Hearing aids are an invaluable little piece of audio engineering. They make everyday life for impaired people with deteriorating hearing that much easier, as well as giving their ears a much longer functioning lifespan.
It is no small exaggeration to say that many people’s lives would be much more difficult, and much emptier, without them.
There is a wide range of hearing aid providers on the market these days. Probably the biggest company and provider that everyone has heard of is Phonak.
Being founded in Zurich in 1947, they have a long history of developing and selling these products, and that is on full display in their range and support for modern hearing aid products.
With many design elements being shared between these tools, being able to use, maintain, and clean one of these products means that you won’t just be able to look after yours, but will have the skills and tools needed to care for many of their other models as well.
In this article, we are going to explain why exactly it is important to clean your hearing aid, as well as show you how to do just that.
We’re also going to go over some extra information on the things you can do to keep your hearing aid well-maintained and to extend its usable lifespan as well.
Why You Should Regularly Clean Your Hearing Aid
Before we get any further, we should probably explain why it is a good idea to know how to clean your hearing aid in the first place.
After all, it is only a small piece of equipment, and it isn’t exactly difficult to find a new one, so why is maintenance so important.
Well, aside from the fact that hearing aids, especially from a premium name such as Phonak, can get pretty expensive very easily, there are a whole host of reasons that you would need to know how to clean your hearing aid.
The main reason for cleaning your hearing aid is the same reason that you should also be cleaning your ears regularly: they need to be clean to work properly!
Your ears naturally build up in debris and materials over time, with ear wax and other bodily functions, as well as dirt from the outside world.
Usually, when it comes to your ears, they have natural mechanisms for keeping the amount of dirt and debris in them relatively low, with only the occasional good clean-out necessary.
However, if you tend to keep your hearing aid in your ear most of the time, you may find that the quality of sound starts to deteriorate over time, as the microphone and receiver start to be filled with that buildup of dirt.
Considering how hearing without a hearing aid is difficult most of the time as it already stands, you don’t want a muffled piece of barely-functioning equipment there to complicate things!
Not only that, but the build-up of dirt can cause permanent damage to the hearing aid.
It is especially true on hot summer days, where, rather gruesomely, the build-up of wax and other dirt can melt into the hearing aid, causing it to potentially malfunction and stop working completely.
So, if you want to avoid this situation, it pays to know how to clean it in advance.
How To Properly Clean Your Hearing Aid
Ideally, hearing aids should be cleaned very regularly, at least once every one or two days if possible.
There are two types of model hearing aids: In the ear, and behind the ear, and require slightly different cleaning methods for each kind.
In-Ear Hearing Aid
- Focus whatever cleaning methods you are using on the opening of the hearing aid, as this is where most of the dirt will likely build up. If you are cleaning a sensitive part, such as the microphone, make sure to use a brush with a soft bristle, so you won’t damage it.
- Make sure that the areas you are cleaning are facing down over whatever you are cleaning the hearing aid over. Cleaning facing upwards can cause dirt to become lodged in the device, which may potentially damage it further.
- Once you have gotten rid of as much dirt with a brush or wipe as possible, get rid of any remaining debris with a loop or wax pick.
- Once you are done cleaning, wipe the whole hearing aid with a dry clean item, such as a tissue or cloth.
Behind The Ear Hearing Aid
- First, you need to remove the hearing aid mold from the ear hook it is attached to.
- Make sure to wipe the earmold to remove any debris that has built up over the day.
- You can also wash the hearing aid mold in warm soapy water, and allow it to dry on its overnight. This should be done roughly every week if you want to get rid of any built-up discoloration
- Remove any water that is in the tubing, either by letting it dry overnight or by using a bulb bower.
How To Maintain And Care For Your Hearing Aid
- Make sure that you get into a routine when it comes to cleaning your hearing aids. Infrequent cleaning can be one of the reasons why your hearing aids seem to break much sooner than you expect.
- Make sure you have the appropriate tools for cleaning.
- Make sure that you have your hearing aids professionally cleaned every few months at least. They will be able to do a much more thorough clean and give you maintenance tips.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, hearing aids are quite a difficult item to clean, thanks to their sensitive components and small size.
However, once you have gotten the hang of it, it is an invaluable skill that will help both yourself and those around you.