Senior Caretaking Tips: How to Clean Your Loved Ones Hearing Aids

While hearing technology works wonders to allow individuals with hearing loss to listen to the world around them, they require regular cleanings and maintenance to keep operating at peak performance. As a caretaker, you’ve likely come in contact with a hearing aid or two. Because of the hearing aid’s positioning, it’s often subjected to moisture and ear wax that can clog the device and stop working correctly.

By regularly cleaning your loved one’s hearing aids, you can ensure that they’ll have reliable hearing. Not sure where to start? El Dorado Hearing has mapped out a few tips and tricks for you to clean your loved one’s hearing aids correctly.

Why It’s Important to Clean Hearing Aids

Individuals rely on their hearing aids to help amplify noises and conversations around them. When well-maintained, they can expect their hearing aids to do just that. However, because the hearing aids are placed within the ear, they are subjected to moisture, wax, and dirt that can build up on the device and compromise sound quality. It can compromise the quality of sound, but if the hearing aids go uncleaned, it can lead to irreparable damage.

Tools Needed to Clean Hearing Aids

We recommend gathering the following tools to clean your loved one’s hearing aids correctly:

• Hearing aid cleaning brush – A cleaning brush is ideal for cleaning the body, faceplate, and sound port of the hearing aids without causing any damage due to the soft bristles.
• Wax pick – If wax or dirt is stuck in the different nooks and holes of the hearing aids, you can safely use a wax pick to dislodge the grime without causing damage.
• Multi-tool – For ease, you may want to consider a multi-tool that contains both a brush and a wax pick in one.

How to Clean Hearing Aids

The process for cleaning your loved one’s hearing aids will differ slightly depending on if they wear in the ear (ITE) hearing aids or behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids.

ITE Hearing Aids

Follow these steps you find yourself cleaning in the ear hearing aids:

• Use a hearing aid cleaning brush to clean the openings of the hearing aid of any excess earwax, including the microphone ports.
• Then, use a wax pick to clear out debris from the nooks and holes that you couldn’t dislodge with the brush.
• After cleaning the ports and nooks of the hearing aids, wipe down the entire hearing aid with a dry cloth.

BTE Hearing Aids

Follow these steps you find yourself cleaning behind the ear hearing aids:

• Use a hearing aid cleaning brush or dry cloth to clean the openings of the hearing aid of any excess earwax, including the microphone ports.
• Remove the earmold from the hearing aid to clean it separately. Depending on the material of the earmold, it may gradually become discolored. Soaking the earmold in soapy water weekly will help prevent staining and discoloration.
• Clear out water from the tubing and allow the earmold to completely dry overnight before using.

Call El Dorado Hearing If You Uncover a Problem with Your Loved One’s Hearing Aids

Keeping your loved one’s hearing aids clean will keep them more comfortable and ensure that they’re able to converse and interact with the world around them. You must learn to properly clean the hearing devices to maximize their lifespan and keep them operating at peak performance.

If you uncover a problem with their hearing aid during the cleaning process, don’t hesitate to reach out to the skilled team at El Dorado Hearing. Give us a call if you suspect their hearing aids need repair or cleaning beyond what you do yourself.