when it comes to getting dust and dirt out of your phone’s speaker grille, a toothbrush or interdental brush can get into the smallest of spaces. Angle the bristles into the tiny holes of your speaker grille and carefully brush the dirt away. Be careful not to force the bristles too hard, and remember you’re trying to lift the dirt away, not jam it in further. Interdental brushes can also come in handy for cleaning deep down between the keys of your mechanical keyboard.

Interdental brush

Razoko Interdental Brush

An interdental brush can be used to get into the smallest of places and corners that are otherwise hard to reach with a normal cleaning cloth.

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How to clean your phone’s speaker grille the professional way

If you’re looking to do things in a more professional way, then there’s no shortage of phone cleaning kits available on the internet. Generally speaking, these contain a combination of the following:

Compressed Air

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Compressed air is one of the safest ways to remove dust from hard-to-reach or delicate places such as your phone’s speaker grille. Some cleaning kits come with a squeezy rubber air duster, while others may come with a can of pressurized air. Whichever you choose, place the nozzle near your speaker grille and blast the dust away.

UES Air dust blower

UES Air Dust Blower

This simple accessory allows you to pump air to blow off the dust on the speaker grilles, camera lens, and more.

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Cleaning Sponges

Professional cleaning sponges come in a wide range of sizes and shapes because they’re designed to fit into all of your phone’s hard-to-reach places. While cotton buds can shed lint, cleaning sponges are static-free which makes them a better choice if you don’t mind buying some.

You can use dry sponges to wipe away any build-up of dust, and then gently spritz them with alcohol-based cleaning spray to remove any more stubborn grime.

Cleaning Brushes

As with cleaning sponges, cleaning brushes are the professional version of your toothbrush or an interdental brush. They’re designed to be stiff enough to work without causing damage and come in lots of different sizes to ensure they fit into all of the small spaces on your phone.

Cleaning Putty

Lastly, if you want to use the professional version of Blu Tack, then invest in some cleaning putty. Cleaning putty is designed to be flexible and sticky while leaving no residue. It’s also reusable and can be used to clean your Macbook or other laptops and to remove dust and debris from your keyboard too.

Removing dust from your phone speaker

For best results, you’ll want to use a combination of the above to remove the dust and dirt from your phone’s speaker grille. Start by blowing or brushing away the loose fibers, then go in for a deeper clean with some putty before sponging away any remaining residue. If you're looking to clean deeper still then consider taking your device to a professional who can open it up and clean the speaker grille from the inside out.

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