How to clean behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids

Your hearing aids are an important investment and have been designed to be both reliable and durable. Take a few minutes each day to clean them. Your ear canal produces earwax, which serves the important purpose of protecting and lubricating your ear. However, wax buildup is one of the main causes for hearing aid repair. Wax clogs up the sound outlet and/or the ventilation opening, resulting in weak, distorted sound or absence of sound. Most hearing aids come with a filter or other device to stop wax from getting into the hearing aid. Check the wax filter and replace it if necessary.

Your Hearing Care Professional can advise you about the details of your hearing aids’ wax protection system.

Cleaning the speaker unit and shell

Due to the coronavirus, please wear gloves when cleaning hearing aids. Instead of using a cloth to wipe the surface as shown in the video, use wet wipes which do not contain alcohol. An alternative to wet wipes is cleaning with a mild soap solution on a hard-twisted cotton cloth. Avoid using excess water that can enter the hearing aid.

After cleaning, discard your gloves and wash your hands carefully with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds. Let your cleaned hearing aids dry for one hour.

Watch this video on how to clean the body of the instrument: