It probably feels like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. After all, you were probably given a set of care guidelines when you first purchased 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 all of that information at once means you most likely didn’t retain some of it. So you still might be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? How about my service schedule? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as possible?
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 get along that well. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they should be kept as dry as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you need to do things like the following:
- Find a cool and dry place to keep your hearing aids when you’re not wearing them. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be somewhat of a challenge for lots of individuals. Well, don’t, for example, store 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. Also, cats like to play with hearing aids and dogs will sometimes attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying around.
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. When it’s really humid, your hearing aids can have more moisture than you would want even inside. And that dampness can compromise the sensitive electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life might mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, don’t use hair care products. When you’re going to use hair spray or gel, take out your hearing aids. Your hearing aid can really get gunked up from these kinds 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 makers are well aware of this. The majority of modern hearing aids include features that are created to manage a modest earwax production.
Your job is to be certain your hearing aids don’t become overloaded with ear wax. So make swapping out your wax guard, when needed, a regular part of your cleaning regimen. Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can assist you with that.
How often should wax guards be swapped? You will change these wax guards around once every month on the majority of models.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your Hearing aids depend on your batteries for power. 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:
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: 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 place in your device where moisture is the enemy.
- When you’re not using your hearing aids, don’t forget to turn them off. This just kills the battery for, well, no good reason. Because of this, when you most need your hearing aids, they may not be charged enough to work.
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 don’t get there by themselves. You use your fingers to put in your hearing aids, and those hands could contain all types of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). By design, hearing aids are very sensitive and likely won’t do well with things like crumbs.
In general, you should only touch 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 Keep up with your hearing specialist
You may think that you won’t need any assistance from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this isn’t usually true. Here are some very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still relevant.:
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
- Check the status of your hearing loss (making certain it isn’t progressing quicker than expected).
What should you do when something breaks?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. You should get in touch with us as soon as possible in cases such as this.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get new ones if necessary.
Want to speak with us about your next set of hearing aids? Make an appointment today!