How to Clean Your Hearing Aids: 7 Top Tips

Hearing aids, like all electronic or mechanical devices, require routine maintenance. Otherwise, sounds become muffled or – in the worst-case scenarios – fail altogether.

Regardless of the style of hearing aid you have, they are all electronic devices that are placed in a sweaty, waxy, and moist environment for an average of 18 hours a day. That means gunk and dirt from your ears enter the hearing aids, causing malfunctions and unnecessary costs.

That’s why daily hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is important. With decades of experience, we’ve compiled the following tips to help keep your hearing aids working under the toughest of conditions.

Why Hearing Aid Maintenance Matters

Hearing aids improve the quality of life for anyone struggling with their hearing health. A 2022 study reported 80% of hearing aid owners are satisfied with their devices, and 64% acknowledged that hearing aids have improved the quality of their lives.

Despite that, a 2013 research paper identified that 80% of adults aged 55–74 years who would benefit from a hearing aid do not use them.

Some of that is due to poor fits or broken hearing aids, but there’s a portion of the population that struggles with the daily maintenance required to keep their hearing aids working properly. They might wear their hearing aids for a few months, then stop once the maintenance becomes too much.

But it’s important to note that hearing aids are electronic devices. Just like any other device in your home, they are susceptible to gunk, earwax, and dirt. Sensitive components, such as microphones, receivers, amplifiers, and batteries, are all vulnerable to moisture and ear buildup.

Regular upkeep helps prevent repairs and keeps your hearing devices functioning better and longer.

It’s not just about protecting your hearing aids, it’s about maintaining a healthy quality of life.

7 Tips to Keep Your Hearing Aids Clean

1. Wipe Down Your Hearing Aids

This first step you should do at least once a day.

Take out your hearing aid and wipe it down as well as the dome with a tissue or moist wipe.

You can do this first thing in the morning or right before bed to ensure any buildup from the day isn’t still on the electronic parts.

2. Brush Parts of Your Hearing Aid

Your audiologist probably gave you a small brush when you picked up your hearing aids. Use that brush to clean your microphones, receivers, and other parts of hearing aids daily.

If you cannot find the original brush, use a small, soft baby toothbrush as an alternative.

3. Change Your Wax Guards

Hearing aids that have wax guard systems—check and change at least once a month, or anytime the wax guard is clogged and you’re not hearing well.

If you need to buy new ones, wax guards are available for purchase at all Hearing Health Center locations.

4. Replace Your Domes

Domes should be replaced if they start to become loose or sag, so they don’t become stuck in the ear canal.

Consider changing your domes every couple of months to prevent this from happening.

5. Air Out Your Batteries

Open the battery door at night to turn your hearing aids off and allow air to enter the battery compartment. This limits additional buildup and allows you a chance to clean any dirty areas.

As a bonus, this saves you some battery life.

6. Store Hearing Aids in a Dry Environment

Do NOT store the hearing in a humid environment like the bathroom.

Hearing aids spend most of their day in the humidity of your ear canal, so give them space to breathe and avoid picking up any additional bacteria that may exist due to the humid temperatures.

7. Use a Drying Unit

Place the hearing aids in a drying unit overnight.

Most units have fans to circulate the air, UV lights to kill bacteria, and a desiccant to remove moisture and humidity from the hearing aids. If you don’t have one, get one.

Need Help with Cleaning, Parts Replacement, or Hearing Aid Troubleshooting? Visit Hearing Health Center Today.

The team at Hearing Health Center is on your side and ready to help with all of your hearing aid problems. Schedule a visit with our audiology team today at any of our five locations, and we will work to make sure you never miss a conversation again.