Whether you've bought the best iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, or one of the excellent Android phones, there's no avoiding dust and debris. These pesky little particles tend to find their way into your phone's speaker grille, no matter how well you maintain your device. Fortunately, it's easy to clean your phone's speaker grille using either common household objects or professional tools. All you have to do is follow the steps we've listed below.

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.

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!

Cotton Buds

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.

Toothbrush/Interdental Brush

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.

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

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.

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.