Hearing aid care
How to clean and care for hearing aids
Read the steps below to keep your hearing aids working well. If something sounds wrong or feels loose, ask an audiologist in West Bromwich to look at them. There is no charge for asking.
Cleaning and caring for hearing aids every day
A few minutes each evening keeps moisture, wax and dust from blocking the sound. These steps cover shells, guards, tubes and moulds.
Wiping the shell and microphone ports
Take the hearing aids out before bed. Wipe the outer shell with a dry, soft cloth. Do not use water, cleaning sprays or alcohol wipes, because liquid can get inside and damage the electronics.
Look at the small holes where sound enters. Dust and skin flakes gather there during the day. Use the small brush that came with the aids to sweep across the microphone ports gently. Brush away from the openings so debris falls out rather than getting pushed deeper.
If you wear behind-the-ear models, check the curve that sits over your ear. Sweat collects there and can leave a residue. Wipe it down each night. Leaving moisture on the plastic will make it degrade faster, so a quick wipe adds months to the life of the casing.
Changing wax guards and filters
Most hearing aids have a small wax guard at the point where sound leaves the device and enters your ear. Wax builds up against this filter every day. When sound starts to seem quieter, or when you notice distortion, the guard is usually blocked.
Pull the old guard straight out using the removal tool supplied with your aids. Push a fresh one into the same slot until it sits flush. Do this whenever the sound drops, which might be once a week or once a month depending on how much wax your ears produce.
Keep spare guards in the case so you are never caught without one. A blocked filter left in place forces the speaker to work harder, which drains the battery faster and can shorten its lifespan. Replacing a tiny plastic filter takes seconds and prevents most sudden sound problems.
Clearing tubes and domes on behind-the-ear aids
Behind-the-ear hearing aids send sound through a thin plastic tube into a soft dome that sits in your ear canal. Moisture condenses inside the tube, especially in cold weather. If you see a bead of water in the line, detach the tube from the aid and blow through it gently, or use the air blower from your cleaning kit.
Domes collect wax around their edges. Pull the dome off the tube and wipe it with a dry cloth. Check the opening for blockages. Domes harden over time and lose their grip, so replace them every few months or whenever they feel loose.
Never push a pin or wire through the tube to clear it. The plastic scratches easily, and rough edges inside will catch more wax next time.
Caring for custom earmoulds
Custom earmoulds are made from acrylic or silicone shaped to fit your ear exactly. They do not need replacing as often as standard domes, but they still need daily attention.
Detach the mould from the hearing aid or tube before cleaning it. Wash it under warm running water with a drop of mild soap. Rinse it completely and shake out the water. Leave it on a towel overnight to air dry. Never reattach a damp mould, because trapped moisture breeds bacteria and causes ear infections.
Check the hole that runs through the mould for wax. If it looks narrow, use the loop end of your cleaning tool to scoop the wax out. A blocked channel muffles everything you hear, even if the hearing aid itself works perfectly. An audiologist can deep-clean moulds that have become discoloured or stiff.
Storing hearing aids safely overnight
Open the battery doors when you put the aids away for the night. This lets air circulate inside and stops moisture from settling on the contacts. If you use rechargeable models, place them in the charging dock as instructed.
Keep them in a hard case on a table, not in a bathroom where steam rises. Heat and humidity damage the internal components faster than almost anything else. Avoid leaving them on a windowsill in direct sunlight or near a radiator.
If you live somewhere damp, consider a drying pot. These small containers hold silica beads that pull moisture out of the casing while you sleep. Drop the aids in after wiping them down and leave them until morning. Dry electronics last longer and produce clearer sound.
When home care is not enough
Daily cleaning handles surface wax and dust. But sometimes the sound changes and nothing you do at home fixes it. Feedback, whistling or a persistent muffled tone can mean the receiver is blocked internally or a component has shifted.
At that point, book an appointment with an audiologist. They have tools to vacuum debris from places you cannot reach and equipment to test whether the speaker output matches the original settings. They can also check if your prescription needs adjusting, since hearing levels change over time.
Do not try to open the casing yourself. The parts inside are small and fragile, and prying the shell apart voids any warranty. Professional servicing once or twice a year keeps the aids running as intended and catches problems before they cause a complete failure.
Ask an audiologist about your hearing aids
Send a message describing the problem. An audiologist will read it and reply with advice or suggest a visit. You are not booking a repair or committing to a purchase by asking.
- No obligation to buy
- Local audiologists only
- Free initial advice