In the midst of your scrubbing and sprucing up for spring cleaning, did you remember your hearing aids? These vital devices are essential for maintaining healthy communication and connection to the world around you, but they might be easy to take for granted during a deep clean of your home.
Why You Need to Clean Your Hearing Aids
You use your hearing aids daily, and they’re exposed to the elements as you wear them. They are durable, but that doesn’t mean moisture, dust, debris and earwax can’t build up and cause malfunctions if they get out of hand. You should be cleaning your hearing aids daily to stay ahead of this buildup, plus a thorough deep clean once or twice a year to remove deeper buildup. This will:
- Avoid major hearing aid damage due to earwax or moisture buildup.
- Extend the life of your hearing aids.
- Maintain good sound quality.
- Prevent ear infections.
Cleaning Behind-the-Ear and Receiver-in-the-Canal Devices
BTE and RIC hearing aids are made up of two parts. The body and microphone make up one part, which rests behind your ear; the other part comprises the speaker and an earmold or ear dome, which is nestled into your ear canal. These two pieces are connected by thin tubing or a wire.
To clean them:
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Take the pieces of your hearing aid apart gently.
- Wipe the body of the hearing aid down with a soft cloth to remove all surface-level dirt, earwax or grime.
- Use a brush on the microphone ports.
- Replace the wax filter, if necessary. On average, most people need to replace this monthly; your needs may be different depending on how much earwax you produce.
- Wash the earmold or ear dome in warm, soapy water.
- Inspect the tubing. It should be soft and clear. If so, use a bulb blower to remove any moisture from the tubing. If the tubing is not soft and clear, replace the tubes.
- Let all the pieces dry overnight. Do not reattach the earmold or dome to the hearing aid if it is not completely dry.
Cleaning In-the-Ear and Completely-in-the-Canal Devices
ITE and CIC hearing aids are custom-made to fit the shape and size of your ear. They are a single piece that sits either inside your ear or deep in the ear canal.
To clean them:
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Holding the hearing aid facing down (so all dislodged particles fall down, instead of deeper inside the device), wipe the body of the hearing aid with a soft cloth to remove all dirt, earwax or grime.
- Use a brush on the microphone ports.
- Use a wax pick or wax loop to remove any earwax that the brush missed.
- Replace the wax filter, if necessary. On average, most people need to replace this monthly; your needs may be different depending on how much earwax you produce.
- Wash the earmold or ear dome in warm, soapy water.
- Let dry overnight.
When to Get a Professional Cleaning
In addition to this deep cleaning, you should consider getting your hearing aids cleaned by your audiologist. We recommend doing this every six months, so spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity. Call us at Bangor Audiology today to make an appointment for a hearing aid cleaning.
If you produce a lot of earwax and struggle with earwax buildup, you may also consider seeing us for earwax removal. It is not recommended to use a cotton swab to clean your ears; let us remove the blockage for you safely. Call us to learn more.