How to Properly Clean Your Hearing Aid
Hearing aids are a valuable investment in your hearing health. To ensure they continue to perform at their best, regular maintenance is key. Let’s explore some easy tips for properly cleaning your hearing aids!
Daily Cleaning and Professional Maintenance
Keeping your hearing aids working well
requires some regular cleaning. It’s not an intensive or long procedure, but should be done daily or at least on a weekly basis.
However, just as you seek specialized cleaning from your dentist even though you brush your teeth every day, periodic professional cleaning from Hearts for Hearing will keep your aids working their absolute best. Your hearing specialist will recommend how often you should bring your hearing aids in for a thorough cleaning, usually every 6 months.
General Care for Your Hearing Aids
Use the following general care tips to keep your hearing aids clean and prevent issues.
- Keep your aids away from moisture and chemicals. Take them out when showering or bathing. Finish using all hair products and sprays before putting them in your ears.
- Clean them at bedtime which gives them time to dry out.
- Avoid extreme temperatures. Leave them in the house if you are shoveling snow in very cold temps, and of course take them out before getting into a pool. However, it’s not a good idea to leave them sitting on a table by the pool.
- When not using your aids, keep them in a case or charger unit to avoid dirt and damage.
- Always wash your hands before handling your hearing aids.
- Store your aids in a dehumidifier for storage at night.
Hearing Aid Cleaning Tools
Ask Hearts for Hearing about purchasing hearing aid tools for cleaning. They often include:
- A brush
- A slim tube cleaning tool
- Wax loops
- An ear mold tubing blower
- Mini pipe cleaners
- A microfiber cloth
- Hearing aid dryers
Cleaning Different Types of Hearing Aids
The right cleaning routine will depend on the type of hearing aid you have.
How to Clean In The Ear (ITE) Hearing Aids
- Holding the aid face down, remove any debris or ear wax with the cleaning brush from the outer parts.
- Use a pick or a loop to remove wax left after the brushing.
- Push the slim tube cleaning tool completely through the ventilation tube. Reverse this step and go the other way, cleaning the outer portion with a soft cloth.
- Clean the entire surface with a microfiber or soft cloth and test.
How to Clean Behind The Ear (BTE) Hearing Aids
- Start by removing the tubing from the aid.
- Put the aid face down and use the brush to clean off any debris and wax including the receiver and microphone cover.
- Use a wax loop or pick to remove anything that didn’t come off with the brush.
- Use the brush and clean the microphone openings.
- Remove the tubing and clean with a pipe cleaner. After one pass through, clean with a cloth and go in the other direction.
- Remove and clean the ear mold per the manufacturer’s instructions. Soak in warm soapy water and use the ear mold tubing blower to remove any moisture or debris.
- Dry the ear mold and ventilation tubing with a soft clean cloth.
- Once everything is dry, reassemble the hearing aids and test.
Prevent ear infections by keeping your own ears clean and free from wax buildup along with regular cleaning of your hearing aids.
Contact Hearts for Hearing at 405.548.4300 with any additional questions about cleaning your hearing aids or to schedule a professional cleaning in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.