Taking care of your hearing aids probably feels easy enough. After all, you were likely given a set of care instructions when you first purchased your devices. With regard to routine hearing aid maintenance, most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. Still, getting all of that information at once means you probably didn’t remember some of it. So you still may 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: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Although your hearing aids may offer a certain degree of water resistance, you generally want to keep them dry. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Find a dry and cool spot to keep your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Many individuals wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom isn’t going to be a very good place to keep 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 like to eat them and cats love to play with them!
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. Even inside, high humidity means your hearing aids may be more moist more often. And the fragile electronics inside of your device will be compromised. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as possible, get that dehumidifier running!
- When you’re wearing your hearing aids, avoid using hair care products. That is, take your hearing aids out before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really become gunked up from these types of products.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
Earwax production is a normal and healthy thing for the human body to do. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. Consequently, most hearing aids are created to deal with a modest amount of earwax.
Your task is to make sure your hearing aids don’t become overwhelmed with ear wax. This means examining and replacing the wax guards when needed (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning schedule). Depending on which model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can help you with that.
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for most models, it will be around once a month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your Hearing aids depend on your batteries for power. Your hearing aid will last a lot longer if you keep your batteries fresh. So there are a few battery-care steps you can take:
- Don’t forget to switch off your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. This just kills the battery for, well, no good reason. For this reason, when you need your hearing aids the most, they may not be charged enough to work.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable hearing aid: This will save you lots of money on wasted batteries.
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery clean and dry. 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.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your hearing aids
Your hearing aids are going to be in your ears most of the time. But they depend on you to put them in. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really great for them.
In general, you should only touch your hearing aids with clean hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you need to take them out and handle them.
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. Typically, though, this is not the case. Most people with hearing loss will want to schedule regular appointments with us for the following reasons:
- Keep an eye on the status of your hearing loss (making sure it’s not advancing faster than expected).
- To help make sure your devices fit well.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
When something breaks, what should you do?
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 you can.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get a new set if necessary.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!