Our Best Hearing Aid Cleaning Tips

Our Best Hearing Aid Cleaning Tips

We work with people who depend on their hearing aids or hearing assistive devices every day. Over the years, we’ve helped solve a myriad of hearing aid-related issues with helpful advice and reliable products.

Our customers depend on us for better hearing, and ultimately their safety and independence. When it comes to ensuring your hearing aids last a long time and perform at their best, properly cleaning them is one of most important things you can do. Luckily, cleaning hearing aids also is one of the easiest things you can do.

When you clean hearing aids, you’re addressing the three biggest threats:

  1. Dirt, debris and ear wax (also called cerumen)
  2. Germs, bacteria, and sanitation
  3. Moisture and sweat

Dirt, debris and ear wax do build up on hearing aids, and will eventually affect your ability to hear as well as you should. No fancy cleaning tool is required. A trusty 3-in-1 brush handles the job just fine. We highly recommend this cleaning tool. It combines a brush, magnet and wire loop tool to keep hearing aids clean. Bonus, the magnet makes changing batteries a breeze.

Pay special attention to the tubing in your hearing aids. Any wax build-up in the tubing should be removed. A simple vent cleaner, like this long, thin cleaning wire, can push out any accumulated wax and dirt. We like this vent cleaner because it’s free of handles and other pieces, as well easily threaded through tubes.

A hearing aid vacuum is a wise investment for those who work in a dirty environment where hearing aids are exposed to more-than-usual dirt, debris, and sweat. A quality hearing aid vacuum can quickly eliminate moisture and debris. Our best-selling model is the powerful Jodi Consumer hearing aid vacuum that thoroughly cleans wax from the hearing aid's speaker opening to help maintain sound quality and prevent costly repairs. Its small size makes it easy to take anywhere. Serene Innovations’ Model HC-200 hearing aid vacuum is a great alternative in the handheld (battery operated) category, delivering optimal cleaning with an easy-to-use design.

Since these tools are small and the vacuums have small parts, they can be difficult for those with limited dexterity to use. In that case, PerfectClean is a patented innovation specifically developed for safely and effectively removing earwax, plus disinfecting and drying BTE (behind the ear) hearing aids in one hour.

No matter your level of activity, germs, and bacteria from sweat and environmental contaminants will build up on hearing aids after regular use. This can quickly lead to discomfort, including itch and irritation. UV-C sanitization devices make your hearing aids inhospitable surfaces for microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and mold. We highly recommend an extended-life UV light that won’t require regular replacement, like our bestseller, PerfectDry Lux that disinfects and dries. For earmold users, consider a cleaning spray to keep them comfortable.

ADCO carries the widest selection of hearing aid cleaning kits and supplies to make cleaning your hearing aid or other assistive devices easier than ever. From the products we recommend above to wipeswax guards and all-inclusive kits, you won’t have to worry about earwax, dirt, or germs shortening your hearing aids’ lifespan or performance.

Still have questions? Please call our product experts at 800-726-0851 and allow us the opportunity to create a care plan that works for you.