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By Sandra Meyer, hearing care professional (Spanish qualification: audioprotesista), registration no. 2822, Professional College of Higher Health Technicians of the Valencian Community · Published 7 October 2026
If your hearing aid has gone quiet, there are three things you can check yourself at home: the battery or charge, the wax filter and, if it has one, the tube. We show you how, step by step, plus how to clean it each day and the extra care that sea air calls for. If it still isn’t working after that, bring it in and we’ll tell you what’s wrong.
1. First things first: is it switched on? Is the battery flat?
- If it takes batteries: put in a new battery. Peel off the sticker and wait a minute before closing the battery door.
- If it is rechargeable: place it properly in the charger and check that the light comes on. Wipe the contacts with a dry cloth if they are dirty.
- Check that it hasn’t been left on mute or with the volume at its lowest, using the button or the phone app.
2. The wax filter: where it is and how to change it
The filter is a very small white part at the tip of the speaker or of the in-the-ear aid. It stops wax getting inside. When it fills up, the hearing aid sounds weak or stops working.
You change it with the tool that comes in the pack of filters: one end takes out the old one and the other puts in the new one. Change it when the sound gets weaker or the tip looks dirty; at the hearing centre we’ll tell you how often in your case. If you don’t know which one is yours, bring it in and we’ll show you.
3. If it has a tube and earmould: how to check them
In behind-the-ear aids with an earmould, the sound travels through a tube. If there are drops of water or wax inside, the sound can’t get through properly.
Detach the earmould from the hearing aid, wash it in warm water with mild soap and let it dry completely before you reattach it. The hearing aid itself must never get wet.
4. If it whistles, sounds weak or keeps cutting out
- It whistles: it may not be sitting properly, or there may be wax in your ear. Take it out and put it back in.
- It sounds weak: check the wax filter and the battery or charge.
- It keeps cutting out: it may be the battery, moisture or a fault in the aid. If it is the same after you have checked it, bring it in.
Hearing aid still not working? Bring it in and we’ll tell you what’s wrong.
Hearing aid repairs5. How to clean your hearing aid: what to do each day and each week
Every day, when you take it out:
- wipe it with a soft, dry cloth;
- clean the tip with the brush that came with your hearing aid;
- put it in its charger or its case, with the battery door open if it takes batteries.
Every week: check the filter and, if it has one, the tube.
Don’t use alcohol, cleaning products or water directly on the hearing aid.
6. Living by the sea: damp, salt air and sun cream
By the sea, hearing aids have a harder time:
- Damp: keep it overnight in a drying case if we recommend one.
- Salt and sand: wipe it every day with the dry cloth.
- Sun cream and hairspray: put them on before your hearing aid, and wash your hands before handling it.
- Beach and pool: take it out before you go in the water.
7. What not to do at home, and when to bring it in
Don’t open it, don’t dry it with a hairdryer or in the oven, and don’t push needles or pins into the openings.
If it still isn’t working after you have checked the battery or charge, the filter and the tube, bring it in. We check it at the hearing centre and tell you what’s wrong.
8. Bought outside Spain? We can check it here too
We can check it too, whatever the brand and wherever you bought it. Some hearing aids are locked by the manufacturer and can’t be reprogrammed; if that is the case, we’ll tell you.
Our team prepares these guides with the help of artificial intelligence tools; a registered hearing care professional reviews and approves them before publication.
