The sound on both buds is very weak and distant

Both my AirPods have a very distant sound; It sounds very quiet as if it is coming from the other room. I tried cleaning them which made it slightly better, but it still is too quiet to use, even at max volume. I suspect it might be water damage, since 2 days before the issue started, I went to the pool, and the remaining water in my ears might have damaged the speakers, but I cannot confirm this. Does anybody know what the problem could likely be and how I can fix it?