TL;DR
Hearing aids are electronics worn in a warm, waxy, humid place, and water is the fastest way to kill one. Clean them dry: wipe the shell with a soft dry cloth, brush the microphone and receiver ports with the tool that came with them, and change the wax filter on schedule. Never rinse them, never soak them, and never use alcohol or a household cleaner on the device.
Why water is the rule that never bends
Inside a hearing aid are microphones, a tiny speaker called a receiver, a processor, and a battery contact. Moisture reaches all of them.
Even devices with a water-resistance rating are protected against sweat and rain, not against submersion or rinsing. That rating is about survival after an accident, not permission to wash the device.
Water damage is often gradual. Corrosion builds on contacts, sound gets weak or intermittent, and the failure shows up weeks after the incident that caused it. That delay is why people do not connect the two.
The device also spends its day in an ear, which is warm and produces both sweat and earwax. Managing moisture is most of the maintenance job.
How do you clean hearing aids?
Wipe the whole device with a soft dry cloth every night, brush the microphone and receiver openings with the small brush supplied with it, remove any wax with the pick or loop tool, replace the wax filter when sound gets weak, and store the device open and dry overnight.
The nightly routine
1. Take them out over a soft surface. A towel on a table. Hearing aids that fall on tile crack, and the small parts vanish.
2. Wipe the shell and the tubing with a dry cloth. A soft dry cloth, or a wipe sold specifically for hearing aids. Not a baby wipe, not an alcohol wipe, not a damp cloth.
3. Brush the microphone ports. These are the tiny openings on the top of a behind-the-ear device or the face of an in-the-ear one. Hold the device with the ports facing down so debris falls out rather than in.
4. Clear the receiver opening and the dome. Earwax blocks this first, and a blocked receiver is the most common reason a hearing aid seems to have stopped working.
5. Use the pick or wire loop for wax. Gently. Never push anything into an opening.
6. Open the battery door or set it on the charger. An open battery door lets moisture escape overnight and is the standard advice for devices with disposable batteries.
7. Store it somewhere dry and cool. Not the bathroom. Not a windowsill. Not a car.
The same dry-storage logic runs through the whole category, as our guide to cleaning the personal items you use every day covers.
Why do hearing aids stop working suddenly?
Nine times out of ten it is earwax blocking the receiver opening or a spent wax filter, not a broken device. Change the wax filter, clear the dome or earmold, and check the battery before assuming a repair is needed. If sound is still weak or distorted, call your audiologist rather than opening the device.
Wax filters and domes
The wax filter is a small replaceable guard that keeps earwax out of the receiver. It is a consumable part, like a razor cartridge.
Change it when sound goes weak, distorted, or dead on one side, and on whatever routine schedule your audiologist recommends. Some people need a new filter every couple of weeks, others every couple of months, depending entirely on how much wax they produce.
Replacement tools come with the filters and are designed so you cannot get it wrong: one end removes the old filter, the other inserts the new one.
Domes -- the soft silicone tips -- are also replaceable. Replace a dome that is stiff, discolored, torn, or will not come clean. Some domes can be removed and rinsed in plain water, but only when detached from the device and only when completely dry before going back on. Ask your audiologist which parts of your specific device may be rinsed, because it varies.
Earmolds with tubing are different again. Custom molds can often be detached and washed, and the tubing needs to be fully dried, sometimes with a puffer, before reassembly. Follow the instructions for your device.
What never to use on a hearing aid
Water, in any form. No rinsing, no soaking, no damp cloth on the device body.
Rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes. They damage the shell finish and can seep into openings. Some also degrade tubing.
Household cleaners of any kind. Nothing meant for a countertop belongs on a medical device.
Heat. No hair dryer, no microwave, no oven, no radiator. Heat destroys the electronics and warps custom shells.
Cotton swabs. They shed fibers into ports and push wax further in.
Compressed air. It drives debris and moisture inward.
Uncooked rice. The old phone trick does not work and leaves starch dust in the openings. If a device gets wet, use a proper drying container and call your audiologist.
The general principle -- solvents wreck coatings and plastics -- appears again in how to clean eyeglass lenses without scratching.
Drying containers and dehumidifiers
A hearing aid dehumidifier is a small container that pulls moisture out of the device overnight, either with a desiccant or with gentle warmed air.
They are genuinely useful for people who sweat heavily, live somewhere humid, or exercise in their devices. Follow the manufacturer instructions, and remove disposable batteries first if the instructions say to.
Rechargeable devices generally go on their charger instead, and the charger case should be kept dry and free of debris too. Wipe the charging contacts with a dry cloth.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration consumer information on hearing aids
Where the audiologist takes over
Clean tools matter. Wipe picks and brushes with a dry cloth and keep them in a dedicated case, the same discipline described in how to clean tweezers and sanitize them, and store everything away from bathroom humidity for the reasons covered in how to clean a contact lens case correctly.
But cleaning is maintenance, not treatment. Ear pain, drainage, itching, sudden hearing change, ringing, or a device that has stopped working after a proper filter change all belong with a professional.
Do not try to remove earwax from your own ear canal with hearing aid tools, cotton swabs, or ear candles. Impacted wax is a medical issue and a clinician can remove it safely.
Never open the case of a hearing aid or attempt an internal repair. Audiologists have vacuum tools and ultrasonic equipment made for these devices, and most offer a cleaning check as part of regular follow-up.
FAQ
Can you clean hearing aids with water?
No. Hearing aids are electronics, and water reaches the microphones, receiver, and battery contacts. Even water-resistant models are rated for sweat and rain, not for rinsing or soaking. Clean the device dry with a soft cloth and the brush supplied with it, and ask your audiologist which detachable parts may be rinsed.
Can you use alcohol wipes on hearing aids?
No. Rubbing alcohol and disinfecting wipes damage shell finishes, degrade tubing, and can seep into the microphone and receiver openings. Use a dry soft cloth, or a wipe sold specifically for hearing aids. Nothing intended for household surfaces should touch the device.
How often should you change a hearing aid wax filter?
It varies by how much earwax you produce, from every couple of weeks to every couple of months. Change it whenever sound becomes weak, muffled, or dead on one side. Your audiologist can suggest an interval, and replacement filters come with a simple two-ended tool.
Why does my hearing aid sound weak or muffled?
Usually earwax has blocked the receiver opening or the wax filter is spent. Change the filter, clear the dome or earmold, and check the battery or charge first. If it still sounds wrong after that, contact your audiologist rather than opening or probing the device.
Should you put a wet hearing aid in rice?
No. Rice does not dry electronics effectively and leaves starch dust in the small openings. Use a hearing aid drying container or dehumidifier if you have one, remove the battery if the instructions say to, and call your audiologist. Do not apply heat from a hair dryer.
Where should hearing aids be stored overnight?
Somewhere cool and dry, away from bathrooms, windowsills, and cars. Devices with disposable batteries are usually stored with the battery door open so moisture can escape, and rechargeable ones go on their charger. A drying container helps in humid conditions or if you sweat heavily.
A dry, dust-free home is easier on every small device in it. If keeping up with the dust is more than you want to take on, get a quote or read more about house cleaning services.