Hearing aids are the greatest asset we have in the battle against hearing loss. They provide relief to millions of people around the world, with more people realizing their benefits each day.
Since they are so important to your everyday life, we want to make sure you’re taking care of them so they can continue to help and improve your lifestyle.
Regular cleaning is essential, but it must be done correctly. Improper cleaning can result in damage that requires repair or expensive replacement.
They will last you a long time if you treat them well, and follow this guide on how to clean your hearing aids.
How to Identify When It’s Time to Clean
There are two ways to tell.
- If you’re not hearing out of your devices, you can use the app to diagnose problems. If your hearing aid connects to your smartphone, you can run diagnostics. Look at the little tip at the bottom of the hearing aid. If it’s discolored or has wax buildup, you can change those cards and see if that solves your problem.
- From a caregiver standpoint, you can always bring in your loved one’s hearing aids, and we can check them if you suspect they need cleaning. We also offer telehealth services to avoid having to come into the office at all.
Proper Cleaning Habits
The biggest thing to do at night would be to wipe off the back of the hearing aid before either putting it in a drying jar or putting it in the charger.
Weekly, I would give the microphones a good brush. Then either every other week or monthly, I would change that wax guard. So daily wipe down – weekly brush. Every other week or monthly, I would do the wax guard.
That plan of care could change based on what we see as you continue to wear the hearing aid.
One of the reasons we don’t go into great detail about the cleaning when a patient first gets their hearing aids is that the process sounds really overwhelming, but when you break it down, it’s not something you’re doing every single day.
How to Get Your Hands on the Proper Tools
The nice thing about cleaning tools is we’ll provide them all for you when you first get your hearing aids. It’s something that you can buy from our office as well when you run out of supplies.
The brush, cloth, wax guard and extra domes can be purchased from our clinic, and we do ship!
Do Your Loved One’s Hearing Aids Need Cleaning?
- Look to make sure all the pieces are there.
- Check the battery and ensure it’s fully charged.
- Change the wax guard.
- Check diagnostics through the app (if applicable).
- Give us a call to discuss the particulars.
We Are Here to Help
If you have specific questions about your hearing aids or those of a loved one, please call us right away. The best way to treat hearing loss is to prevent it. We always encourage everyone in our communities to act if they suspect something is amiss.
