How to Preserve Home Theater Speakers

Clean Delicate Speaker Components with a Feather Duster or Soft Brush.

Preserving and maintaining home theater speakers requires simple cleaning and caution when cranking the volume. Follow a few basic guidelines to preserve your speakers and prolong the life of your investment so that you will be able to enjoy years of high-quality audio.

Things You'll Need

• Feather duster
• Clean, lint-free dust cloth
• Furniture polish
• Soft bristle brush

Instructions

1. Clean the exterior speaker cabinet with a small amount of furniture polish or a damp cloth.

2. Clean the speaker drivers using gentle strokes of a feather duster or a soft-bristle paintbrush. Do not apply any type of cleaning product to the drivers, as this will affect sound performance.

3. Remove and clean both sides of the cloth grille with a soft-bristle brush or a vacuum cleaner on the lowest setting. A hand-held vacuum cleaner, such as a Dirt Devil, works well for this task. Stubborn stains on a cloth speaker grille may be removed with a cloth dampened with soapy water. Cloth speaker grilles can then be rinsed and air dried.

4. Keep speakers out of direct sunlight unless they are specifically designed for outdoor use. Keep speakers away from direct heat sources and high temperatures.

5. Prevent moisture from getting into the speaker drivers. If a spill occurs near or inside the grille, such as an overturned drink at a party, gently blot the speaker cones with paper towels and allow to dry. Avoid leaving drinking glasses on the cabinet to prevent watermarks.

6. Dial down the volume before turning on your audio equipment. This prevents a sudden power surge from blowing a speaker cone or shorting out the magnetic coil inside.

Tips & Warnings

• Silicon-based preservatives, such as Armor All, will eventually destroy a speaker cone. These protective solutions are designed to block ultraviolet rays, which your speakers shouldn't be exposed to, anyway. Don't use these chemicals on audio equipment.