Hearing aids & Cleaning: How to get the most out of them

In this video, Emma discusses general cleaning of BTE, RIC and custom hearing aids in order to get the most out of them.
From daily cleaning and checking, when to change your domes and wax filters, when to clean or replace tubing, and keeping your hearing aids moisture-free.

[inesucrvenom]

Shower tip - I have a habit where before I start shower I put my fingers in my ears/on my ears to check if aids are there. So, head up, see shower head, put hands over ears, all good, start shower. I don't think where they are or rely on my memory - I just check automatically.
In 5+ years of wearing, zero shower accidents or any other water or similar encounters.

And I didn't clean them, since it wasn't needed. I had my new ones (paradise) checked with my fitter and he said they're in perfect condition, 9 months now. No wipes, no paper tissues, I sweat a lot and use hadbands all the time, but if it's that soaked to the point where sweat runs all over that I see droplets of sweat on the aids when I remove them then I'll use hairdryer on cool and blow them dry. Takes a minute or two, battery door open.
Once a month I'd slide the domes over tissue, or the receiver part where I notice some dead skin.
And I just put them on the table, or in some wooden box without lid or just in the drawer.

For old widexes I didn't even do hairdryer thing, but I wore them less and I wasn't sweating that much back then. And no one told me about changing dome so I had first for like 4 years or so and then it broke... went to buy new one and ended buying new aid because of new tech :D

One more idea when to change domes - if you see they're oily because silicone absorbed your wax over time even if you don't have wax problem (your ear still cleans itself all the time), they might not seal the same - change into new ones and check, you might be surprised.

[seanfallon]

Thank you for a very informative video as usual 👌

[ChangesOneTim]

Dirt/ sweat etc on the battery contacts in my Oticon Opn1 aids is the worst culprit for dullness and general poor performance. Seems that it penetrates around the switch unit so it cannot be a good seal. I expect better design for a two thousand quid piece of electronics!

I'm assuming that hearing aid spray (or indeed anything wet) should never be poked inside the battery doors, so I use carefully rolled up pieces of clean, dry tissue. The difference in clarity is amazing - a bit like unblocking a mic - but what's the 'professional' way to clean it, please?

[elmdcw]

Hi
Thanks for the info. I have custom shells for my RICs. Is there any benefit in cleaning the vents regularly? I use a dental brush to do this at the moment, but don't know if its achieving anything.

[RBEmerson]

Soaked electronics? HA's or cellphones, rice is your friend. It soaks up moisture. Very, very, very gentle hairdryer heat can help, too. If you can't keep fingers where the dryer's blowing - too hot. Neither is foolproof, if the device is compromised (broken seals, holes for mic's, jacks, etc.), and doesn't like water (camera, many cellphones), it may well be too late. But if you think something's too wet but still seems to work, rice is your friend. *
IP67 is a good rating for anything electronic - The "6" represents a maximum immersion for up to 30 minutes, at more than 1 meter, and the "7" represents dust tight. Dust storms are probably OK, a brief shower is sort of Ok, but stick with maybe a quick squirt from a misdirected garden hose, or lawn sprinkler.
* Sadly, if a device turns on, and seems OK, it may still fail as water moves around inside the device. Rice does not fix everything. As every parent says, "Timmy, if you don't take care of your toys, you won't have them".

[graydrever]

Another informative video. Thanks Emma

[TwelveDeck]

My audiologist's attitude toward domes and wax filters is that if you can afford hearing aids, you can afford to replace those items every two months. I've been doing that for a while and had no trouble.

[charlesjames]

Maintaining hearing aids., is a nightmare!!!! And why are they so expensive, when you consider, how small they are to ship, as an example.
When insurance covers these things, they are priced in the strosphere .