The wax pick tool is a must for all users of any type of In-The-Ear hearing aid. Earwax (cerumen is the official name) is BY FAR the #1 problem of ITE wearers. It doesn't matter what level of technology instrument you have. Earwax can knock out any aid from the latest, fanciest, most expensive digital aids down to the simple basic analog ones.

In order to prevent this, a person needs to get into a daily maintenance schedule for cleaning their hearing aid(s). The wax pick is the handiest tool for accomplishing this. The wax pick is inserted into the hole where the sound comes out (called the Receiver Tube). This tool has a short, very fine wire loop on the end of it that works extremely well in pulling earwax and debris out of the Receiver Tube.

When a person is cleaning their aid, the instrument's Receiver Tube should be pointing down towards the floor. This means you are cleaning it from the bottom up. This also means that when you dislodge any earwax, dirt or debris from the sound outlet hole, it will fall down and away from the aid, not down into the instrument. If you do not clean out this hole, the earwax will eventually build up to the point where it gets into the Receiver ("speaker") component of the aid located at the bottom end of the Receiver Tube. It will ruin that component, causing a repair expense. The wax pick is the best tool for preventing this, and is very inexpensive. A combination tool called the Wax Pick & Brush is included in Lloyds In-The-Ear Cleaning Kit.