3 Ways to Spring Clean Your Hearing Aids

As it gets warmer out, you might be ready to tackle the dirt and clutter that have amassed over the wintertime. In no time, you will be spring cleaning your basement, purses, wallets, car, and garage. But don’t forget about optimally cleaning your hearing aids, since you wear them every day. Below are ways to sanitize them on a higher level, besides using your normal cleaning routine.

Dehumidify your hearing aids

Rather than just air drying your hearing aids, per usual, go to the next level and dehumidify them once a year, such as in the spring. Water intrusion and sweat can be damaging to the delicate mechanisms inside. Routinely, you probably dry them out by putting them on a towel overnight with the battery compartment open, which is fine. But to extend the life of your hearing aids, use a dehumidifier made specifically for them, instead. Doing so is more effective than just airing them out. Please take note of the list of options for dehumidifiers which are available for hearing aids:

• Chargers that also recharge hearing aids while they dry and clean
• Electrical units that use heat and/or ultraviolet rays
• Boxes or jars with moisture-absorbing desiccant

Clean out the dirt buildup and wax

Using a soft cloth to wipe your hearings aids on a daily basis is fine. But do a more thorough cleaning once a year to clear out wax, dust, dirt, and other contaminants. A quick rubdown all the time is not enough. So, use the cleaning kit supplied to you when you bought your hearing aids from your hearing instrument specialist. The tools are:

• Magnet (to remove small batteries easily)
• ​Vent cleaning wand
• Brush
• ​Cleaning wire (for open-fit tubes)
• Wax pick or loop

These tools will help you clean out every tiny opening, like the vents and microphone. Earmolds, if you have them, can be removed and washed, occasionally, in mild, soapy water. Be careful, though; you may need a professional to do this to avoid damage. Day to day, however, the earmolds can be wiped with a soft cloth. If you experience significant earwax buildup, you may need specialized cleaning cloths or tools from your hearing instrument specialist for your kind of hearing aids. If you are unsure, you might need to call a professional hearing instrument specialist for cleanings, instead.

Make a service call
Don’t just dehumidify and thoroughly clean your hearing aids. Also make a service call in spring. Your hearing instrument specialist can look over your hearing aids and see if any maintenance needs to be done beyond your own efforts. The hearing aid specialist can assess whether or not your hearing aids are in good working order. It might include replacing plastic tubing and microphone screens. They can also run an ANSI test to be sure your hearing aids are running up to spec. Such efforts will certainly extend the life of your hearing aids. However, your hearing aids can get so they are near the end of their life-cycle and require replacement. Contact your hearing instrument specialist at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for quality checks on your hearing aid devices.

Contact us