Jun 1, 2023

How to Clean Your Cellphone Speakers Safely

How to clean dirt from cellphone speakers
How to Clean Your Cellphone Speakers Safely

In this post, we're going to address how to clean dirt from cellphone speakers because, believe it or not, they do get dirty!

Sound from your phone speaker muffled or distorted?

If, while you’re talking on your phone during phone calls or listening to music, watching a movie, etc., the sound quality is muffled or distorted, it’s time to clean your phone's speaker. It’s important to the life of your phone's speakers to do this periodically, and it’s equally important to do it properly so you don’t harm your phone speaker grille.

Let’s start with what not to do to your phone speakers

Young mom in a yellow dress holding a baby and cooking while talking on her cellphone.

1.

Don’t use sharp objects to clean your phone's speaker. Anyone who suggests you clean your phone's speaker with a toothpick, tweezer, or even a paperclip should be ignored. The last thing you want to do is “gouge” small speaker holes get out any gunk loose dust that’s collected in the phone speaker.

2.

Don’t use any kind of liquid, and that includes rubbing alcohol on your iPhone speakers or Android speakers. Liquid and the inner mechanics of your phone speaker are not a good mix.

Happy family of four sitting on the hood of a car smiling for a selfie.

3.

Don’t use canned, compressed air, or forced air. Your phone speakers are far too delicate for these tools and using them could just force more dirt surface dust deeper into your device.

Now, let’s talk about what you should do

Man in an orange jacket and boots sitting on a rock reading text.

1.

Turn off your phone. Get a brush with soft bristles and use the soft bristled brush gently along the phone speakers, also known as the speaker port. When you clean phone speakers, do so at an angle so you’re brushing dirt out and not up into the phone's speaker grille. Consider using a flashlight to really see what you're dealing with inside the speaker openings.

2.

Try adhesive putty to remove dust and dirt, just take care not to push it into the speaker holes. When you’re shopping, look for one that’s as sticky as possible. As with the brush, the goal is to get the dust and dirt out clean your phone, not push it into your phone.

Grandfather and granddaughter having coffee and laughing at a text message.

3.

Use an air-blower. This is a completely different tool than compressed air and air-blowers are safe for smartphones. Try using one after you’ve brushed your smartphone speakers out with dry cloth or the soft-bristled brush mentioned above.

4.

Try sticky tape. Painters’ tape or masking tape works best clean your phone speaker, as they don’t leave any residue behind. Just simply tear off a small piece, loop it around your finger and carefully apply to your phone’s speaker.

5.

Pick up one of the many cleaning kits available. Some come with a rubber air blower that you squeeze to blow off the dust or special cleaning brushes.

The long and short of cleaning your speakers is this:

Woman sitting on a porch swing smiling and checking her phone.

For best audio quality results, you’ll probably want to use a combination of all 5 “dos” listed above. If after all those options are exhausted, you’re still experiencing distortion of the sound quality, or muffling, consider taking your device to a professional who will open it up and clean the speaker from the inside out. Remember that moisture is an enemy to your phone's speaker, so to best maintain its audio technology and quality, never leave it in a humid environment.

At Life Wireless, we believe in helping you do more than take good care of your phone. We believe in helping you get and stay connected for FREE.

Life Wireless offers government subsidized free cellular service through the Affordable Connectivity Program to qualifying individuals and families. And, if you’re unemployed or participate in a government benefit program such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, or WIC, you already qualify for this federally funded free cellular service. It’s not difficult to qualify for free cellular service from Life Wireless, if you meet certain requirements, and it takes just a few minutes to complete the application.

About the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

As we mentioned above, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a government benefit program operated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that provides discounts on monthly broadband Internet access service. ACP benefits may be obtained from any participating provider of your choice including Life Wireless. Only one member of a household can participate in the program and the service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual.

Because many families struggle to afford cell phones and Internet access, both of which are vital to daily life, the Federal Government offers ACP and another program called Lifeline. Using both doubles your connectivity and enables you as a parent or guardian to stay connected to doctors, employers, family and friends, and your student’s school.

About Lifeline

Lifeline is a federal program created to help qualified households pay for connectivity services such as wireless and internet plans. As with the Affordable Connectivity Program, only one member of a household can participate in the program and the service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual.

Examples of one household:

  • A married couple that lives together
  • A parent/guardian and child who live together
  • An adult who lives with friends or family who financially support him/her

Each of these are one household and must share one benefit.

Examples of more than one household:

  • Four roommates who live together but do not share money are four households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of four benefits.
  • 30 seniors who live in an assisted-living home are 30 households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of 30 total benefits.

Each state has different eligibility requirements such as receiving government assistance or having a household income that is at or below the federal poverty level for the state in which you reside.

In general though, you are qualified to receive Lifeline if you participate in any of the programs listed here:

  • Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
  • Medicaid (not Medicare)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Section 8 Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
  • Veteran's Pension or Survivor's Pension Benefit

Additionally, if you are a resident of a Federally-recognized Tribal land, you may qualify under the following programs:

  • Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
  • Tribally Administered TANF
  • Head Start (if you meet the income-qualifying standards)

Even if you’re paying just $20 a month for cell service, wouldn’t it be great to have that $240 to spend on groceries? If you apply for Lifeline and are approved, you’ll receive:

  • FREE Unlimited Talk & Text
  • FREE 15GB Data (+ more data for California residents)
  • FREE Smartphone (or bring your own)

Pair Lifeline with the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and DOUBLE your connectivity

If you’re approved for Lifeline and you sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you get two sources of free talk, text, and unlimited data that you can split between two phones. That means free cell service for you and free cell service for someone you love. Like your student. This is a terrific opportunity to provide him or her with talk, text, unlimited data, the ability to stay in touch with you, and access to the biggest library in the world: the internet.

Of course you don’t have to split the service between two phones, you can keep it all on one. But it’s a wonderful option if your spouse, student or relative needs a phone but has been unable to get one due to the expense.

Whichever option you choose – to keep the data on one phone or split it between two – Life Wireless will make sure you receive the free talk, text, and unlimited data to help you stay connected.

Option 1: Combine Your Data

Activate Lifeline and ACP on the same device and receive unlimited talk, text, and data, plus 5GB of mobile hotspot.

Option 2: Split Your Data
Split your data between two phones or supported devices and you’ll have one device with ACP’s free talk, text, and 6GB of data and a second device with Lifeline’s talk, text, and 4.5GB of data (6GB of data in California).

For questions about Life Wireless, visit our Contact Us page here. To enroll now, use the Life Wireless Online Enrollment form.


Posted 9 months ago