It most likely seems like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. When you initially obtained your hearing aids, you most likely got a set of care instructions, after all. The majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to when it comes to regular hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting that much information at once means you most likely didn’t retain some of it. So you still might be wondering, what should my cleaning schedule look like? Or, how frequently should I get 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, check out the following tips.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they should be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, don’t use hair care products. That is, remove your hearing aids before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really get gunked up from these types of products.
- When it’s humid outside, run a dehumidifier. Even inside, high humidity means your hearing aids could be more moist more often. And the fragile electronics inside of your device can be compromised. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier running.
- Store your hearing aids someplace cool and dry. Many people question 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). And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, keep them in the same spot 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
Earwax production is a healthy and normal thing for the human body to do. It’s also something that hearing aid designers recognize is going to take place. As a result, most hearing aids are designed to deal with a modest amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to make sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. So make swapping out your wax guard, when needed, a routine element of your cleaning regimen. You can invest in and utilize special cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for recommendations here).
How often should wax guards be swapped? You will change these wax guards approximately once every month on most models.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your batteries keep your hearing aids going. The healthier your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your hearing aid will last. So there are a few battery-care steps you can take:
- When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, remember to switch the power off. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. For this reason, when you need your hearing aids the most, they might not be charged enough to work.
- 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 part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
- Invest in a rechargeable hearing aid or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away over and over again.
Tip #4: Wash your hands before handling 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. Your hands (which are required in order to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all sorts of offending substances. By design, hearing aids are very delicate and probably won’t do well with things like crumbs.
It’s essential that you don’t touch your hearing aids with dirty hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you need to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Stay in touch with your hearing specialist
You might presume that you won’t require any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this is not typically true. Here are several very good reasons why scheduling regular appointments with us is still relevant.:
- Keep an eye on the status of your hearing loss (making sure it isn’t advancing quicker than expected).
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. You should call us as soon as you can in cases such as this.
If your device requires any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Want to speak with us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!