An AirPods cleaning kit is overkill according to Apple. All you need to clean your AirPods is a cloth, some water, some alcohol, and a dry cotton swab (and probably some patience and persistence) — but I’m here for it anyway. If you’ve ever tried to clean your AirPods, you’ll know it’s nearly impossible to get all the lint and grime out of the case on your own.
There are a few options out there. Away’s AirPods Cleaning Kit includes a special tool called a “spudger” — which Just Away claims is “more accurate than a toothpick, better than a cotton swab” — that’s specifically designed to remove dust and nasty ear wax from the AirPods case. The kit also includes a number of cleaning pastes and alcohol wipes and, all-in-all, it’s good for about five cleans. But $19 (before shipping) is a lot for a few cleans.
If you’re feeling even more adventurous (or determined), you can pre-order that’s dedicated to cleaning your AirPods — enter the Cardlax EarBuds Washer. Now a Kickstarter project, it’s a miniaturized washing machine that sits on your desk and its sole purpose is to clean your AirPods and AirPods Pro. It’s available for $33 if you preorder right now, although, given that’s it’s Kickstarter campaign, you never know if this fantasy gadget will come to fruition.
At the end of the day, if you’re really looking for tools, our suggestion is to just get the below cleaning kit from Amazon. It’s got a whole bunch of material and no gimmicks which makes it the best option, aside from raiding your bathroom cupboard and grabbing the Q-tips and rubbing alcohol you most likely already own.
Amazon