Taking care of your hearing aids likely feels easy enough. After all, you were likely given a set of care instructions when you originally bought your devices. In regard to regular 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 often 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, simple-to-follow tips can help provide some answers, as well as simple ways to help in taking care of your hearing aids so they work better longer.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they should be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- Find a dry and cool place to store your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Understanding the best way to store your hearing aids can be somewhat of a challenge for lots of individuals. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a very good place to store your hearing aids. It also helps to store them in the same spot every day so you aren’t wondering where they went. By the same token, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying about, dogs like to eat them and cats love to play with them!
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. When it’s really humid, your hearing aids can have more dampness than you would want even inside. And the delicate electronics inside of your device will be compromised. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier running.
- Stay away from using hair products while your hearing aids are in. That is, take your hearing aids out before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really become 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 recognize is going to happen. As a result, most hearing aids are created to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to be sure there’s not too much earwax on your hearing aids. So make swapping out your wax guard, when needed, a regular part of your cleaning routine. Depending on which model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can assist you with that.
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for the majority of models, it will be around once a month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids going. The healthier your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your hearing aid will last. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- Don’t forget to switch off your devices when you aren’t wearing them. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. And that means your hearing aids could quit working when you really need them.
- Invest in a rechargeable hearing aid or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away again and again .
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery dry and clean. You can wipe them down with a clean cloth if they aren’t. As with electronics in general, moisture will result in a bad time here.
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. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really very good for them.
It’s important that you don’t handle your hearing aids with dirty hands. So before you put in or take out your hearing aids, give your hands a quick cleanse.
Tip #5 Keep up with your hearing specialist
You may assume that you won’t need any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. Generally, though, this isn’t the situation. Most individuals with hearing loss will want to schedule routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To keep track of and monitor the advancement of your hearing loss.
- To help make sure your devices fit well.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, in spite of your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (perhaps you accidentally step on them). You should contact us as soon as possible in situations such as this.
If your device requires any repairs, or you need a new one, we can help with that.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!