How to Clean a Phone Speaker

A phone’s speaker is one of its most vulnerable elements. It’s protected only by a thin mesh, which can easily get dirty and make the sound quality worse.

You don’t have to go to a phone repair technician to clean your speaker.

5-Minute Crafts knows of a few methods to do this without having to disassemble or damage your gadget.

Cleaning with a toothbrush or an eyeshadow brush

What you’ll need: a clean toothbrush or a soft eyeshadow brush

The process:

1. Press the toothbrush against the phone speaker and sweep it with careful circular motions.

2. Brush away the dirt that has been removed from the speaker with the eyeshadow brush.

Important: It’s best to use a new or thoroughly cleaned toothbrush to clean the speaker. A used brush can bring additional dirt into it.

Cleaning the speaker with a needle

What you’ll need: a fine needle and a soft paintbrush

If the dirt on the speaker is very hard and the toothbrush couldn’t get it, you can use a fine needle to unclog the mesh holes.

The process:

1. Take a needle and lightly poke it through each hole of the speaker mesh.

Important: Don’t let the needle sink too deeply to avoid damaging the inside of the phone. A depth of 0.5 mm to 1 mm is sufficient.

2. When all the holes of the mesh have been cleaned, use the soft paintbrush to remove dirt from the speaker.

Option: You can also use a toothpick instead of a needle.

Removing dust from the speaker with a modeling compound

What you’ll need: a modeling compound (like Play-Doh)

The process:

1. Roll a small dense ball out of the modeling compound.

2. Press it carefully against the mesh, then lift it. The compound should remove all the dirt.

Option: You can use painter’s tape instead of a modeling compound.

Important: While using the modeling compound, press it against the holes of the speaker really gently. If you press too hard, the pieces of the compound may remain inside the mesh.

Cleaning with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

What you’ll need: an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, Q-tips, and a soft dry napkin

The process:

1. Wet a Q-tip with the sanitizer.

2. Clean the speaker mesh with it using light pressure and paying particular attention to visible stains.

3. Repeat the process with a clean Q-tip.

4. Wipe the speaker with the dry napkin.

Important: Bear in mind that the Q-tip shouldn’t be too wet. Squeeze the Q-tip out lightly if the sanitizer drops or flows from it.