A small brush, a soft cloth, and a few minutes each evening are often all it takes to keep hearing aids sounding their best. A consistent cleaning routine helps prevent the frustration of wax and moisture interfering with sound, and it can keep minor buildup from turning into a service visit.
At Center For Better Hearing in Queensbury, NY, Cara Bedore, Au.D., FAAA, Susan Boggia, Au.D., CCC/FAAA, and Meredith DeVaney, Au.D., can demonstrate how to care for your specific devices and explain when they need professional cleaning or maintenance. Using the right tools and methods helps maintain comfortable listening and remove buildup without making the problem worse.
How Often Should Hearing Aid Maintenance Happen Between Visits?
Between visits, hearing aid maintenance should happen every day with a gentle wipe and inspection and about once a week with a closer look, while filters, domes, and tubing follow their own replacement schedules. Daily care removes surface residue before it builds up around the microphone openings, earpiece, and sound outlet. Choose a consistent time, such as after taking them out at night.
Follow your model’s instructions for the weekly inspection. You may need more frequent attention if you produce a lot of earwax, perspire heavily, or spend time in humid conditions.
Check wax filters, domes, and tubing regularly, and replace them as needed or as directed rather than relying on a single universal calendar.
Professional cleaning should supplement home care. Ask our audiologists how often to return based on your devices, wax buildup, and previous maintenance needs.
Which Parts Can Be Washed, and Which Must Stay Dry?
Only parts without electronics, such as some detachable earmolds, can be washed when the manufacturer permits it, while the hearing aid body and any earpiece that holds a speaker must stay dry. Traditional behind-the-ear hearing aids may send sound through hollow plastic tubing to a separate earmold. Keep the electronic hearing aid body out of water.
Receiver-in-canal hearing aids have a speaker inside the earpiece, connected to the behind-the-ear body by a thin wire. Wipe these components carefully and follow the specific instructions for dome and wax-filter care.
In-the-ear, in-the-canal, and completely-in-canal devices sit partly or entirely inside the ear. Their surfaces, vents, and sound outlets are exposed to wax and skin oils. Small openings require gentle handling and the appropriate cleaning tools.
If you are unsure whether an earpiece contains electronics, ask before detaching or washing it. Similar-looking parts can require different care, and your model’s instructions should guide the process.
Which Brushing and Wiping Steps Belong in Daily Hearing Aid Care?
Daily hearing aid care should include turning the device off, wiping the casing and earpiece, inspecting the dome and sound outlet, brushing the microphone openings, and finishing with the recommended drying, storage, or charging. Wash and dry your hands, then work over a clean towel on a stable surface. Handle one hearing aid at a time so you can keep track of its parts. Follow these steps:
- Turn the device off using its normal controls.
- Wipe the casing and earpiece with a soft, dry cloth.
- Inspect the dome, earmold, and sound outlet for visible buildup.
- Gently brush across microphone openings, directing debris downward.
- Check charging contacts or accessible battery areas as instructed.
- Follow the recommended drying, storage, or charging routine.
Wax may be easier to brush away after drying overnight. You can complete that step the next morning if needed.
For disposable-battery models, instructions may include opening the battery compartment overnight. Rechargeable aids follow a different routine; do not try to open a sealed battery compartment.
Before wearing the aids again, check that removable earpieces are securely attached and the devices are dry.
What Does a Weekly Look at the Wax Filter and Tubing Reveal?
A weekly look at the wax filter and tubing reveals persistent wax, blocked filters, worn domes, and stiff, cracked, or discolored tubing that a quick daily wipe can miss. Damaged parts may need replacement rather than additional cleaning.
Change a wax filter when required, using the exact type specified for your device. Don’t assume every filter needs weekly replacement. Use a vent cleaner or wax loop only in the locations your audiologist has demonstrated.
If washing a detachable earmold is permitted, disconnect it as instructed, use the approved washing method, and let it and any washable tubing dry completely before reconnecting.
Inspect your charger and remove dust or residue according to its instructions. If buildup remains difficult to remove or sound stays weak, arrange professional service.
Which Cleaning Habits Do Our Queensbury Audiologists Warn Against?
Our Queensbury audiologists warn against soaking hearing aids, using unapproved chemicals, poking tools into openings, applying heat, and taking the casing apart. Do not immerse the electronic hearing aid or a speaker-containing earpiece in water. A water-resistance rating does not automatically mean the device can be washed.
Avoid household detergents, rubbing alcohol, peroxide, and other chemicals unless your manufacturer explicitly approves a particular product and method. Even a cleaner marketed for hearing aids may not suit every component. Never spray cleaner directly into openings.
Do not insert needles, pins, or improvised tools into microphone ports or sound outlets. Pushing harder can drive wax inward or damage the parts you are trying to clean.
Keep hearing aids away from hair dryers, microwaves, and other excessive heat sources. Never dismantle the casing for a deeper clean. If a part will not detach easily or you are unsure what it is, stop and ask for guidance.
Get Hands-On Hearing Aid Care Help at Center For Better Hearing
The easiest way to learn a cleaning routine is to practice it with your own hearing aids in hand. During an appointment, Cara Bedore, Susan Boggia, or Meredith DeVaney can review your devices, hearing concerns, health history, and goals for comfortable daily use, then guide you through each step.
Call 518-638-4363 or contact our office to schedule a hearing aid care appointment on Bay Road in Queensbury.