It probably seems like a simple thing to take care of your hearing aids. When you initially obtained your hearing aids, you most likely got a set of care guidelines, after all. With regard to routine hearing aid maintenance, most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. But it’s quite likely that you might forget some of that information that you got all at once. So you could still have questions like, how frequently should I clean my hearing aid? How about my service schedule? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as I can?
These five, easy-to-follow tips can help provide some answers, as well as simple ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they function better longer.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Electronics usually don’t do well with moisture. While your hearing aids may provide a certain amount of water resistance, you generally want to keep them dry. Beyond the obvious, this means you should do things like the following:
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids might be more moist more frequently. And that dampness can compromise the delicate electronics inside. If you want to get the most life out of your hearing aid as you can, get that dehumidifier going!
- Keep your hearing aids someplace dry and cool. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for lots of people. Well, don’t, for example, store them in your bathroom (which gets really steamy at least once a day). It also helps to store them in the same place every day so you aren’t trying to figure out where they went. Also, cats like to play with hearing aids and dogs will sometimes attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying around.
- Stay away from using hair products while you’re wearing your hearing aids. When you’re going to utilize hair spray or gel, take out your hearing aids. These kinds of products can really gunk up your devices.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
Earwax production is a healthy and normal thing for the human body to do. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. The majority of contemporary hearing aids have features that are created to manage a moderate earwax production.
It’s up to you to make sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. So make swapping out your wax guard, when necessary, a routine part of your cleaning routine. You can buy and utilize special cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for recommendations here).
How frequently should wax guards be replaced? You will change these wax guards about once every month on the majority of models.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. The better your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. So there are several battery-care steps you can take:
- Don’t forget to shut off your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. And that means your hearing aids may quit working when you least want them to.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: This will save you lots of money on wasted batteries.
- Be sure all of the battery contacts and components are dry. If they are dirty or wet, you can make use of a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
Tip #4: Wash your hands before handling your hearing aids
Your hearing aids are going to be in your ears most of the time. But they depend on you to put them in. You use your fingers to put your hearing aids in, and those fingers could contain all types of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). Your hearing aids are delicate devices by design, so crumbs aren’t exactly very good for them.
In general, you should only handle your hearing aids with clean hands. So before you put in or take out your hearing aids, give your hands a quick cleanse.
Tip #5 Stay in touch with your hearing specialist
It may feel like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can leave your hearing specialist in the dust. In most cases, though, this isn’t the situation. Here are a number of very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still relevant.:
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To keep track of and monitor the progression of your hearing loss.
- To help you fine-tune your fit.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. You should get in touch with us as soon as possible in cases such as this.
If your device needs any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!
