How to clean and care for hearing aids
Quick answer
Caring for a hearing aid mainly means keeping two things away from the receiver: moisture and earwax, since together they account for most of the faults that make a device seem to have failed outright. A nightly dry storage routine plus a wax guard changed on schedule resolves the majority of "my hearing aid stopped working" situations without any repair being needed.
Hearing aids fail far less often than they appear to. What actually happens most of the time is a blocked wax guard or a damp microphone port muting the device, both of which are consumable maintenance issues rather than mechanical breakdowns, and both of which are fixed for a few dollars rather than a repair bill.
None of the routine below extends a device's life by any specific, stated amount, because no manufacturer publishes a figure like that. What it reliably does is rule out the two most common, entirely preventable causes of a device that suddenly "stopped working."
What does daily care actually prevent?
A hearing aid worn all day collects moisture from perspiration and ambient humidity, and it sits in an ear canal that produces earwax continuously. Overnight drying deals with the first; a wax guard, a tiny disposable filter that stops wax reaching the receiver, deals with the second. Devices like Audinell PerfectDry LUX run a short drying cycle with a UV-C lamp, while a plain desiccant jar does the same drying job more slowly with no power and nothing to fail.
How often should a wax guard actually be changed?
Most wearers land in the "average" band and change a guard every four to eight weeks; the real signal is the device sounding weak or dead, not a fixed calendar.
| Earwax level | Typical interval | Sign it needs changing |
|---|---|---|
| Little earwax | 8 to 12 weeks | Rarely sounds muffled; guard looks clean when changed |
| Average earwax | 4 to 8 weeks | The usual case; most wearers land here |
| Heavy earwax | 2 to 4 weeks | Device goes quiet or dead repeatedly; a fresh guard restores it |
| Very heavy earwax | 1 to 2 weeks | Weekly changes; worth raising with a clinician |
How should batteries and rechargeable cells be handled?
Colour and IEC designation are a universal standard: a size 13 cell is orange with every manufacturer, which is the fastest way to check you have the right size.
| Size | Tab colour | IEC designation |
|---|---|---|
| Size 10 | Yellow | PR70 |
| Size 312 | Brown | PR41 |
| Size 13 | Orange | PR48 |
| Size 675 | Blue | PR44 |
What should never be done when cleaning a hearing aid?
Nothing wet should go near a receiver port or a microphone opening; cleaning wipes such as Hearing aid cleaning wipes, 120 count are for the shell and the dome, not the sound outlet itself. A brush pushed carelessly into a blocked wax guard can compact the blockage further rather than clear it, which is the reason a dedicated vacuum tool such as Jodi-Vac hearing aid vacuum exists: it draws wax out of a port instead of pushing it further in.
What is actually the first thing to check when a device "stops working"?
The wax guard, before anything else. It is the single commonest cause of a hearing aid that appears to have failed outright, and swapping it takes under a minute with a basic kit on hand. If a fresh guard does not restore normal sound, the next step is an overnight dry in an electronic dryer, particularly after a humid day or heavy activity. Only once both of those have been ruled out does the issue look like an actual fault rather than routine maintenance catching up.
Common questions
- How often should hearing aids be cleaned?
- A quick wipe-down and dry storage every night is the core routine, with wax guard changes on the schedule that matches your own earwax level, most commonly every four to eight weeks. A device that suddenly sounds muffled or weak is usually signalling that the guard needs changing sooner than the calendar suggests, regardless of when it was last done.
- Can hearing aids get wet, and what happens if they do?
- Modern hearing aids tolerate incidental moisture like perspiration reasonably well, but they are not designed to be submerged or run through a wash cycle. If a device gets thoroughly wet, the immediate step is removing the battery if it uses one and starting a drying cycle as soon as possible, then contacting the manufacturer or seller if it does not work normally afterward.
- What is the fastest way to dry a hearing aid overnight?
- An electronic dryer with a short cycle, run every night regardless of whether the device seems wet, is the most consistent method, since a dryer that takes all night is one that gets skipped. A desiccant jar does the same job more slowly with no power required, which suits travel or a second home better than nightly use.
- How do I know a wax guard needs changing versus something else being wrong?
- The most reliable sign is a device that sounds quiet, muffled or completely dead, then sounds normal again immediately after a fresh guard is installed. If changing the guard does not restore normal sound, the issue is likely elsewhere, such as a receiver or a setting, and is worth raising with the seller or a clinician rather than repeatedly changing guards.
- Do rechargeable hearing aids need a different care routine than battery ones?
- The wax guard and moisture routine is the same either way; what changes is the battery step. Rechargeable devices skip battery changes and the associated tab timing entirely, and some drying units are built specifically to dry a rechargeable device without requiring its battery door to be opened, since there usually isn't one to open.
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Last updated 2026-09-17.