Whenever someone suffers from hearing loss, the most common thing they resort to is hearing aids. Hearing aids are not just common, they are also the most effective way of dealing with hearing loss. As you can’t cure most types of hearing loss problems, it is best to use hearing aids so that you can listen better. Hearing aids also help to take care of your hearing health.
Before you started using hearing aids, you might have had a really hard time following conversations with others, and you were isolating yourself from all the social activities. Communicating even with your loved ones was difficult as you were facing a hard time listening to what they were saying. But hearing aids saved you from all that misery, and you got your life back.
The very thing that helped you to get on with your normal life, you need to take good care of it. Like all other electronic devices, hearing aids also need some special care. In fact, hearing aids are in need of a bit more care than others, as, unlike other electronic devices, hearing aids operate in really adverse conditions.
They have to deal with all the moisture and earwax that are inside one’s ear canal. So, it is really important to keep hearing aids clean. Without proper maintenance, the quality of your hearing aid can get compromised, also the lifespan of your hearing aids can get reduced. So, it is important to keep them clean, and this article will help you with it.
Why Cleaning Hearing Aids is Important
As said earlier, all types of electronic devices need proper maintenance. Hearing aids need that even more, as they have to operate inside the ear canal of a person, which is not an ideal environment at all. They can get clogged with earwax, and the moisture in the ear can compromise their sound quality with time.
With timely service and special handling, you can keep the performance of your hearing aid up to the mark. Also, without proper care, hearing aids can get damaged and might stop working altogether. You can stop that from happening by carrying out simple cleaning methods. This will also increase the lifespan of your hearing aids.
One thing you might ask is how often you should clean your hearing aids. The answer is it’s best to clean your hearing aids every day after you finish using them at the end of the day. But if that seems difficult for you, try cleaning them at least once a week.
Important Tools You Need for Cleaning Hearing Aids
You can’t just clean your hearing aids with whatever you can find around you. You’ll need proper cleaning tools to carry out the cleaning process. Before you start cleaning your hearing aids, you’ll have to make sure that you have the special cleaning tools that are needed to properly clean them. The hearing aid cleaning tools you’ll need are-
- Dry and Clean Cloth to wipe over the hearing aids daily
- Wax Pick to remove earwax from the tube of the hearing aids
- Hearing Aid Brush for sweeping away debris from your hearing aid
- Bulb Blower for removing water from the tube of the hearing aids
- Drying Station to keep the hearing aids moisture-free while they’re not in use
- Ventilation Cleaner to remove earwax and moisture from the vents of the ITE hearing aids
Before you start cleaning your hearing aids, make sure to wash your hands properly. Otherwise, you might transfer germs to your hearing aids from your hands. Also, it is better if you can place a dry and clean cloth on the table, and keep your hearing aids on it before cleaning them. It will keep your hearing aids safe from the dirt and germs of the table. Make sure to not use alcohol, or other solvents while cleaning the device, as these can damage it.
Cleaning Process of Different Hearing Aid Types
There are different types of hearing aids, such as Behind-the-Ear hearing aids, In-the-Ear hearing aids, In-the-Canal hearing aids, Receiver-in-the-Canal hearing aids, Completely-in-the-Canal hearing aids, etc. While the cleaning process for some of these types is the same, it is different for others. Let’s have a look at the cleaning process for different types of hearing aids.
BTE Hearing Aids
For cleaning Behind-the-Ear hearing aids, you’ll need to wipe down the hearing aids and their domes or earmolds with a dry and clean cloth, or with designated wipes for hearing aids. You can also use a soft brush to clean any kind of debris. After that, for cleaning the earmold, remove it from the hook, and clean it with a brush. You can use a wax pick to remove debris from there.
Clean the tubing with warm water, but make sure that the other parts don’t get exposed to the water. Use a bulb blower to dry the tube, and then place it in a safe spot to get properly dried. You’ll need to replace the tubing if it gets blocked with ear wax.
ITE Hearing Aids
In the case of In-the-Ear hearing aids, you’ll need to concentrate on cleaning the microphone ports and the holes of the hearing aids. Use a hearing aid brush to clean these. Clean the openings of the hearing aid with the brush, and remove the wax. Then go for cleaning the inner holes with a wax pick. And finally, wipe the whole device with a dry and clean cloth to completely clean it.
To clean the vent of the hearing aid, use a proper ventilation cleaner. It is important to keep the vent clean. This cleaning method is also applicable for In-the-Canal and Completely-in-the-Canal hearing aids.
RIC Hearing Aids
To clean Receiver-in-the-Canal hearing aids, wipe down the whole device with a dry and clean cloth. Then use a hearing aid brush to remove any debris or earwax. You can use the thumbs to clean any stubborn material from the earmold or the dome tip. Use a wax pick to clean out the wax from the earmold.
Final Words
Apart from cleaning your hearing aids regularly, you can also go for proper measures to maintain your hearing aids so that they don’t need much cleaning, and don’t get damaged easily. You can store your hearing aid in a dryer and keep it off whenever they’re not in use for instance.
But make sure to clean it regularly too cause no matter how much you take care of it, it can get clogged with earwax and other debris by staying in your ears for too long. By cleaning them you’ll be able to ensure top quality and a longer lifespan for your hearing aids.
