After a long time of nonstop use, it’s crucial to clear your device, especially the microphone, to make sure no nasty debris is interfering with the sound quality of your recordings or calls.
If you’ve never done this before, though, you might be worried that you’ll damage your device’s microphone rather than enhance the sound in general.
Simply “remove the debris” is Apple’s advice for clearing the dynamics. It’s incredibly ambiguous.
Fortunately, we’ve come to your aid and provided some distinct instructions on how to remove the debris, so you’ll know precisely how to clear the iPhone dynamic.
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Prepare your iPhone for the clearing
Though the points discussed in this passage may sound a little silly and too obvious, it’s better to double-check whether you have prepared your device to make the process easy and safe. Here’s what’s worth doing:
- Disconnect the device from any wires
- Remove the device case
- If it’s necessary, think about removing the protective glass. It may cover some parts of the mic that need clearing
- Shut down your device
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General clearing of the device
Since we are clearing the dynamics, we want no dirt to get into them again. So before starting the process, make sure all the surfaces of the device are clear and there’s no dust, oil, or grease that can get into the mic.
To clear the surfaces, get a light cloth piece of fabric such as the one used for glasses or the one made of microfiber. You can get it slightly wet.
Then wipe every surface of your device. It’s important to reach even the furthest parts you don’t normally touch, like the back of the device always covered under a case.
If a wet cloth is not enough, you can dip it into a warm soap solution and wire it out afterward.
After you have finished, wait until your device gets dry. Be careful and don’t let water get inside the plug hole or a SIM-card slot. Make sure you have wiped the cloth properly to get off excessive water.
Find out where the mic hole is
It’s not always that obvious to see where it is. The location depends on the model of your device.
The classic and the most widespread option is that the device has two dynamics: the one, which is the from microphone, is on the front side, covered by a metal grille panel, and the other, named the rear mic, is on the backside.
It looks like a tiny hole next to the camera. There’s also a bottom microphone looking like a series of tiny holes on the lower bar of the device.
It’s better to google the model of your device to find out exactly what you are going to put your attention to.
Now let’s move on to the most popular ways to clear up the mic hole.
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Using a toothpick
A toothpick is a good tool for clearing small holes that are hard to reach. To use to clear your mic, just put the point of the toothpick right into the mic, twist it around, and then put it out. If needed, repeat it.
However, there are some precautions to follow to avoid damaging your device. Don’t put the point of the toothpick too far and don’t push it too hard as well.
The thing is that there’s a possibility of puncturing the mic if the toothpick goes too hard. You will feel how it pops and understand what has just happened easily. Therefore, it’s always better to be gentle and careful not to break the mic.
Using a toothbrush or paintbrush
The toothpick may be a bit controversial, so let’s try using a toothbrush with extra soft hairs. You simply have to run the brush over the hole to remove any sticking dirt.
If you can’t find a toothbrush of the type, since only the softest will do, then you can opt for a watercolor paintbrush. It’s hard enough to clear the hole and at the same time, it’s not enough to damage the device.
Using air
To use air for clearing the mic hole you will have to visit a local store to find a spray can of pressed air. It’s a good tool to clear the dust and dirt of all of your devices since the possibility of damaging fragile details using air is much smaller.
However, you should remember that blowing the air directly may still brake something since the pressure in the can is still high. Remember to blow the air at an obtuse angle that to the hole to thoroughly clear it and prevent breakages.
Using a clearing slime for gadgets
If you are determined to visit a store, then we can offer you something more to look for. All our gadgets need regular clearing, so why not buy a special clearing putty?
To clear the mic hole you have to just put the slime into the hole and lift it after some seconds. All the dust and debris will stick to the putty. Repeat it several times to clear everything completely.
You can also make homemade slime to use later. You will need 350 ml of water, 145 ml of standard glue, and 33 g of borax that you can find for instance in big groceries.
Firstly, dilute borax in 230 ml of warm water. Take another bowl and mix the remaining water with glue. Then, add your diluted borax into the glue mixture and start mixing it until it all sets.
Mix it for 4 minutes until it turns into a sticky ball. Now you can use a regular slime to clear the mic hole of your device.
You can alternate the proportions of water and borax to get the perfect consistence of the sticky ball. If the mass is too liquid, try adding more borax.
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Additional steps
Sometimes it turns out that the mic hole doesn’t work properly even after a thorough clearing. If it happens, try looking for some extra reason. One of the most popular that it is a device case or a protecting glass that just doesn’t fit your device’s shape.
If the problem can’t be solved with any of the methods, it’s better to show the device to the specialist.