During the COVID-19 outbreak, it has become more important than ever to keep your hearing aids clean. Regular cleaning and maintenance not only increase the life of your hearing aids but also ensure that they function well for optimum communication.
Here are a few at-home hearing aid care and maintenance tips that will help you keep your devices in good working condition:
Whether you use in-the-ear style (ITE, HS, ITC, CIC, or IIC), receiver-in-canal (RIC), or behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids, there are three parts that require regular care and maintenance.
Debris or wax on the shell or casing can cause discomfort in the ear or affect the fit or the function of the built-in controls (buttons and volume wheels). Earwax tends to build up in the bent areas of the shell that are fitted in the ear canal. Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids can accumulate oil and dirt in any of the seams or microphone openings.
Use these tips to clean the shell:
The microphone requires some special care, as it is an essential component in your hearing aids. It picks up sound that is then processed and amplified by your hearing aid.
Tips for cleaning the microphone:
Hearing aids often fail due to the wax or oil build-up in the receiver. The wax build-up can be prevented by cleaning the receiver every day. Additional cleaning is required when the wax blocks the receiver.
Here a few tips to clean the receiver:
With these home-care tips, you can maintain your hearing aids while staying home.
Clean your hearing aids every day to keep them free of wax and debris. You may find that wax comes off your devices more easily at the end of the day since it is still soft and warm vs. the next day when it has dried and hardened.
Hearing aids should also be professionally cleaned every six months or as recommended by your audiologist. Your audiologist has special tools to remove wax from the areas that are difficult to clean at home, and they know how to safely clean the microphone, receiver, and vents.
For further clarification and assistance on hearing aid cleaning, contact us by phone or schedule a telehealth visit with us. We will let you know whether an in-person visit is required. We are also offering a drive-up service for hearing aid repairs, cleaning, and supplies purchases.
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