Caring for your hearing aids probably seems easy enough. After all, you were most likely given a set of care instructions when you initially bought your devices. The majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to in regard to routine hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting that much information at once means you most likely didn’t retain some of it. So you still may be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? What about my service schedule? How can I get the most life out of my hearing aids?
These five, easy-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as easy ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they function better longer.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Electronics typically don’t do well with moisture. Hearing aids are slightly water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they should be kept as dry as possible. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Keep a dehumidifier going during those more humid months. When it’s really humid, your hearing aids can have more moisture than you would want even inside. And the fragile electronics inside of your device can be damaged. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as you can, get that dehumidifier running!
- When you’re wearing your hearing aids, don’t use hair care products. That is, take your hearing aids out before using a lot of hair spray or hair gel. These types of products can really gunk up your devices.
- Store your hearing aids someplace cool and dry. Many individuals wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. Well, don’t, for example, keep them in your bathroom (which gets nice and steamy at least once every day). And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, keep them in the same spot every day. In the same way, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying about, dogs love to eat them and cats love to play with them!
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
The human body normally generates earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid makers are well aware of this. Consequently, most hearing aids are created to deal with a modest amount of earwax.
Your job is to make sure your hearing aids don’t become overwhelmed with ear wax. So make swapping out your wax guard, when necessary, a routine part of your cleaning regimen. Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can help you with that.
How often should wax guards be replaced? Well, for most models, it will be about once a month or so.
Tip #3: care for the batteries
Your Hearing aids rely on your batteries for power. Your hearing aid will last much longer if you keep your batteries fresh. The following are some tips for battery care:
- Don’t forget to turn off your devices when you aren’t wearing them. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids could quit working when you least want them to.
- Be 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. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: This will save you a lot of money on wasted batteries.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your devices
Your hearing aids are going to spend most of their time in your ears. But they depend on you to put them in. Your hands (which are required in order to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. Your hearing aids are delicate devices by design, so crumbs aren’t exactly great for them.
Generally, you should only handle 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 Stay in touch with your hearing specialist
You may assume that you won’t require any help 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 relevant.:
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
- To help you adjust your fit.
- Check the status of your hearing loss (making sure it isn’t advancing quicker than expected).
What should you do when something breaks?
Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (perhaps you accidentally step on them). When this takes place, you should contact us as quickly as possible.
If your hearing aid needs any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Want to speak with us about your next pair of hearing aids? Make an appointment today!