How to Clean Your Microphones

If you own any kind of broadcasting equipment, then chances are you like your gear to be in the best condition possible – you’ve paid good money for it after all so why wouldn’t you! This is the same whatever area of the industry you’re in, but for those dealing with audio; you might find that your microphones are slightly grubbier than you think.

Mouths are odorous places and spit will naturally get lodged in your microphone as it gets used – this can’t be helped.

The likes of coffee breath, alcohol, food or someone forgetting to brush their teeth can worsen the situation and cause microphones to really kick off a stink, but regardless of what has caused it, you should regularly clean your microphones in order to remove these smells and any accompanying debris so to have your nice grills and foam filters feeling fresh again.

Below we have listed some easy steps on how to this for microphones with removable grills (such as the trusty SM58)

NOTE: Do not do cleaning condenser mics using the tips below. Condenser mics don’t go well with any moisture at all, so it is probably not worth the risk.

Microphone cleaning step-by-step

1. Separating the grill and foam

Remove grills from the mics that you want to clean. If you screw it off past the element, then you have screwed the wrong place, screw it back on and try again.

Once the grills are all removed, then use a clean toothbrush to rub away and debris.

Remove the foam filters from the mic grills. These are usually snugly fitted in and might seem like they aren’t going to budge, but be persistent and they should come out.

2. Cleaning the foam filters

Mouthwash is the safest liquid to use when cleaning mics as it kills bacteria and there are no potential risks to users once the mic is back together and near mouths.

Fill a cup with mouthwash and pop the foam filters in then let it soak.

3. Cleaning the mic grills

The metal grills are the outermost layer of protection on the mic head and therefore can be the barrier which takes in the most debris. Run some hot water in your sink and use the toothbrush to gently scrub each grill, removing anything that may be lodged in there.

Do this for all the grills even if they don’t look like they have debris in there – you never know!

Once each grill is scrubbed, fill a cup with around an inch of mouthwash and dip each grill in for 30 seconds. Dry using clean paper towels.

4. Rinsing

Remove the foam filters from the mouthwash and rinse them thoroughly with water to remove as much mouthwash as possible.

5. Drying

Place both the foam filters and mic girlls in a box and leave them in a warm spot where there is no wind (such as airing cupboards, window sills) so that they can dry out naturally. Leave them for a couple of hours, or until they feel dried out.

You can use a hair dryer for quicker results, however, make sure it is on the lowest setting and each filter or grill does not get too hot.

6. Reassemble

Fit the foam filters back into the mic grills then screw back onto the microphones and then you are ready to go!

Cleaning microphones with non-removable grills such as the SM57:

You can give these mics a basic clean by holding them upside down and use a toothbrush soaked in mouthwash to gently scrub the grill. Keep the microphones upside down until dry to avoid any moisture entering the microphone.