Caring for your hearing aids likely seems easy enough. After all, you were likely given a set of care guidelines when you first purchased 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 may be wondering, what should my cleaning schedule 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?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in tip-top working order, look at the following tips.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really get along that well. While your hearing aids might offer a certain degree of water resistance, you typically want to keep them dry. Beyond the obvious, this means you should do things like the following:
- Keep a dehumidifier running during those more humid months. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids may be more moist more frequently. And that moisture 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!
- Find a dry and cool place to store your hearing aids when you’re not 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 store your hearing aids. And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, keep them in the same place every day. By the same token, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying about, 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 utilize hair spray or gel, take out your hearing aids. These types of products can really gunk up your devices.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
Earwax production is a healthy and normal thing for the human body to do. Hearing aid manufacturers are well aware of this. The majority of contemporary hearing aids incorporate features that are designed to deal with a moderate earwax production.
It’s up to you to be sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. So make swapping out your wax guard, when necessary, a routine part of your cleaning schedule. You can buy and utilize specialized cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for recommendations here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for the majority of models, it will be around once every month or so.
Tip #3: care for the batteries
Your Hearing aids rely on your batteries for power. The better your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. So there are several battery-care steps you can take:
- Don’t forget to shut off your devices when you aren’t using them. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. Because of this, when you most need your hearing aids, they may not be charged enough to function.
- Make sure 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 result in a bad time here.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: 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 spend most of their time in your ears. But they don’t get there by themselves. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. By design, hearing aids are really sensitive and likely won’t do well with things like crumbs.
In general, you should only touch your hearing aids with clean 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
It may feel like, once you have your hearing aids, you can leave your hearing specialist in the dust. In most cases, though, this isn’t the case. Here are several very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still important.:
- To help you fine-tune your fit.
- To keep track of and monitor the development of your hearing loss.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
What should you do when something breaks?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. You should get in touch with us as soon as possible in situations such as this.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get new ones if necessary.
Schedule an appointment with us today to discuss your current or next pair of hearing aids.