Ask An Audiologist: Do I need to clean my hearing aids daily?

As Signia’s Senior Audiologist based in Thailand, Phakhawan Srijan (Olive)’s experience in the hearing aid industry goes back a long way. She started with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1993 and continued with a Master’s Degree of Arts in Communication Disorders. It was after that when she specialized in audiology and joined the Signia family in 2002. With many years of experience under her belt, Olive is a familiar and trusted face in the industry.

Today we ask her: “Do I need to clean my hearing aids daily?”

People easily tend to get lazy about cleaning their hearing aids, as we often do not have the time or energy after a long day at work. As an audiologist, I always tell my consumers that for hygiene and functionality purposes, it is essential to clean your hearing aids daily. Some of them have learned hard lessons from not properly maintaining their hearing aids!

I have heard a case where a consumer only cleaned his hearing aid after a long period of use. He forcefully tried to clean out stubborn ear wax accumulated and accidentally damaged the housing of the hearing aid. Instead of bringing it to his hearing care professional for advice, he tried to repair the hearing aid with glue! Unfortunately, the glue repaired the housing, but also wound up on the internal components causing them to malfunction. Lesson learned – daily quick maintenance is better than causing irreparable damage!

Here are some quick tips on daily maintenance:

By following a few basic rules, this can quickly become a part of your daily routine.

• Clean your hearing aids and earpieces daily with a soft, dry tissue/cleaning wipes for hearing aids.
• Squeeze the tip of the earpiece to clear cerumen (ear wax) accumulated in the earpiece.
• Never use running water or immerse the devices in water.
• Never apply pressure while cleaning.
• After cleaning make sure to dry your hearing aids appropriately.
• Rechargeable hearing aids: Place your hearing instruments in the recommended Signia Smart Dryer that allows simultaneous drying and charging of our products (Follow the instructions in the charger’s user guide)
• Non-rechargeable hearing aids: Place your hearing instruments in the dehumidifier or drying jar with the battery compartment door opened. The battery can be left inside the battery compartment during this process (Follow the instructions in user guide).
• For longer periods of non-use, store your hearing instruments with an open battery compartment door. In this situation, we recommend removing the batteries from the devices to avoid any moisture accumulating inside.

It is especially important to pay attention when your hearing care professional is teaching you how to take care of your hearing aid!

I have met a consumer who neglected to pay attention and purchased the wrong size of the hearing aid battery. When he tried to change the battery of his device, the battery door would not close because of the wrong battery size! Unfortunately, this was another case that did not end well. The consumer tried to forcefully close the battery door, which eventually broke the battery door.

You do not want to make these costly mistakes, so keep these tips in mind when maintaining your hearing aids. If you have any doubts or are unsure, always make sure to give your hearing care professional a call!

If you feel that you are having problems with your hearing and would like to find out more, you can use our handy Store Locator to find your nearest hearing care professional!