Caring for your hearing aids probably seems easy enough. After all, you were likely given a set of care instructions when you originally bought your devices. With regard to regular hearing aid maintenance, the majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. Still, getting that much information at once means you most likely didn’t remember some of it. So you might still have questions like, how often should I clean my hearing aid? How about my service schedule? How can I get the most life out of my hearing aids?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in good working order, look at the following tips.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Electronics generally don’t do well with wetness. Hearing aids are slightly water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they need to be kept as free from moisture as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you need to do things like the following:
- Avoid using hair products while your hearing aids are in. That is, take your hearing aids out before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. These kinds of products can really gunk up your devices.
- When it’s humid outside, run a dehumidifier. When it’s extremely humid, your hearing aids can have more dampness than you would want even indoors. And the fragile electronics inside of your device can be compromised. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as possible, get that dehumidifier going!
- Find a cool and dry spot to store your hearing aids when you aren’t using them. Many individuals wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. Well, don’t, for instance, store them in your bathroom (which gets nice and steamy at least once a day). It also helps to store them in the same spot every day so you aren’t trying to figure out where you put them. 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 naturally produces earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. As a result, most hearing aids are designed to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to be sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means examining and replacing the wax guards when necessary (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning routine). You can purchase and utilize special cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for guidance here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? You will change these wax guards about once every month on most models.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your Hearing aids count on your batteries for power. Your hearing aid will last much longer if you keep your batteries fresh. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- When you’re not using your hearing aids, don’t forget to turn them off. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids might stop working when you least want them to.
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery dry and clean. If they are dirty or wet, you can make use of a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away over and over again.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your hearing aids
The majority of the time, your hearing aids should be in your ears. 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 sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t exactly very good for them.
In general, you should only handle your hearing aids with clean hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you have to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Keep up with your hearing specialist
It might feel like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. Typically, though, this isn’t the case. Here are several very good reasons why scheduling regular appointments with us is still important.:
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- Keep track of the status of your hearing loss (making certain it’s not progressing quicker than expected).
- To help you fine-tune your fit.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (perhaps you accidentally step on them). When this takes place, you should get in touch with us as quickly as possible.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get new ones if necessary.
Want to speak with us about your next pair of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!
