Hearing aids spend all day in a warm, waxy place, where moisture and buildup add up quickly. A consistent hearing aid cleaning routine helps keep your devices working well and prevents the frustration of wax and moisture interfering with sound.
At Arcade Hearing Aid Center in Santa Monica, Matt Michaels, M.S., CCC-A, a clinical audiologist and hearing instrument specialist, and audiologist Mary Lewis, 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 for daily and weekly hearing aid cleaning helps maintain comfortable listening and remove buildup without making the problem worse.
How Often Should Santa Monica Patients Clean Hearing Aids?
Santa Monica patients should clean hearing aids with a gentle wipe and inspection every day, plus a closer check about once a week. 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.
Plan the weekly inspection according to your model’s instructions. You may need more frequent attention if you produce a lot of earwax, perspire heavily, or spend time in humid conditions.
Wax filters, domes, and tubing have their own replacement schedules. Check them regularly and replace them as needed or as directed, rather than relying on a single universal calendar.
Professional cleaning should supplement home care. Ask Matt Michaels or Mary Lewis how often to return based on your devices, wax buildup, and previous maintenance needs.
Why Do BTE, RIC, and Custom Hearing Aids Need Different Care?
BTE, RIC, and custom hearing aids need different care because each style places its electronics, tubing, and sound openings in a different spot. Traditional behind-the-ear hearing aids may send sound through hollow plastic tubing to a separate earmold. Some earmolds without electronics can be detached and washed if the manufacturer permits it. 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 Steps Make Up a Simple Daily Hearing Aid Cleaning?
A simple daily hearing aid cleaning means turning the device off, wiping and inspecting it, brushing the microphone openings, and then drying, storing, or charging it. 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. Our hearing aid tips page answers more everyday care questions.
What Belongs on Your Weekly Wax Filter and Dome Checklist?
Your weekly wax filter and dome checklist should cover persistent wax, blocked filters, worn domes, and stiff, cracked, or discolored tubing. Weekly care gives you a chance to inspect areas that need more attention than a quick wipe. 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 our audiologists have 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 hearing aid repair and service.
Which Cleaning Habits Can Shorten the Life of Your Hearing Aids?
The cleaning habits that can shorten the life of your hearing aids are getting the electronics wet, using unapproved chemicals, poking tools into openings, and applying heat. 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 Tips at Arcade Hearing Aid Center
Seeing the steps once in person often makes home care feel easy. During an appointment at our Wilshire Boulevard office, Matt Michaels, M.S., or Mary Lewis, Au.D., can review your devices, hearing concerns, health history, and goals for comfortable daily use, then walk you through the cleaning routine for your model.
Call or text 213-277-3029 or send us a message to schedule a hearing aid care appointment in Santa Monica.