It most likely seems like a simple thing to take care of your hearing aids. After all, you were most likely given a set of care guidelines when you first bought your devices. The majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to when it comes to routine hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting that much information at once means you most likely didn’t remember some of it. So you still might be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? Or, how often should I have my hearing aid serviced? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as I can?
These five, simple-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as simple ways to help in taking care of your hearing aids so they work better longer.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to 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 should be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- Keep your hearing aids somewhere dry and cool. Many people wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a great place to store your hearing aids. It also helps to store them in the same spot every day so you’re not wondering where you put them. In the same way, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying around, dogs love to eat them and cats love to play with them!
- Don’t use hair products while your hearing aids are in. When you’re going to use hair spray or gel, remove your hearing aids. These types of products can really gunk up your devices.
- Keep a dehumidifier going during those more humid months. Even inside, high humidity means your hearing aids might be more moist more often. And that dampness can compromise the sensitive electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier running.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
Earwax production is a normal and healthy thing for the human body to do. Hearing aid manufacturers are well aware of this. Most modern hearing aids have features that are designed to deal with a moderate earwax production.
Your task is to make sure your hearing aids don’t become overloaded with ear wax. So make changing out your wax guard, when necessary, a routine element of your cleaning schedule. Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can invest in 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 about once a month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids going. Your hearing aid will last much longer if you keep your batteries fresh. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable hearing aid: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away again and again .
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery clean and dry. You can wipe them down with a clean cloth if they aren’t. This is yet another place in your device where moisture is the enemy.
- When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, remember to turn them off. This just kills the battery for, well, no good reason. For this reason, when you need your hearing aids the most, they might not be charged enough to function.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your hearing aids
Most of the time, you should be wearing your hearing aids. But they don’t get there by themselves. You use your hands to put your hearing aids in, and those hands could contain all sorts of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). By design, hearing aids are very delicate and likely won’t do well with things like crumbs.
Generally, you should only touch your hearing aids with clean hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you need to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
You may assume that you won’t require any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this isn’t normally correct. Here are a number of very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still relevant.:
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
- To keep track of and monitor the progression of your hearing loss.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (perhaps 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.
If your device requires any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Make an appointment with us today to discuss your current or next pair of hearing aids.