How Do I Clean My Hearing Aids?

The ear is a dark, warm, moist place…the perfect environment for growing fungi, germs, and bacteria. Hearing aids reside in this environment 13 to 16 hours/day.

Guess what? Every time you remove your hearing aid from your ear, it is loaded with fungus, germs, and bacteria. 

Reinserting your hearing aids without cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting them can irritate the lining of your ear canals, leading to redness, swelling, itching, pain, unpleasant odors, and infections.

Here are our best tips on how to clean and disinfect your hearing aids.

Do I Have To Clean or Disinfect My Hearing Aids?

There are three key reasons why you should always clean and disinfect your hearing aids:

• Protect your ears
• Upkeep for optimal performance
• Avoid broken parts

A hearing aid, similar to an earbud or any type of headphone that sits in your ear, collects earwax, dirt, dust, and debris over time. While little bits of that won’t hurt, over time, all of those materials mixed within your ear can lead to ear infections and skin irritations.

Long-term, you might experience other ear-pain-related issues, all because you didn’t clean your hearing aids.

Like most electronics, the better you take care of them, the better they’ll work. Hearing aids are no different.

To maintain your ability to hear and the clarity with which sound comes through your hearing aid, you must clean it regularly. Debris (especially earwax and moisture) clogs microphones, receivers, and vents.

And of course, when your hearing aids start to break down, they just won’t last as long. Well-maintained hearing aids can last anywhere from 3 to 7 years, but if you aren’t keeping up with cleaning, that time will shorten quickly.

While Hearing Health Center is always ready to help with any repairs you might need, we also want your hearing aids to last as long as possible to save you money and protect your hearing.

How To Clean Your Hearing Aids

Step 1: Wipe with a non-alcohol sanitizing wipe (like Audio Wipes). 

Step 2: Keep your hearing aids in a drying system (Dry and Store) or the new (PerfectClean) explicitly designed to sanitize and pull out the moisture inside the hearing aids that accumulated from your ear. 

Drying systems utilize desiccants and heated, moving air to dry the hearing aid both inside and out. The built-in ultraviolet light sanitizes and kills germs while removing moisture.

Using a drying kit will:

• Increase the life of your hearing aids
• Prevent costly repairs
• Increase battery life
• Maintain the peak performance of your hearing aids
• Relieve itchy ears by killing germs

**Pro Tip!** Never use alcohol on hearing aids or ear molds. It will ruin and erode the surfaces and special plastic materials used in the manufacturing process. Alcohol will also damage the delicate components of the hearing aid.

What NOT To Do When Cleaning Your Hearing Aids

1. Do NOT use household cleaning products to clean hearing aids.

It might be tempting to grab something underneath your sink to clean out your dirty hearing aids, but let me stop you there.

Instead, stick to cleaning products specifically designed for use with hearing aids. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask a member of the Hearing Health Center team.

2. Do NOT use sharp objects to clean hearing aids.

The products around your house, such as pins, needles, or even pencils, should never be used to clean something out of your hearing aids.

If an object is sharp, you have a good chance of puncturing and scratching the inner workings of your device, which increases the likelihood of breakage.

3. Do NOT submerge hearing aids in water to clean them.

We know it sounds obvious, but hearing aids are not waterproof. They might be water-resistant, but that isn’t the same thing. Instead, use a damp cloth with hearing aid-specific cleaning products to wipe them down.

4. NEVER use compressed air to clean hearing aids.

Your hearing aids are fragile, so a single blast from a can of compressed air could cause a lot of problems. The power is too much for the inner workings of your hearing aids to function, so whatever you do, do not use compressed air.

Need Help with Your Hearing Aids? Call Hearing Health Center Today.

Whether your hearing aids need tuning up or you’re in the market for a new pair, the team at Hearing Health Center has you covered. Our experienced audiologists conduct a comprehensive hearing exam to ensure your hearing aids are a perfect match for your needs.

Don’t delay; call Hearing Health Center or schedule an appointment online today.