I have filters in my molds. These are prowax from Oticon. It is a simple plastic part. The cost is high, and I wonder if there is a way to easy clean them. The cerumen is a strange substance.
Anyone with experience?
Or are there same size no name filters for a fraction of the price?
I thought the same thing when I bought some off ebay for my siemens, but since using the device that holds, takes out old and puts in new, I couldn’t handle the filters without the device they are so small. Maybe somebody has the right solvent to use along with the device and it could work.
Hydrogen Peroxide dissolves wax. I use an eyedropper in each ear every 2 weeks or so. I also put in filters & domes in a pill bottle filled with HP and leave them in until the next change. Works like a charm. FYI, I had wax build up which was painful. The ENT used HP to dissolve the wax which took an hour or so in his office, that was 10 years ago…No wax buildup since.
Interesting, what percentage Hydrogen Peroxide do you have
You’re thinking of Alcohol. HP is HP not percentage of anything.
Usually it is 3 to 4 %. Distilled water worked as well in research done a few years ago.
Well I can say I take the mechanical route. When the filters on my OPN1’s started blocking within a week I used a squeeze bulb with a metal end ( I think I bought it from a hearing aid accessory shop) and then put a short length of spare tubing from my older BTE HA’s onto the tip.
I remove the filter, with the normal tool and place it in the end of the tube which is almost exactly the right size for the filters as the main body of the filter fits inside the tube and the rim at the top sits on the tube top. I then loosely hold the filter in place with a finger and thumb either side and puff the bulb several times. I inspect the filter before I remove it with a magnifying glass and then re-use strait away.
It works with both the Oticon filter and also the Cerustop filters supplied by my Audiologist.
Its a little fiddly but if I can manage to d it anyone can. It doesn’t matter how blocked they are it works like a dream every time. Ultimately I would like to obtain an old speaker casing , the bit which goes in the ear, as it would make holding the filter whilst you blow it out much easier.
I should add that I have since bought a cheap bulb used to clear babies/infants noses and this also works. I had to but the tubing inside the nozzle as it was a bit larger than my HA cleaning bulb.
Typical Hydrogen Peroxide bought in a drug store is 3%. It’s a mix of distilled water and H2O2. It is available in other percentages. Not sure what they’re used for, but apparently the pure stuff has been used as a rocket propellant.
You are correct. My bottle reads 3%. I never noticed the percentage before. It is what my ENT used to clear up the wax buildup in my ear.
So I got the 3% fluid, and some bottles to try the mechanical version.
After some tries, I went a different way.
I measured the diameter of the proway filters, that is 2.0 mm. I made a 2 mm hole in the bottle cap. Not in the center beauce that is a mold insert most, so not so even. I pushed the filter in, and first tried with air in and out, that cleaned it partly. Then put some water in the bottle, and pushed that through the filter, and bingo, a clean filter. The same works for smaller filters only a new bottle was needed. And the bottle should be soft plastic, not the sort where Red Bull and cola are made from. It’s just that the bottle isn’t made for pushing hard.
Maybe it works even better with warm water. I cleaned 18 filters this way.
Before
After
Is it really worth the hassle?
well they cost here 10$ for 6 pcs I have earned more in an hour. But I have to spend some time cleaning earpieces, and when I alo clean 2 filters that won’t cost so much more time. If I’m doing it in a year time it is worth it to me.
Cleaned many of these for my dad’s Oticons. I just take a juice glass and put in an inch or so of water, pop in the microwave till it boils and ad some Dawn dish washing liquid. Swirl it around for a while and you can see flecks of wax, (looks like white flakes), in the water. I usually pour the contents out on a paper towel so the water runs away and the filter is there to pick up. Once in a while needed to blow through to get the water or loose fleck out, but no difficulty. Easy, Hardest thing is handling the little things, but not to difficult if you keep your eyes open
Ha. This is almost exactly what I do with Oticon domes. I use a small microwave-safe cubic food container, put in 12 “used” domes. add ~1/4 inch of water and heat for 30 seconds in microwave. Water is near boiling. I then cover with the lid, and shake over the sink. Dump out on paper napkin, dry on another napkin, then put in a dry food container and microwave for two minutes to eliminate any remaining moisture. I do not use detergent. The domes come out clean of wax. If I did not do this I would be replacing domes with clogged ducts twice a week.
A bonus is that if you use a clean dome every day, the wax that adheres to the dome does not go back into the ear the next day. I think this results in the filters lasting a lot longer.
Go 4 U. My HA were purchased @ Costco. I have never paid for extra domes, retainer or filters. It there’s a Costco near you I suggest paying them a visit.
I wonder if sonic jewelry cleaners would work. I don’t see why not. Especially if you just run it with water or vinegar/water. Maybe more efficient if you cleaned several pairs at one time.
Silly question perhaps but are these filters just for RIC/ITC HAs?
I have a miniBTE. Am I correct in thinking that filters are unnecessary due to the fact that it’s just a hollow tube from the dome to the HA and no electronics in close proximity to the canal?
Correctamundo, just ask this guy’s wife 
In my case, I have otoplastics where the filter is the first thing that cerumen encounter. The first Costco is 6 hours flying away. Sometimes it takes a week before they are cluttered, other times 2 days.
Hydrogen Peroxide dissolves wax. Put them in a small container and leave them for a day or two.
