In This Article
If you wear hearing aids, you've probably noticed something a little frustrating: your ears seem to produce more wax than they ever did before. You're not imagining it. And you're certainly not alone. For millions of people across the UK, managing earwax is an ongoing part of life with hearing aids — one that, when it goes wrong, can leave you unable to hear properly even with your devices in.
Here at Earwax Removal Devon, we see hearing aid wearers regularly. They come in because their aids are whistling, or the sound has gone muffled, or they simply can't get a comfortable fit anymore. In almost every case, earwax is the culprit. This guide is for you — the person who relies on their hearing aids every day and wants to understand exactly what's happening in their ears, and what to do about it.
Why Hearing Aid Wearers Produce More Earwax
Your ear is a remarkably clever self-cleaning organ. The skin lining your ear canal grows outward in a slow, continuous process called epithelial migration — a kind of biological conveyor belt that carries dead skin cells, dust, and dried wax from deep inside the canal toward the outer ear, where it falls away naturally. Jaw movement helps too; every time you chew or talk, the motion of the temporomandibular joint gently massages wax toward the exit.
A hearing aid disrupts this process at every level.
The device sits right where your cerumen glands are most active — in the outer third of the ear canal. The presence of any foreign object in the ear stimulates those glands to produce more wax. It's an immune-like response: your ear detects something that shouldn't be there and ramps up its defences. At the same time, the hearing aid physically blocks the outward migration of wax. Because the device also restricts airflow, wax doesn't dry out the way it normally would. Instead of hardening and flaking toward the outer ear, it stays soft and accumulates — building up behind the device, around the dome, and eventually against the wax guard protecting the receiver.
This is why the question "do hearing aids cause earwax?" has a nuanced answer. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Audiology & Otology by Manchaiah, Arthur, and Williams found no statistically significant association between hearing aid use and cerumen impaction in a sample of 164 patients referred to a cerumen clinic in Wales.1 But that finding doesn't mean hearing aids have no effect on wax — it means that impaction rates in hearing aid users weren't higher than in non-users within that specific clinical population. The practical reality, as any audiologist will tell you, is that hearing aid wearers experience wax-related problems with their devices far more frequently than people who don't wear them.
What Earwax Actually Does to Your Hearing Aids
Earwax is mildly acidic. That acidity is part of what makes it protective — it creates an inhospitable environment for bacteria and fungi in the ear canal. But that same acidity is corrosive to the delicate electronics inside your hearing aids. Manufacturers estimate that between 60 and 70 per cent of hearing aids returned for repair have been damaged by earwax contamination.2 That's not a small number. It means that for the majority of people who send their aids back to the manufacturer, the root cause was wax — and in most cases, it was preventable.
The damage happens in several ways:
Receiver blockage is the most common problem. In receiver-in-canal (RIC) and in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids, the receiver (the tiny speaker that delivers amplified sound into your ear canal) sits directly in the path of wax migration. Wax enters the receiver port, muffling or completely blocking sound output. You'll notice this as a gradual reduction in volume, or as sound that seems distant and unclear — even when you know the battery is fresh and the volume is turned up.
Feedback and whistling often signal that wax is blocking the ear canal itself rather than the device. When the ear canal is occluded, sound from the receiver bounces back and is picked up by the microphone, creating that familiar high-pitched whistle. Many people assume their hearing aid needs adjusting when the real fix is removing the wax from their ear.
Microphone contamination affects the input side of the device. Wax and moisture can clog the microphone ports, reducing the quality of incoming sound and making speech harder to understand in noisy environments.
Corrosion of internal components is the longer-term consequence of repeated wax exposure. Even small amounts of wax that bypass the wax guard can cause oxidation of the receiver's internal components over time, shortening the lifespan of the device significantly.
The Hearing Aid Wax Guard: Your First Line of Defence
Most modern hearing aids — particularly RIC and ITE styles — come fitted with a wax guard (also called a wax trap or cerustop filter). This is a small, disposable filter that sits at the entrance to the receiver port, physically preventing wax from entering the speaker. It's one of the most important components of your hearing aid, and one of the most frequently neglected.
Wax guards need to be replaced regularly. How often depends on how much wax your ears produce, but most manufacturers recommend changing them every four to six weeks as a baseline. Phonak, for example, recommends replacing the earwax protection every four weeks on a standard receiver, and every two weeks on the ActiveVent receiver.3 If you're a heavy wax producer, you may need to replace yours more frequently — some people find they need a new guard every two weeks.
Replacing a wax guard is straightforward once you've been shown how. Your audiologist or hearing care professional will demonstrate the technique at your fitting appointment. The process involves using the replacement tool (which comes in the pack) to pull out the old, wax-clogged guard and push in a fresh one. It takes about thirty seconds and makes a significant difference to sound quality.
If you notice that your hearing aid sounds muffled and a new battery hasn't helped, a blocked wax guard is almost always the first thing to check.
Daily Cleaning: What You Should Actually Be Doing
The single most effective thing you can do to protect your hearing aids is clean them every day. Not occasionally. Every day. The good news is that a proper daily clean takes less than two minutes.
In the morning, before you put your aids in:
Wipe the entire surface of each device with a soft, dry cloth. Pay particular attention to the dome (the soft silicone tip that sits in your ear canal) and the wax guard. Use the small brush that came with your hearing aids to gently clear any visible wax from the microphone ports and the receiver opening. Never use water, cleaning sprays, alcohol wipes, or any liquid directly on the device — moisture is as damaging as wax.
In the evening, when you take your aids out:
Open the battery door (or place rechargeable aids in their charging case with the lid open) to allow any accumulated moisture to evaporate overnight. Wipe the aids again with a dry cloth. If you have a hearing aid dryer or dehumidifier, use it — these devices draw out moisture that builds up during the day from perspiration and humidity, and they extend the life of your aids considerably.
Weekly:
Remove the domes and clean them separately. Most domes can be gently wiped with a dry cloth or a slightly damp cloth (ensure they are completely dry before reattaching). If the dome has visible wax buildup that won't come off with wiping, replace it — domes are inexpensive and should be changed every two to three months anyway.
Softening Wax: The Role of Ear Drops
Regular use of ear drops is the most effective way to prevent wax from hardening and building up to the point where it causes problems. The NHS recommends using two to three drops of medical-grade olive oil in each ear, three to four times a day, for three to five days when wax buildup is causing symptoms.4 For hearing aid wearers who are prone to recurrent buildup, a maintenance routine of two to three drops two or three times per week can help keep wax soft and mobile.
Olive oil is the most widely recommended option because it's gentle, effective, and has a strong safety record. Almond oil and sodium bicarbonate drops are also used. The key is consistency — a single application rarely makes a meaningful difference, but a regular routine does.
There's one important caveat: do not use ear drops if you have a perforated eardrum or a history of ear surgery, unless your GP or audiologist has specifically confirmed it's safe to do so. If you're unsure, ask before you start.
For a detailed comparison of different ear drop options, their active ingredients, and how to use them correctly, read our guide on the best earwax removal drops that actually work.
What Not to Do: The Mistakes That Make Things Worse
This section matters as much as anything else in this guide, because the most common response to blocked ears — reaching for a cotton bud — is also the most reliably counterproductive thing you can do.
Cotton buds don't remove wax from the ear canal. They push it deeper. The ear canal narrows as it goes inward, so wax that gets pushed past the natural accumulation zone becomes much harder to remove and is more likely to impact against the eardrum. Cotton buds also strip the thin layer of protective wax from the outer canal, disrupting the very mechanism that keeps the ear clean and acidic. For hearing aid wearers, this is particularly problematic because it compacts wax directly against the device's receiver.
Ear candles (Hopi candles) have no clinical evidence supporting their use and carry genuine risks, including burns to the face and ear canal, and blockage from candle wax entering the ear. NICE guidelines do not recommend them.4
Ear vacuum devices marketed for home use are generally ineffective for impacted wax and can cause injury if used incorrectly. They're not a substitute for professional microsuction.
Attempting to remove wax with any instrument — hairpins, pen lids, toothpicks, or anything similar — risks perforating the eardrum or causing lacerations to the ear canal. The RNID's 2022 survey found that some respondents had resorted to using hair clips and paper clips to remove wax after being denied NHS treatment — and a number of them required medical attention as a result.5
If wax is causing problems, the right response is always professional removal.
How Often Should Hearing Aid Wearers Have Their Ears Professionally Cleaned?
There's no single answer that applies to everyone, because wax production varies enormously between individuals. Some people produce very little wax and rarely need professional removal. Others produce enough wax to cause problems every six to eight weeks.
As a general guide, the American Academy of Audiology recommends that hearing aid wearers have their ears checked by an audiologist at least once or twice a year.6 In practice, many hearing aid wearers find they need professional earwax removal every three to six months to keep their devices functioning optimally.
The signs that it's time to book an appointment include:
- Muffled or reduced sound quality from your hearing aids, even after replacing the wax guard and battery
- Feedback or whistling that wasn't present before
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in one or both ears
- Tinnitus that has worsened or changed character
- Difficulty fitting your hearing aid comfortably
Don't wait until symptoms are severe. Impacted wax that has been present for weeks is harder to remove than wax that's caught early, and the longer it sits against your hearing aid's receiver, the greater the risk of damage to the device.
Microsuction: The Gold Standard for Hearing Aid Wearers
For hearing aid wearers, microsuction is the preferred method of professional earwax removal — and for good reason. The procedure uses a fine suction probe under direct visualisation (the practitioner looks directly into your ear canal throughout) to remove wax precisely and safely, without introducing any water into the ear canal.
This matters for hearing aid wearers specifically because:
It's dry. Water irrigation, while effective for many people, introduces water into the ear canal. If any water remains after the procedure, it can affect the fit and function of hearing aids and, in rare cases, cause irritation to the canal skin. Microsuction avoids this entirely.
It's precise. The practitioner can see exactly what they're removing and where. If a wax guard or dome has become dislodged in the ear canal — which does happen — microsuction allows it to be retrieved safely. Irrigation cannot do this.
It works immediately. There's no softening period required beforehand, though using olive oil drops for a few days before your appointment does make the procedure more comfortable and more effective.
It's suitable for perforated eardrums. If you have a history of ear surgery or a perforated eardrum, microsuction is the only safe method of professional wax removal.
Our practitioners at Earwax Removal Devon use microsuction as the primary technique for all patients, including those with hearing aids. Appointments are typically available quickly, and the procedure itself takes around fifteen to thirty minutes.
The NHS Access Problem and What It Means for Hearing Aid Wearers
It's worth addressing something that many of our patients feel frustrated about: the withdrawal of NHS earwax removal services from many GP practices across England.
The RNID's 2022 survey of 1,491 people who had experienced earwax buildup found that 66 per cent had been told that ear wax removal was no longer available on the NHS at their GP surgery.5 For hearing aid wearers, this has created a particular hardship. As one respondent described: "Pay £85 every 2 or 3 months to a private service... because hearing aids cause a huge wax build up and I have to get someone to clean out my hearing aids all the time."5
NICE guidelines are clear that ear wax removal should be offered where there is clinical need, in primary and community settings.4 The reality for many patients is that this guidance is not being followed consistently. If you are a hearing aid wearer experiencing wax-related problems and your GP practice has declined to help, you are entitled to ask for a referral to audiology services, or to seek private removal.
The cost of private microsuction in Devon typically ranges from £50 to £90 per appointment, depending on whether one or both ears require treatment. When you consider the cost of a hearing aid repair or replacement — which can run into hundreds or thousands of pounds — regular professional ear care is a sound investment.
Choosing the Right Hearing Aid Style to Minimise Wax Problems
If you're considering new hearing aids, or if wax-related problems have been a persistent issue with your current devices, it's worth discussing hearing aid style with your audiologist. Different styles carry different levels of wax exposure.
| Hearing Aid Style | Wax Exposure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Receiver-in-Canal (RIC/RITE) | High | Receiver sits in ear canal; wax guards essential |
| In-the-Ear (ITE/ITC/CIC) | High | Entire device in canal; most vulnerable to wax |
| Behind-the-Ear (BTE) with earmould | Medium | Earmould in canal, electronics behind ear |
| Behind-the-Ear (BTE) with slim tube | Lower | Slim tube less prone to blockage than earmould |
| Open-fit BTE | Lower | Open dome allows some natural wax migration |
Open-fit and slim-tube BTE styles tend to cause fewer wax-related problems because they allow more airflow and don't occlude the canal as completely. However, they're not suitable for all types of hearing loss. Your audiologist will recommend the most appropriate style based on your audiogram and lifestyle.
A Practical Ear Care Routine for Hearing Aid Wearers
Bringing everything together, here is a straightforward maintenance routine that will protect both your ears and your hearing aids.
Daily: Clean your hearing aids every morning before insertion. Wipe with a dry cloth, brush microphone ports and receiver opening, check wax guard for visible blockage. In the evening, open battery doors or place in charging case, wipe again, use a dehumidifier if available.
Weekly: Remove and clean domes. Inspect tubing (for BTE users) for moisture or wax. Check that domes are seated correctly and haven't cracked or deformed.
Monthly: Replace wax guards (or more frequently if you're a heavy wax producer). Replace domes if they show signs of wear, discolouration, or wax buildup that won't clean off.
Every 3–6 months: Book a professional ear check. Even if you're not experiencing symptoms, a practitioner can identify early wax accumulation before it becomes a problem — and before it damages your hearing aids.
Ongoing: Use olive oil drops two to three times per week as a maintenance measure, unless contraindicated. This keeps wax soft and mobile, reducing the likelihood of impaction.
When to Seek Urgent Help
Most wax-related hearing aid problems are inconvenient rather than urgent. But there are situations where you should seek prompt attention rather than waiting for a routine appointment.
Seek prompt care if you experience sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, pain or significant discomfort in the ear canal, discharge from the ear, or dizziness and balance problems that come on suddenly. These symptoms can indicate conditions beyond simple wax buildup — including ear infections, perforations, or other issues that require medical assessment.
If you're experiencing any of these symptoms alongside hearing aid problems, contact your GP or an ear care specialist rather than attempting any form of self-treatment.
Book Your Ear Care Appointment in Devon
Hearing aids are a significant investment in your quality of life. Protecting that investment starts with looking after your ears. Whether you're experiencing muffled sound, feedback, or simply want to establish a regular ear care routine, our team at Earwax Removal Devon is here to help.
We offer microsuction and ear irrigation across Devon, with home visits available for patients who find it difficult to travel. Appointments are available quickly, and our practitioners are experienced in working with hearing aid wearers.
Call us on 01769 302119 or book your appointment online today. Your ears — and your hearing aids — will thank you.
Related Articles
- The Best Earwax Removal Drops That Actually Work
- Smart Earwax Removal Tools: What Works and What Doesn't
- What Is Earwax? Understanding Cerumen and Its Role in Ear Health
- Microsuction vs Ear Syringing: Which Is Right for You?
- Ear Care During Swimming Season
Footnotes
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Manchaiah V, Arthur J, Williams H. Does Hearing Aid Use Increase the Likelihood of Cerumen Impaction? J Audiol Otol. 2015;19(3):168–171. PMC4704552 ↩
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Earworx. Improving Hearing Aid Performance — Ear Wax & Dome Cleaning. earworx.com.au ↩
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Phonak. How often should I change the wax filter on Phonak Audéo hearing aids? phonak.com ↩
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National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Earwax build-up. nice.org.uk ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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RNID. Access Blocked: The Impact of Cutting NHS Ear Wax Removal Services. 2022. rnid.org.uk ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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American Academy of Audiology. Ear Wax Blockage. audiology.org ↩
