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Much like you take a shower every day, you should be cleaning your hearing aids every day as well.
Although making this a daily routine is very important to prolonging the lifespan of your device, cleaning them correctly with proper tools is equally important.
Cleaning Your Hearing Aids
Cleaning hearing aids can be daunting at first since many people feel anxious fidgeting with devices that they care about (and cost so much). However, knowing how to clean your hearing aids is something that will feel natural after enough maintenance.
Be sure to read our article: Cleaning Your Hearing Aids - How To Take Care Of Them to understand exactly how!
The Tools You Need to Clean Your Hearing Aids
While your audiologist will assist you in any way, these are the tools you should keep in your arsenal for daily maintenance.
Cleaning Brush
A soft-bristled brush is essential for hearing aids. It helps remove dirt, dust, dandruff, and any other particulates that naturally find their way to settle around the shell exterior. Most hearing aids will come with one, but if you for some reason don't have one your audiologist will provide you with one.
You can use the bristles of the brush to get inside the holes of the hearing aid, but make sure you’re wiping away the dirt not in.
While most of the work is done on the brush side, some brushes have blunt needles on the end to remove any grim in crevasses.
Ventilation Cleaner
Ventilation cleaners are used to remove moisture and earwax from the vent that is present in most In-the-Ear (ITE) models. Ventilation cleaners are like pipe cleaners but are shorter and more bendable much like the thin wiry objects that are used for braces.
When cleaning hearing aids with ventilation cleaners, gently push the cleaner through the vent hole until you see it popping out from the other side and then clean off the excess dirt with a dry towel.
Multitool
Like a swiss army knife that lets you do anything through one convenient device, multitools should be the end-all cleaning kit. Multitools feature various components, including wax picks, brushes, and vent cleaners. They can be purchase through local pharmacies or online at fairly cheap prices.
Some hearing aid multitools also have a magnetic pole to attach to the hearing aid battery which helps people with impaired dexterity to easily insert new batteries without dropping either the battery or the hearing aid.
It is recommended to steer away from extremely cheap multitools that are made of plastic and opt for metal ones that are sturdier. A quality multitool will serve you very well.
Wax guard/filter
Wax guards are something that exists in the receiver end of the hearing aid and is seen typically in Behind-the-Ear models. These parts suffer from wear and tear over time and may start to become less effective the more they are used.
In most cases, you need to replace them once every month or two. Some people produce more earwax than others and thus might need to replace their wax guard more often, so be attentive to how your hearing aids sound: any volume change or distortion?
If you believe that you are producing too much earwax, talk to your audiologist about whether an earwax removal or cleaning would be an appropriate precaution to take.
Drying Station
Drying stations are an essential item for every hearing aid owner that wants to keep their devices lasting as long as possible.
A hearing aid drying station keeps your device moisture free and also acts as a pocket-sized carrying case. While some drying cases are just dehumidifiers, some use UV technology to not only quickly dry off the hearing aid, but also kill any harmful bacteria. Most drying stations feature silica gel balls to dry the hearing aids.
They make a great place to store your hearing aids when you take them out at night for bed and keep them safe in one place.
To wrap it up...
Now that you know what tools you need to clean your hearing aids, be sure to also research exactly how to clean them so you can make it a routine!
Experts say the average lifespan of hearing aids are about 5 years, but taking care of them the correct way with the correct tools may help prolong their lifespan.
This article was written using the following reliable sources:
https://www.truhearing.com/more-resources/clean-care-hearing-aids/
https://www.healthyhearing.com/help/hearing-aids/cleaning
https://bloomhearing.com/hearing-aids/great-tools-for-cleaning-hearing-aids/
