How to clean your hearing aids properly without damaging them in the attempt?

(CNN) – In times of pandemic, when we’ve been worrying about clean hands for months and months, there may be a few things you can overlook as you use hand sanitizer over and over again. The bacteria that accumulate on all your mobile devices such as phones, computers, and why not, hearing aids.

Based on information from different brands, there are some steps you can take to ensure that you are properly cleaning your AirPods or headphones of any brand. The important thing is that you remove the impurities from the hearing aids, which are sure to be with you most of the day.

Clean the surface of your hearing aids

Apple recommends Gently clean the outer surfaces of your hearing aids with towels containing 70% isopropyl alcohol, 75% ethyl alcohol, or Clorox disinfectant wipes.

According to Samsung, “Dust, wax, and other debris can accumulate on the headphones, making the audio appear muffled or preventing the headphones from charging properly.”

Huawei recommends clean “the charging contact points of the headphones and the charging case at least once a week”.

Don’t use bleach

Brands recommend not using products that contain bleach or hydrogen peroxide to clean your hearing aids, as it could damage them.

Do not immerse the hearing aids in liquids

Prevent the openings of your hearing aids from getting wet and do not immerse them in any type of cleaning liquid such as soaps, shampoo, conditioners, creams, perfumes, solvents, detergent, acids or acidic foods, insect repellent, sun screens, oil or tincture for hair, as you could damage them.

“AirPods Pro are waterproof, but they are not waterproof,” says Apple. “The AirPods Pro wireless charging case is not waterproof or waterproof, so be careful not to let moisture get into the openings.”

For Samsung brand hearing aids, for example, the brand recommends not holding them in an upright position to prevent some substance from entering them and not using liquids such as alcohol or soapy water “to prevent particles or liquids from falling into them.”

What to do if this happens?

Clean the hearing aids by moistening a cloth with water as soon as possible and wiping them with a soft, dry cloth. And only use them when they are completely dry.

“By keeping your AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, or EarPods (and your skin as well) are kept clean and dry, you’ll maximize comfort and prevent long-term damage to the device,” says Apple.

How to clean fingerprints or grease stains on the surface

The Huawei brand recommends cleaning the surface of the hearing aids with a cotton swab with alcohol, without immersing the hearing aids in that liquid.

Objects in the holes of the headphones

“If foreign objects get into the windproof holes, it is recommended to use a soft brush to gently remove them,” Huawei recommends. In the same way, you can clean the metal mesh inside these.

Make sure to clean your ears

Samsung advises that you clean and dry your ears thoroughly before using hearing aids.

“You should only use the headphones in dry conditions and they should be clean before you put them in the charging case,” says the brand.

Clean the inside of the headphones

You can take the headphones apart, depending on the brand’s specifications, and clean them from the inside with a cotton swab to remove the residue.