Time to Read: 5 minutes
It’s often the little things in life that get you down, isn’t it? And when it comes to little things they don’t get much littler than wax guards, those funny little white pads on the end of those stick thingummy-bobs in the flat hinged box that came with your hearing aids.
You probably don’t give them much thought, do you? Well you should, because those little wax pads can be both the cause of a lot of angst and a simple solution to it.
We all produce earwax and hearing aids hate the stuff. That’s why wax guards were invented – to protect your hearing aid from getting clogged up. Think of them as a sacrificial part that bravely lays down its life for the good of your hearing aid. When it’s clogged with wax and your hearing aids no longer works as it should then it needs to be replaced. It’s a simple job that will take about a minute at the most. If you don’t know how to do it you’ll find plenty of information online – it’s not exactly rocket science!
If we had a dollar for every time someone brought in their hearing aids for repairs, when all that was needed was the wax guard replaced, well we’d all be sunning ourselves feet-up on the Riviera!
So the next time your hearing aid stops working for no apparent reason try changing that wax guard.
Some tips from our Audiologist, Nicholas, in Sydney:
Helpful tips on how to clean hearing aids.
- Clean the external portion of the hearing aid daily.
It is important that you clean your hearing aids daily. This will minimise the wax build around the hearing aid speaker.
If you have a Behind-the Ear hearing aid with a rubber dome, with a tissue gently pinch on the rubber dome to dislodge the wax that may get trapped within the dome.
Click here for a demonstration video
If you have a Custom Ear Mould or an In-the-Ear hearing aid, it is best to wipe around the device to remove wax build up. We recommend inspecting both the vent and speaker port to see if they are blocked.
Click here for a demonstration video
- Change the wax filter once a month.
Most hearing aids have a wax filter located near the speaker of the hearing aid. The aim of the filter is to prevent the wax from entering the speaker of the hearing aid. If not cleaned regularly this filter blocks with wax, thus preventing the hearing aid from functioning. Below is an example of the different filters available. Each hearing aid manufacturer have their own type of wax filter.
Click here for a demonstration video on NoWAX replacement on an oticon In-the-ear hearing aid.
Click here for a demonstration video on Changing Dome and Wax protection on a Behind-the-ear hearing aid.
- Keep your ears clean
We strongly recommend that you do not use a cotton bud to remove wax. In most cases a cotton bud will only push was deeper in the ear canal. Unless advised by your Audiologist or GP, a cerumenolytic agent (e.g. Waxol, Clean Ears or Cerumol) can be used to manage wax development within the ear canal. We do recommend that when you see your GP to have them look inside your ears to make sure that the ears are not completely blocked with wax.
