How to clean a speaker (Tips to Know)

You might not be aware of this, but cleaning your speaker can have a lot of impact on the sound quality. It's a necessary part of your speaker maintenance.

Don't know where to start? Well, that's pretty normal; many people don't. That's why I am here to help you out with all the processes and tips. I will tell you how to clean a speaker with the proper procedure.

Let's get started with the ways and tips.

Related: How to Clean Headphones

A quick way to clean a speaker

I mean, you probably don't want to spend a lot of time cleaning your speaker. You want to clean the speaker as soon as you can and start listening to your favorite songs. So, the first thing I go through here is the quickest way to clean a speaker. Here's what you do –

1. First up, gather what you need to clean the speaker. Usually, two microfiber cloths and a can of compressed air are enough to clean your speakers quickly.
2. Use the air can blow down your speaker cabinets first. This gets rid of all the dust the speakers may have on the surface level.
3. Now, soak one of your clothes in lukewarm water. Then, you have to wring it out properly and make sure no water is dripping out at all.
4. After that, you have to wipe the speakers using a wet cloth. Please don't put too much pressure, do it gently. Keep in mind that when you are wiping, you should avoid touching the tweeters at all costs.
5. Finally, finish the cleaning process with a dry cloth. Wipe the same way you did with the moist cloth. And that's pretty much it.

This process usually takes 1 minute or less to clean your speakers. Yes, it's not a deep clean, but you may not even need a deep cleaning if you maintain this cleaning process regularly. It's easy and quick to do, so you have got nothing to lose anyway.

How to clean a speaker grill

The dirtiest part of your speakers has to be the speaker grill. It's the exterior part of the speaker, after all. Also, the grill catches the most amount of dust than any other component of the speaker.

Now, there are several ways of cleaning your speaker grill. Let's check out the three methods of cleaning a speaker grill.

• Dusting 

Dusting is the easiest and quickest way of cleaning your speaker grills. It's something you should do regularly. The process is pretty simple; you just dust. You can use various things such as a damp cloth or a dry cloth, or you can even use a feather duster.

You can do something with your speaker grills to remove them from the speaker before dusting if it's removable. This way, you get to keep most of the dust away from the speakers while dusting.

Things to keep in mind while dusting is to use a soft microfiber cloth. If you use a feather duster, make sure it's a quality one that doesn't leave feathers on the grills. Also, when you are dusting, make sure to do it gently and not put too much pressure.

• Vacuuming 

Straight up, this is a method where you need to be very careful. You can easily damage your speaker drivers if you use a vacuum with too much power.

The best way to vacuum your speaker grilles is to remove them first. Then, you won't have any risk of damaging the speaker grilles at all. However, if your speaker grilles aren't removable, you have to use a low-powered vacuum cleaner.

• Moist cloth

There is no doubt that this is the last method you should approach. It's more of a deep cleaning process. You have to come to this when vacuuming or dusting isn't enough. It's the method to get rid of any stain or dirt that has been there for a long time.

You can use soapy water and wet a microfiber cloth in it. The best way to clean your grill would be to remove it from the speakers so you can avoid getting the speakers wet.

Instead of cloth, you can also directly soak your removable grill in soapy water. For that, you will need a large enough tray to dip the grille in. Then gently brush around to get all the stain and dirt out of it.

You can use any of these methods to clean your grill. The best one here is probably dusting because it has the least risk. Also, it works even if you can't remove the grilles. So, if you don't have a removable grille, it's better to stick with dusting rather than the other two methods.

Related: How to Clean a Record Needle

How to clean a speaker cone 

Probably the hardest component to clean on your speaker is the speaker cone. You may not even want to touch it because of how risky it can be. You can easily damage the cone if you are too rough with it.

The first thing to maintain here is to avoid anything wet at all. It would help if you stuck to dry items for cleaning the speaker cone. Either use a soft dry cloth or a feather duster to clean your cones. Also, when you use it, you have to be very gentle. Too much pressure can easily damage the cones without you even realizing it.

It would help if you never used a vacuum, air can, or wet clothes to clean your speaker cones. So, that's it for your speaker cone cleaning process.

Last words 

All in all, you should know how to clean a speaker to make sure it sounds better and lasts long. The things you should be careful about are not to damage your speakers in some way. That's something you have to keep in mind before anything else. Especially when you are cleaning the drivers or cones, you have to be aware of the risks.

I would recommend sticking with dusting and dry clothes to clean your speakers. Also, do it regularly, so you don't have to opt for deep cleaning that much. Keeping your speakers clean periodically gives you the best sound quality along with longevity.