When hearing aids start to sound quiet, scratchy, or dead, the cause is often a little wax or moisture rather than a failed part. A consistent hearing aid cleaning routine helps keep your devices working well and prevents much of that frustration.
At Salem Hearing Aid Center on Commercial Street in Salem, OR, hearing instrument specialist and owner Chris James, HIS, and hearing aid specialists Stephen James, HAS, and Taran Crocker 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 care helps maintain comfortable listening and remove buildup without making the problem worse.
How Regularly Do Salem Clients Need to Clean Their Hearing Aids?
Salem clients need to clean their hearing aids with a gentle wipe every day and give them a closer inspection 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.
Schedule 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 our hearing care team how often to return based on your devices, wax buildup, and previous maintenance needs.
Are Custom Earpieces Cleaned Differently Than Behind-the-Ear Models?
Custom earpieces and behind-the-ear models are cleaned differently, because each design places its tubing, speaker, and 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.
What Should Your Everyday Hearing Aid Care Look Like?
Your everyday hearing aid care should take only a few minutes: switch the devices off, wipe and inspect them, brush the microphone openings, and then dry, store, or charge them. 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.
How Can You Tell When Wax Filters, Domes, or Tubing Need Attention?
You can tell when wax filters, domes, or tubing need attention by looking for persistent wax, blocked filters, worn domes, and stiff, cracked, or discolored tubing during a weekly inspection. That closer look reaches areas a quick wipe misses. 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 hearing care team 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.
How Can Hearing Aid Cleaning Accidentally Cause Damage?
Hearing aid cleaning can accidentally cause damage when the electronics get wet, unapproved chemicals touch the device, tools are pushed into openings, or heat is used to dry it. 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.
Visit Salem Hearing Aid Center for Hands-On Hearing Aid Care
Learning on your own devices is the easiest way to build a cleaning habit that sticks. During a visit, Chris James, Stephen James, or Taran Crocker can review your hearing aids, hearing concerns, and goals for comfortable daily use, then show you the cleaning steps your model needs.
Call or text 503-868-2337, or contact Salem Hearing Aid Center to schedule a hearing aid care appointment at our Commercial Street office in Salem.
