It most likely feels like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. After all, you were likely given a set of care instructions when you first bought your devices. With regard to routine hearing aid maintenance, most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. But it’s very 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 schedule look like? Or, how frequently should I have my hearing aid serviced? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as possible?
These five, easy-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as simple ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they work better longer.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Although your hearing aids might provide a certain amount of water resistance, you generally want to keep moisture away from them. Here are several ways to do just that:
- Keep a dehumidifier going during those more humid months. When it’s extremely humid, your hearing aids can have more moisture than you would want even indoors. And that dampness can compromise the delicate electronics inside. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as you can, get that dehumidifier going!
- Don’t use hair products while you’re wearing your hearing aids. 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 types of products.
- Find a dry and cool spot to store your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Many individuals question what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom isn’t going to be a great place to keep your hearing aids. It also helps to store them in the same spot every day so you’re not wondering where they went. By the same token, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying around, dogs like to eat them and cats love to play with them!
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body naturally produces earwax in a healthy way. It’s also something that hearing aid manufacturers recognize is going to take place. Consequently, most hearing aids are created to deal with a modest amount of earwax.
Your task is to make sure your hearing aids don’t become overloaded with ear wax. So make changing out your wax guard, when needed, a routine part of your cleaning regimen. Depending on which model hearing aid you have, you can invest in specialized little tools for this and we can help you with that.
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for most models, it will be about once a month or so.
Tip #3: care for the batteries
Your batteries keep your hearing aids going. The better your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your hearing aid will last. So there are a few battery-care steps you can take:
- Remember to shut off your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids might stop working when you really need them.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: 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. If they are dirty or wet, you can use a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. This is yet another place in 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 hands to put in your hearing aids, and those fingers could contain all kinds of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). Your hearing aids are delicate devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really very good for them.
It’s important that you don’t touch your hearing aids with dirty hands. So before you put in or take out your hearing aids, give your hands a quick wash.
Tip #5 Keep up with your hearing specialist
You may assume that you won’t require any assistance from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. Generally, though, this is not the case. Here are a number of very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still significant.:
- To keep track of and monitor the advancement of your hearing loss.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
What should you do when something breaks?
Sometimes, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. You should get in touch with us as soon as possible in cases like this.
We will be able to help you fix your devices, or get a new set if necessary.
Schedule an appointment with us today to discuss your current or next pair of hearing aids.