How to Clean an Ear Speaker on a Xiaomi Phone: 5 Safe Ways to Clean Your Ear Speaker

The ear speaker (or conversational speaker) in Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most vulnerable parts, and over time it gets clogged with dust, skin particles, and even moisture, leading to muffled sound, wheezing, or no voice at all, and if you notice that you hear the interlocutor worse than usual during calls, the problem is likely to be the contaminated speaker.

Many users try to clean the hole with a toothpick or needle, risking damage to the speaker grid or pushing the garbage even deeper. In this article, we will analyze 5 proven methods of cleaning - from the simplest (with tape) to advanced (ultrasonic bath), and you will learn what errors lead to irreversible damage to the speaker and how to avoid them.

Important: The methods are suitable for all Xiaomi models, including the Redmi Note 12/13, POCO X5/F5, Mi 11/12/13 And older devices, but for phones with IP-certification (e.g., Xiaomi) 13T Pro) some methods may violate the leakage - we will warn about this separately.

Why is the ear speaker clogged and how it manifests itself

The ear speaker in Xiaomi is located at the top of the screen, under the protective net.

• 🌫️ Dust and dirt – get through microslits between the case and the screen, especially if the phone is often lying down screen.
• 💦 Moisture and sweat – condensation from breathing during conversations or sweat in hot weather settles on the grid.
• 🧴 Cosmetics and creams – powder particles, tonal cream or sunscreen clog holes.
• 🛢️ Fat from the skin - with long conversations, fat deposits accumulate on the grid.

How to know if the speaker is full:

If you see any of these symptoms, it's time to clean the speaker, but first make sure that the settings aren't the problem.

1. Check the volume level during the call (volume buttons in the side menu).
2. Turn off Do Not Disturb or Quiet Mode modes in Settings → Sound.
3. Make sure that the mode in your pocket is not activated (may mute the sound).

Method 1: Scotch cleaning (the safest method)

This method is suitable for surface cleaning and removal of dust from the outside of the mesh, and its advantage is the minimum risk of damage to the speaker.

You'll need:

• 📏 Office Scotch (preferably narrow, wide) 1-1.5 cm or insulation.
• 🔦 Lights (you can use flashlights on another phone).
• 🧼 Wet wipes to clean the sticky layer.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the flashlight and point the light at the ear speaker to see the contamination.
2. Cut a small piece of scotch (about a bit). 2-3 centimeter).
3. Carefully press the tape to the speaker grid with the sticky side down.
4. Smoothly pull the scotch up - dust and small debris will remain on it.
5. Repeat the procedure. 3-4 Every time you use a new piece of scotch.
6. Wipe the area around the speaker with a wet wipe to remove traces of glue.

Use only narrow scotch

Don't push the net too hard.

Change the scotch after each touch

Check the results after each step-->

⚠️ Note: Do not use wide tape - it can catch adjacent elements (for example, proximity sensor). Also avoid paint tape: its adhesive layer is too aggressive and can leave marks on the body.

This method is effective for removing dry dust, but is powerless against fat or moisture. If the sound does not improve after cleaning the tape, move on to the next method.

Method 2: Toothbrush + alcohol (for fat and persistent contaminants)

If the speaker is clogged with not only dust, but also fat deposits (for example, from cream or sweat), you will need a more "aggressive" method: Isopropyl alcohol (70% and above) dissolves fat and quickly evaporates without leaving traces.

What needs to be prepared:

• 🪥 New toothbrush with soft bristles (or baby brush).
• 🧴 Isopropyl alcohol (can be replaced with medical alcohol, but it evaporates longer).
• 📱 Cotton swabs (better with a plastic rod, not a wooden one).
• 🔦 Loop or magnifying glass (optional, for accuracy).

Instructions:

1. Wet the bristles of your toothbrush in alcohol (not too abundantly so that the drops don't get inside the phone).
2. Carefully, without pressing, clean the speaker grid with circular movements.
3. Let the alcohol evaporate (1-2 minute).
4. Take a cotton swab, soak it in alcohol and walk around the edges of the mesh to remove the remains of dirt.
5. Repeat the procedure. 2-3 Every time you use the clean side of the stick.

For better effect, you can blow the speaker after cleaning.

• 💨 A container with compressed air (keep at a distance of 10 cm).
• 👄 Your own breathing (carefully, without saliva).

⚠️ Warning: Never use acetone, solvent or varnish removal fluid - they destroy the protective coating of the mesh and can damage plastic parts of the case. Also avoid water: it evaporates longer than alcohol and can cause contact corrosion.

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If you don't have alcohol on hand, you can use a liquid to clean your screens (without ammonia), apply it to a cotton swab and gently wipe the net.

Method 3: Needle or toothpick – when you can and how to do it right

Many online gurus advise that you clean the speaker with a needle or a toothpick, a method that is dangerous, but sometimes necessary if the trash is stuck deep in the holes, and we'll show you how to do it with minimal risk.

When you can use the needle:

• ✅ Large debris particles (tissue fibers, grains of sand) are visible).
• ✅ Other methods did not help and the sound was completely lost.
• ✅ You are sure that the problem is mechanical clogging, not moisture.

What you need and what you can not do:

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the flashlight and inspect the grid under magnification (you can use a magnifier or camera of another phone in macro mode).
2. Find out where the garbage is stuck.
3. Carefully, without pressing, put a needle on the particle and pull it out.
4. After removing the garbage, walk through the net with scotch or alcohol (as in methods 1 and 2).

If the sound gets worse after cleaning with a needle, you've pushed the garbage inside, and then only deep cleaning (method 4) or contacting the service will help.

Method 4: Ultrasonic Bath – Professional Approach

This method is used in service centers, but it can be repeated at home if you have an ultrasonic wash (for example, for glasses or jewelry), it is suitable for deep cleaning of the speaker from fat, moisture and fine dust that cannot be removed mechanically.

Advantages of the method:

• 🧼 Removes pollution even from hard-to-reach places.
• 💧 Safe for electronic components (if you use the right liquid).
• 🔄 Recovers sound 90% of the time (provided the speaker is not mechanically damaged).

What you need:

• 🛁 Ultrasonic bath (can be bought for a short time) 1500-3000 jeep).
• 🧴 Distilled water or special liquid for ultrasonic cleaning.
• 🧻 Waxless wipe for drying.
• 🔋 Fryer with cold blowing mode (optional).

Instructions:

1. Turn off the phone and remove it. SIM-card and memory card (if any).
2. Pour distilled water or a special liquid (such as Ultrasonic Cleaning Solution) into the bath. The level of the liquid should be such that the speaker is immersed in the water. 1-2 mm.
3. Place the phone in the bath with the speaker down (screen up).
4. Turn the bath on 1-2 minutes at no higher temperature 40°C.
5. Take out your phone and immediately get wet with a napkin (don't rub!).
6. Place the device in a dry warm place on 12-24 One hour (or use a dryer with cold air for a period of time) 10-15 minute).

⚠️ Note: This method is not suitable for phones with IP-certification (e.g., Xiaomi) 13 Pro or Redmi Note 12 Pro+). Immersion in the liquid will violate the tightness, and the manufacturer may refuse warranty repair. 1-3.

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Ultrasonic cleaning is the most effective method for removing fat and moisture, but requires caution: Never use regular tap water (because of minerals) and do not exceed cleaning time (risk of microphone damage).

Method 5: Disassembling the phone is an extreme measure

If none of the methods helped, and the sound in the dynamics and did not recover, the problem may be:

• 🔊 Damaged dynamic membrane.
• 🔌 The backed-up plume contacts.
• 💧 Corrosion after moisture is introduced.

This will require disassembling the phone. We don't recommend doing it yourself without experience, but if you're confident in your abilities, here's what you need to know:

Tools:

• 🔧 Set of screwdrivers (cross, five-point for Xiaomi).
• 🧲 Screen suction cup.
• 📱 Plastic mediator (to separate the body).
• 🔥 Fryer (for softening glue).

Step-by-step instruction (briefly):

1. Turn off the phone and remove the back cover (heating the edge of the case with a hairdryer).
2. Disconnect the battery (required!).
3. Find the plume of the ear speaker (usually it comes from the top of the motherboard).
4. Gently disconnect the plume and pull out the speaker.
5. Clean it on both sides with alcohol and a soft brush.
6. Check the integrity of the membrane (it should be smooth, without tears).
7. Put the phone back together.

If the membrane is damaged, the speaker will have to be replaced.

• Redmi Note 10/11/12 — 300-500 ruble.
• POCO X3/X4/X5 — 400-700 ruble.
• Mi 11/12/13 — 600-1200 ruble.

⚠️ Warning: Disassembling the phone removes the warranty (if it is still valid), there is also a high risk of damaging the plumes of the screen or camera.

What to do: 7 mistakes that kill the speaker

Many of the tips on the Internet not only don't help, but they make the problem worse, and this is something you're absolutely forbidden to do when cleaning your ear speaker:

1. Blow the speaker with your mouth with saliva. Saliva contains enzymes that corrode the protective coating of the mesh. Use only dry air (dryer or spray).
2. Clean the speaker with a cotton swab without alcohol. Dry cotton does not remove fat, but only smears it on the grid. Always wet the stick in alcohol.
3. Use a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner creates too much traction and can tear the speaker's membrane.
4. Put alcohol or water directly on the speaker, and the liquid should be applied only to the instrument (brush, stick), not to the phone itself.
5. Clean the speaker of the phone on, and if moisture or alcohol gets on the contacts that are working, it can cause a short circuit.
6. Use metal objects (knife, scissors, paper clips) that scratch the net and can close contacts on the board.
7. Drying your phone in the microwave or oven is the fastest way to destroy the battery and melt plastic parts.

If you have already made one of these mistakes, immediately:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Place it in a dry place (such as a silica gel bag).
3. Don't turn it on. 12-24 hour.
4. If after that the speaker did not work - contact the service.

FAQ: Frequent questions about cleaning the ear speaker