Caring for your hearing aids probably feels simple enough. After all, you were likely given a set of care guidelines when you first bought your devices. In 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 still may be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? How about my service schedule? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as possible?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in tip-top working order, check out the following tips.
Tip #1: Try not to let your hearing aids get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really get along that well. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they need to be kept as dry as possible. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Store your hearing aids somewhere dry and cool. Many people wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. Well, don’t, for example, store them in your bathroom (which gets really steamy at least once every day). It also helps to keep them in the same place every day so you’re not wondering 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 about.
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, 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.
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids may be more damp more frequently. And the delicate electronics inside of your device can be damaged. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
The human body naturally produces earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. Consequently, most hearing aids are designed to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
Your job is to make sure your hearing aids don’t become inundated with ear wax. This means inspecting and replacing the wax guards when needed (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning program). Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can invest in specialized little tools for this and we can assist you with that.
How frequently should wax guards be swapped? Well, for the majority of models, it will be around once every month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your Hearing aids rely on your batteries for power. The better your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. The following are some tips for battery care:
- Make certain all of the battery contacts and components are dry. If they are dirty or wet, you can use a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. As with electronics in general, moisture will lead to a bad outcome here.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away again and again .
- Don’t forget to turn off your devices when you aren’t using them. Otherwise, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids could stop working when you least want them to.
Tip #4: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
The majority of the time, you should be wearing your hearing aids. But they don’t get there by themselves. Your hands (which are required in order to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. By design, hearing aids are very delicate and likely won’t do well with things like crumbs.
It’s essential that you don’t handle your hearing aids with dirty hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you need to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Keep up with your hearing specialist
You may assume that you won’t require any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this is not usually correct. Most people who have hearing loss will want to set up routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
- Keep an eye on the status of your hearing loss (making sure it’s not progressing faster than expected).
- To help you fine-tune your fit.
What should you do when something breaks?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. When this happens, you should get in touch with us as quickly as possible.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get a new set if needed.
Want to speak with us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!