It most likely seems like a simple thing to take care of your hearing aids. When you first obtained your hearing aids, you probably got a set of care guidelines, after all. Most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to when it comes to regular hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting all of that information at once means you probably didn’t retain 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 possible?
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 function better longer.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Electronics usually don’t like wetness. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they should be kept as free from moisture as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you should do things like the following:
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, don’t use hair care products. When you’re going to use hair spray or gel, take out your hearing aids. Your hearing aid can really get gunked up from these types of products.
- Keep a dehumidifier running during those more humid months. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids might be more damp more often. And that moisture can compromise the delicate electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life might mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
- Store your hearing aids someplace dry and cool. Many individuals wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a very good place to store your hearing aids. And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, store 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 love to play with them!
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
The human body normally produces earwax in a healthy way. It’s also something that hearing aid makers understand is going to happen. Consequently, most hearing aids are created to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to make sure there’s not too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means examining and swapping the wax guards when needed (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning schedule). You can purchase and utilize special cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for recommendations here).
How frequently should wax guards be replaced? Well, for the majority of models, it will be about once a month or so.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. Your hearing aid will last a lot longer if you keep your batteries fresh. The following are some tips for battery care:
- Remember to switch off your devices when you aren’t using them. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. For this reason, when you most need your hearing aids, they may not be charged enough to work.
- Make certain all of the battery contacts and components are 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.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away again and again .
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 don’t get there by themselves. You use your fingers to put your hearing aids in, and those fingers could contain all types of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). By design, hearing aids are really 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 before you put in or take out your hearing aids, give your hands a quick wash.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
It might seem like, once you have your hearing aids, you can leave your hearing specialist in the dust. Usually, though, this isn’t the situation. Here are a few very good reasons why scheduling regular appointments with us is still important.:
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To keep track of and monitor the progression of your hearing loss.
- To help you adjust your fit.
What should you do when something breaks?
Sometimes, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. When this takes place, you should contact us as quickly as possible.
If your device needs 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? Make an appointment today!