How to clean and sanitize your hearing devices + accessories

Hearing aid tips from the trenches

Anita Stein-Meyers, AuD, CCC-A

We know it is always important to keep our technology clean and dry. Today, in the context of Covid-19, it is more critical than ever. All hearing devices and handheld accessories are subject to contact with our body parts, resulting in the possibility of unintentional transmission of germs and viruses.

In the interest of keeping your technology as clean and sanitary as possible, here are my care and cleaning tips, along with some resources provided by certain manufacturers. While it is always best to follow manufacturer guidelines, I hope you find these general recommendations helpful.

1. Getting Started – Always clean your hands before and after using any products.

2. Disinfectant – Use an anti-bacterial surface disinfectant. Do not use products with emollients such as those used in hand sanitizer products. Do not use products containing bleach.

3. Application – Never directly spray or soak your devices in any solution. Use an already pre-soaked disposable cloth or spray your solution onto a cloth and wipe all surfaces thoroughly. Discard cloth and do not re-use on other devices.

4. Important Tip – Ensure when wiping down your instruments that you do not allow the microphone opening to come in contact with excess liquid.

5. Electronic Dryer/Sanitizer – Consider the purchase of an electronic dryer/sanitizer specifically designed for hearing products. One example is the Dry and Store. Many contain a UV light which claims to further enhance the sanitizing process. With these, you must carefully wipe down your device, as noted above, prior to placing in the unit to remove all possible surface contaminants. These UV lights provide sanitizing through direct line of sight. This means that the lights can only work on the parts of the devices that are exposed so you may have to rotate your devices and run the unit slightly longer to ensure all surfaces have been exposed.

For additional DIY hearing aid care tips, check out my series of short videos on some of the most common maintenance needs.

CHC’s DIY hearing aid care videos » 

Here are helpful cleaning and sanitizing tips by Medel and Phonak.

Medel’s instructions for cleaning you audio processor »

Sanitizing Phonak’s Roger products in classrooms »

I hope this information will be helpful in keeping you and your family safe. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your audiologist. Or you can use the link below  to submit a question or inquire about our on-site or remote audiology services.

Contact us »

Request an appointment » 

Cleaning in-the-ear style hearing aids video

Replacing a hearing aid’s wax filter video

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