It most likely feels like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. When you initially obtained your hearing aids, you probably got a set of care guidelines, after all. With regard to routine hearing aid maintenance, most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. But it’s very likely that you might forget some of that information that you got all at once. So you may still have questions like, how frequently should I clean my hearing aid? Or, how frequently should I have my hearing aid serviced? How can I get the most life from my hearing aids?
These five, simple-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as easy ways to help in taking care of your hearing aids so they work better longer.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Electronics generally don’t do well with moisture. Hearing aids are slightly water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they need to be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- Find a dry and cool place to store your hearing aids when you aren’t using them. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for many individuals. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a very good place to keep your hearing aids. And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, store them in the same place every day. Also, cats love to play with hearing aids and dogs will sometimes try to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying about.
- Keep a dehumidifier going during those more humid months. When it’s really humid, your hearing aids can have more dampness than you would want even inside. And the delicate 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 going!
- When you’re wearing your hearing aids, avoid using hair care products. When you’re going to use hair spray or gel, take out your hearing aids. These kinds of products can really gunk up your devices.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
The human body normally generates 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 modest amount of earwax.
Your job is to be certain your hearing aids don’t become overloaded with ear wax. So make swapping out your wax guard, when necessary, a routine part of your cleaning routine. Depending on which model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can help you with that.
How frequently should wax guards be swapped? Well, for the majority of models, it will be around once every 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 shut off your hearing aids when you aren’t using them. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. And that means your hearing aids could quit working when you really need them.
- 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. As with most electronics, moisture will result in a bad outcome 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: Only use clean hands to handle your hearing aids
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. By design, hearing aids are very sensitive and likely won’t do well with things like crumbs.
It’s important that you don’t handle your hearing aids with dirty hands. So give your hands a quick wash before you need to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Stay in touch with your hearing specialist
It may seem like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can leave your hearing specialist in the dust. In most cases, though, this isn’t the case. Most people with hearing loss will want to make routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
- Check the status of your hearing loss (making sure it isn’t progressing quicker than expected).
What should you do when something breaks?
Sometimes, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. When this occurs, you should get in touch with 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? Schedule an appointment today!