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Expert Guide on How to Clean Car Speaker Grill Yourself

Having a music system in your car is obviously entertaining, especially when you have great speakers. If your car speakers were installed professionally, they should have speaker grills. Car speaker grills are special covers used over speaker drivers. Speaker drivers are basically the cones that move up and down when playing music to produce sound accordingly.

Grills are used for covering these cones to protect them against objects and dust that may damage the cones. Grills are usually made of different materials. The most common grill materials are fine fabric, plastic and metal. Those made of metallic material are typically perforated in a dot, checkerboard or even waffle design.

Over time, these grills pick up objects such as oil, dirt, mud, pet hair, sand and other such elements. Thus, it’s ideal to clean them regularly to ensure they serve you longer and for optimal performance of your speakers. With that said, how can you clean speaker covers or grills in your car? Simply read on through this article for a guide on how to clean car speaker grill.

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The Supplies and Equipment You’ll Need

Before you start on anything, ensure you have gathered all the necessary supplies and equipment needed to clean the grills. These items are easy to find, and you may already have them at home. If not, you can get them from a local store. They include:

• Two screwdrivers (they should be flat blade)
• Vacuum cleaner (ensure it has an upholstery attached to it)
• Dry cleaning powder spray (choose an option that contains liquefied petroleum gas)
• checkA can of compressed air
• checkA face mask
• checkDust brush
• checkMild detergent
• checkWarm water
• checkMicrofiber cloth
• checkLint roller

Removing Speaker Grills

Now that you have gathered the necessary cleaning items, the next thing to do is to remove the grills from your car speakers. Of course you need to ensure the speakers are not connected to your stereo. If possible, disconnect the speaker cable from your stereo or amp. If not possible, just ensure the stereo is turned off.

In some cases, the grills, especially fabric ones, are typically attached on a grill frame. They come off quite easily by just tugging them gently. The most appropriate way to remove the grill is to start tugging it gently from the top side corners. Use your fingertips to loosen the prongs. Upon detaching the top side, do the same on the bottom grill corners.

Some speaker covers are usually secured in place with screws. You may find the screws somewhere along the edges or corners of the grill frame. If this is the case, you will start with removing all the screws holding the grill onto your car speaker.

However, be extra careful when removing the grill frame. Here, use flathead screwdrivers to help with the removal. Insert the screwdrivers at the foot of the screw. Once inserted, pry the grill frame upwards. You may find a rubber gasket beneath the frame, thus be careful when removing the grill frame to avoid damaging the gasket.

Cleaning Fabric Car Speaker Grills

Now that you have everything ready and removed the speaker cover/grill, it is time to start cleaning it. Lie the grill on its frame on a clean, dry and flat surface. If you are cleaning a fabric grill, take a vacuum hose and attach a dust brush. Then use it to suck dust from the fabric. If you don’t have a dust brush, you can hold one of your fingers over the vacuum hose while vacuuming the fabric grill evenly. Using a dust brush or your finger over the hose will assist in preventing a powerful vacuum from pulling and stretching a fragile car speaker cover.

Once you’re done vacuuming, you can clean it further using a dry cleaning powder spray. The best dry cleaning spray for this kind of cleaning is one containing liquefied petroleum gas. Before using the spray, wear a face mask. Then take the spray and spray it evenly on the grill. Allow for the spray to dry.

Once it dries, it will change its appearance and form a whitish powder. The spray works by absorbing dirt and oil. Dry cleaning is friendly for cleaning speaker covers made of fabric material since it doesn’t make the fabric shrink. This way, it will remain intact. In case you can’t get a dry cleaner spray that has LP Gas one of the components, then consider using a spray with solvents like denatured alcohol and naphtha.

In case the grill has tough grime that doesn’t seem to come off after vacuuming and dry cleaning, then try wet cleaning. Take a mild cleaning detergent and put it in warm water. Then apply the mixture on a soft cloth. Preferably, use a microfiber cloth. Clean the grill carefully and gently. Remember to rinse it using a cloth and pure water. Allow the fabric to dry before reattaching it on the speaker.

See Also: AV Receiver vs Amplifier (Preamp)

Cleaning Plastic or Metallic Speaker Grills

In case your car speaker comes with removable plastic or metallic grills, you can easily clean both sides of the grill in a sink. Use a sponge or microfiber cloth to do the cleaning. Use a mild detergent to clean the speaker cover. After scrubbing dirt and grime of the grill, rinse it with plain water. You may use a towel to dry it faster. Be careful when handling plastic grills since they can bend easily. Once you have cleaned the grill, give it time to dry before attaching it back on your car speaker.

Cleaning Non-Removable Speaker Grills

If the grill on your car speaker is non-removable, you can clean it using a lint roller. In case you can’t get a lint roller, you may also use compressed air. Avoid using a rag to clean non-removable grills. Rags can push dirt further into your car speaker and this would make it more challenging to clean. You can also vacuum the grill, but ensure it has an upholstery attachment. It will remove dirt and dust. Use wet cleaning sparingly for non-removable grills to prevent any water from seeping into the speaker.

By cleaning your car speaker grills regularly, you’ll allow them to last longer. Cleaning them also reduces the chance of dust from getting further into the speaker. Moreover, clean grills allow speakers to project sound efficiently. Always be careful when cleaning grills. In case you don’t know how to detach them, check the user manual for further guidelines, or else seek professional assistance.