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Extend the Life of Your Hearing Aid With These Cleaning Tips

Since getting your hearing aids, you worry a lot less about what you’re missing and misunderstanding. In fact, you are feeling much less anxious in general and are enjoying life more than you haveA regular cleaning regimen will extend the life of your hearing aid in years. Don’t let this carefree attitude extend to the care of your hearing aids, however. Cleaning them each night will ensure that they continue to work properly and last as long as possible.

Caring for Your Hearing Aid Piece by Piece

Whether you have an in-the-ear (ITE) device or a behind-the-ear (BTE) device, you have three basic parts to take care of: the shell, the microphone, and the receiver.

The Shell

For the shell, the concern with an ITE device will be wax build-up, while for a BTE device the problem will be dirt and oils. With either device, you should do the following to thoroughly clean the shell:

  • Use a non-abrasive cloth or tissue to wipe the device down. You may slightly dampen the cloth to remove stubborn build-up.
  • You may need to use the brush provided by your hearing care specialist to remove stubborn grit or wax.
  • Do not use chemical cleaners or a dripping wet cloth on your hearing aid shells.

The Microphone

Great care should be taken when cleaning the microphone, as it is extremely delicate. Take the following steps when cleaning the microphone in either an ITE or BTE device:

  • Use the brush you have been given to gently brush away in wax or debris from the microphone port.
  • Hold the hearing aid upside down so that the microphone port is facing the table, preventing loosened debris from falling back into the port.
  • Do not poke anything into the microphone port.

The Receiver

After battery failure, wax build-up in the receiver is the most common cause of hearing aid failure. Properly cleaning the shell as described above will go a long way to preventing wax and debris in the receiver, but once it occurs, you can take the following steps to clean it:

  • Use the wax pick given to you with your hearing aid to scoop wax out of the receiver opening.
  • If your hearing aid has special wax guards or springs, discuss the cleaning of these pieces with your hearing aid specialist.
  • Be very gentle when cleaning the receiver as it is easily damaged by too much force.

We Are Always Here to Help

When you take home your hearing aids, we will explain and demonstrate all of these cleaning techniques. If you aren’t sure that you are doing it correctly, you are always free to return to the office for another demonstration. It is best to err on the side of caution and not attempt anything at home that might damage your hearing aid. Call us at 866-517-4415 with any questions you have about caring for your hearing aids.

Our Locations

Sarasota Office
1901 Floyd Street, 2nd Floor
Sarasota, FL, 34239
(941) 203-4233

Lakewood Ranch Office
8433 Enterprise Circle, Suite 150
Lakewood Ranch, FL, 34202
(941) 548-4227

Venice Office
400 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 260
Venice, FL, 34285
(941) 486-0950