When you’ve chosen to invest in hearing aids, it pays to look after them! Ensuring you clean your hearing aids regularly is crucial in helping them work as well as possible for as long as possible. However, cleaning them the right way is just as important. Using the wrong tool for the wrong hearing aid and other cleaning errors may be costly, so let’s brush up on how to clean hearing aids safely.
This article explains how to clean hearing aids and why it’s so important. For personalized advice, contact our team at Tweak Hearing today.
Why Should I Clean My Hearing Aid?
Hearing aids contain tiny but very powerful pieces of equipment. These intricate pieces are designed to help you in everyday life, so you should aim to look after them just like how they look after you!
As you wear your hearing aids regularly, they’re exposed to environmental factors you encounter daily. This includes moisture and dust, as well as the earwax your ears generate. Over time, these elements may accumulate in the tiny crevices in the hearing aids and possibly lead to malfunctions, feedback issues, and diminished sound quality. By cleaning your hearing aids, you’re helping to maintain their optimal performance and extend their lifespan.
Tips on How to Clean a Hearing Aid
When cleaning your hearing aid, each device may differ slightly, so ensure you read the specific instructions for your hearing aid or aids. Some general care and maintenance tips that generally apply include:
- Cleaning your hands before touching your hearing aids
- Taking your hearing aids out before showering, bathing, swimming, or participating in any other water activities
- Taking your hearing aids out before spraying perfume, cologne, hair spray, aerosol deodorant, and so on
- Storing them in a clean, dry, and secure location when not wearing them to minimize exposure to moisture, such as condensation
- Storing them in their case when not wearing them for more extended periods or in their drying cup after cleaning them
- Cleaning your ears regularly to remove excessive earwax buildup
- Using a soft, dry cloth to clean them as opposed to alcohol, household cleaners, or solvents
- Removing the batteries and storing them properly if you won’t be wearing your hearing aids for an extended period
- Keeping them out of reach of children and pets
- Keeping a soft cloth underneath when inserting or removing your hearing aids, cleaning them, or changing the battery to minimize damage if you drop any components
- Taking them out before using a sauna due to the condensation
- Taking them out if you need to have an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan
- Visually inspecting them every day for visible soiling
- Only using specially designed cleaning brushes as opposed to objects with points, such as scissors or needles, as these may damage the equipment
Cleaning your hearing aid daily is generally considered best practice. This is because daily cleaning aims to remove sweat and earwax that build up throughout the day, giving them as clean a slate as possible for the next day and ensuring buildup is kept to a minimum.
OTC Hearing Aid Cleaning Accessories by Tweak Hearing
At Tweak Hearing, we’re as dedicated to maintaining your hearing aids as you are. While our OTC hearing aids come with the accessories you’ll need, there are additional ways you may be able to extend their lifespan, such as our range of OTC hearing aid cleaning accessories. These include:
1. AudioClean Cleansing Wipes
These cleansing wipes are designed to keep your devices clean and fresh, all in a small container ready to slip into your bag. The wipes are alcohol-free in order to protect your device and don’t harm plastic, rubber, silicone, or acrylic.
2. DryBoost UV
This maintenance system dries, recharges, and sanitizes your rechargeable OTC hearing aids. Best of all, it does all three at the same time! It uses a precisely-controlled drying temperature and a fan to circulate air and has a one-year warranty.
3. DryDome
The DryDome is a small convection dryer designed to dry devices at 113℉ (+/-4°). However, this is a higher drying temperature than the DryBoost UV, so those with rechargeable devices should consider the DryBoost UV instead.
4. NanoClean Hearing Amplifier Cleaners
These are ideal for cleaning OTC hearing aids as well as hearing amplifiers. They’re intended to remove dirt and grime with their soft, spongy nylon brush, helping you to quickly and easily clean your device with the unique thread-and-pull action.
5. Other Cleaning Devices – PhoneDRS
Similar to the DryBoost UV, the PhoneDRS by EarTech can dry, recharge and sanitize other devices like your mobile as well so that all of your devices that you use daily can be cleaned in the same way with ease on a daily basis with minimal effort.
Clean Your Hearing Aid With Tweak Hearing’s Cleaning Accessories
Maintaining your hearing aids is essential in enhancing your hearing experience, giving you the greatest chance of hearing as clearly as possible. Cleaning them regularly and according to the instructions means safeguarding your investment in your current and future hearing health, which is essential for us all, especially as we age.
At Tweak Hearing, we want to help your devices last and perform well as much as you do! Our OTC hearing aid cleaning accessories are designed to assist with just this. To find out more, browse our products today.