Last Updated on: October 7, 2022
The car’s entertainment system, which includes the speaker, is one of the vehicle’s most crucial parts that must be maintained regularly. After all, proper maintenance is crucial for the speakers to serve you for a very long time with little to no problem.
Unfortunately…
Most car owners don’t know how to clean car speakers. Some folks tend to overlook them when cleaning the car using a vacuum cleaner or servicing the other parts of their vehicles. Most of us only wipe the grills and hope that they can still keep us entertained while driving, which is not always the case.
What Are The Advantages Of Cleaning Your Car Speakers?
Other than keeping your car speaker as clean as new, there are some advantages to keeping your car speakers clean. Some of these advantages include:
- Clean car speakers will last longer and keep the quality of your audio the same for several years.
- You won’t have to replace the speakers regularly as they will have a low likelihood of getting damaged.
- Cleanliness brings you comfort and peace; your journey can be adventurous and fun. Plus, a vacuum cleaner can help keep your car dust free.
How To Clean Car Speakers?
A speaker can be a magnet for debris, dirt, and dust; therefore, the dirt can affect the speaker’s performance if you don’t clean it.
Thanks to their location, these speakers are susceptible to debris and dust suffocation.
Therefore, before you even try to clean your speakers, you must understand the different components of speakers and where they are installed. Speakers are composed of speaker grills, a decorative cloth that protects the speakers from dust. With that in mind, here is a detailed guide on cleaning car speakers.
Guide On How To Clean Car Speakers
Before cleaning your speakers, there are a few things that you must get first. These cleaning tools include mild soapy water, a piece of cloth, soft brushes, a compressed air can, and flat blade screwdrivers.
Afterward, do the following steps to start maintaining your car speakers:
Step 1: Clean The Speaker Grills

Before you even think about cleaning your speakers, you must first remove them from where they are installed. So you should brush the grills to get rid of the dust on top of them. Next, remove the cover cloths and speaker grills by simply removing the screws holding them in place at the door panel.
Step 2: Brush The Cone

If your speakers have removable speaker grills, you should brush them gently. Remove the debris, dirt, and dust accumulated on the cone using a brush.
Remember, the cones are made using a specific type of paper that can be easily damaged, so be careful when cleaning it.
Step 3: Use Your Vacuum Cleaner

To get rid of the dust on the grill cloth, you should use your vacuum cleaner, but make sure you reduce the pressure to low. Remember, the high pressure from the vacuum cleaner can damage the speaker’s diaphragm, which is responsible for producing sound.
Step 4: Clean It Using Soaked Cloth And Mild Soap

With the cone and grill dust free, you can finally wipe them clean. You will need a piece of cloth, water, and mild soap to do this. Start by cleaning the region around the speakers, followed by the cones and speaker grills, but most importantly, make sure water doesn’t seep into the cone. Remember, water can damage some of the speaker’s most crucial components.
Make sure you wipe off the fingerprints and stains before letting them dry.
Step 5: Screw The Speaker And Grill Back

With the speaker dry and clean, you can finally reinstall it back in place. Make sure every wiring plug is installed back to its original position. Test the speaker by listening to your favorite music and confirm it is not producing any weird noises.
If everything is working perfectly, you can finally reinstall the grill cloth and screw everything back in place and test the speaker again.
Pro Auto Thought: Why not check, too, if your speakers really need some repairs (or replacement units)? Follow our article here to guide you on doing this — How To Fix Car Speakers Crackling.
How Do You Clean Speaker Grills That Cannot Be Easily Removed?
In some vehicles, removing the speaker grill can be almost impossible, making it quite tough to clean the speaker properly. So if your car’s speaker grill is hard to remove, you can use compressed air or a lint roller to clean it.
Cleaning car speakers can be a tad challenging if it’s covered with a piece of fabric, but with soap and water, anything is possible. In this scenario, you can use a small vacuum if you have to and then proceed with a soft brush or cloth.
How Do You Clean The Tweezers?
Unfortunately, this question is quite common among car owners, and most are always worried about doing it correctly or not. But in a real sense, it is the simplest thing you will ever have to do. All you have to do is remove the sticking dust particles using a blower or vacuum cleaner.
However, you should never touch the tweezers; use a microfiber or a piece of cloth.
How Do You Clean Subwoofers?
When dealing with subwoofers, you don’t have to be very sensitive when picking the softest microfiber cloth. You can even use heavy-duty equipment to clean your car’s subwoofers. You can remove the dust using a vacuum cleaner with an attached dustbin.
How Do You Clean A Metal Or Plastic Car Speaker Grills?
A grill is a perfect unit designed to protect the speakers; therefore, it is the first thing that gets dirty. So how can you clean speaker grills?
Fortunately, this is the easiest part of the entire process; after all, it is not responsible for producing sound; therefore, it can be easily removed and cleaned using soap and water. If you want a clean car, then when cleaning speaker grills, you should scrub the dusty corners using a soft brush while vacuuming them.
But before you start cleaning the speakers, you have to understand how the speaker functions.
Watch This!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Dust Damage Speakers?
Yes, dust is the number one enemy of the performance of your car speakers. In fact, in severe cases, too much dust can end up damaging the speaker in the end. Dust can infiltrate the wire connectors and loosen them in the process. Dust on its own has a low likelihood of damaging the car speaker. But with moisture, they can promote the growth of mold by causing corrosion.
How Do You Clean Speaker Holes?
One of the best methods for cleaning speaker holes is using a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment. Make sure you have the right filter for your vacuum cleaner — the dust can block these holes and affect the quality of your sound.
How Do You Maintain The Car Speakers?
Too much dust can damage speakers; therefore, you should clean your car speakers regularly. Remember, dirt can affect the car speaker’s performance, so you should confirm the cleaning procedure in the manufacturer’s manual. But make sure you get rid of the dirt using a car vacuum cleaner.
Conclusion
As aforementioned, dust is one of your speaker’s major enemies that can easily affect its performance. Therefore, you have to clean the speakers while cleaning the other parts of the vehicle; after all, a clean car speaker can improve your driving experience.
Unfortunately, some of the speaker’s components, like the cone, are very delicate, so you must use the proper cleaning gear.