It probably feels like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. After all, you were most likely given a set of care instructions when you originally purchased your devices. Most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to in regard to routine hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting that much information at once means you probably didn’t retain some of it. So you could still have questions like, how often should I clean my hearing aid? What about my service schedule? How can I get the most life out of my hearing aids?
These five, simple-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as easy ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they function better longer.
Tip #1: Try not to let your hearing aids get wet
Electronics typically don’t do well with wetness. Hearing aids are slightly water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they should be kept as dry as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you need to do things like the following:
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids could be more moist more often. And that dampness can compromise the sensitive electronics inside. If you want to get the most life out of your hearing aid as you can, get that dehumidifier going!
- Find a dry and cool place to store your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Many individuals wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a great place to keep your hearing aids. And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, keep them in the same place every day. By the same token, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying about, dogs like to eat them and cats like to play with them!
- When you’re wearing your hearing aids, don’t use hair care products. When you’re going to utilize hair spray or gel, remove your hearing aids. Your hearing aid can really get gunked up from these kinds of products.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
Earwax production is a normal and healthy thing for the human body to do. It’s also something that hearing aid makers understand is going to occur. Most contemporary hearing aids include features that are designed to manage a modest earwax production.
It’s up to you to be sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means examining and swapping the wax guards when necessary (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning program). You can purchase and utilize special cleaning tools for this, depending on your hearing aid model (ask us for recommendations here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? You will swap these wax guards approximately once every month on the majority of models.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your Hearing aids rely on your batteries for power. Your hearing aid will last much longer if you keep your batteries fresh. So there are several battery-care steps you can take:
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery dry and clean. If they are dirty or wet, you can make use of a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. As with electronics in general, moisture will result in a bad time here.
- When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, don’t forget to switch the power off. Otherwise, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids might quit working when you really need them.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away over and over again.
Tip #4: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
Most of the time, your hearing aids should be in your ears. But they don’t get there by themselves. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending substances. Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really very good for them.
In general, you should only touch 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 Keep us in the loop
You may think that you won’t need any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this is not usually true. Most individuals who have hearing loss will want to make regular appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
- To track and monitor the advancement of your hearing loss.
- To help make sure your devices fit well.
What should you do when something breaks?
Occasionally, in spite of your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (maybe you accidentally step on them). When this takes place, you should get in touch with us as quickly as possible.
If your device requires any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Schedule an appointment with us today to talk about your current or next pair of hearing aids.
