It most likely seems like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. After all, you were probably given a set of care instructions when you originally purchased your devices. Most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to when it comes to routine hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting that much information at once means you probably didn’t retain some of it. So you may still have questions like, how often should I clean my hearing aid? Or, how frequently should I have my hearing aid serviced? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as I can?
These five, easy-to-follow tips can help provide some answers, as well as easy ways to help in maintaining 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 should be kept as dry as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you need to do things like the following:
- Avoid using hair products while you’re wearing your hearing aids. That is, remove your hearing aids before using a lot of hair spray or hair gel. These types of products can really gunk up your devices.
- Keep a dehumidifier going during those more humid months. When it’s extremely humid, your hearing aids can have more moisture than you would want even inside. And that moisture can compromise the sensitive electronics inside. If you want to get the most life out of your hearing aid as possible, get that dehumidifier going!
- Store your hearing aids somewhere dry and cool. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for many individuals. So the steamy bathroom isn’t going to be a great 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 like to play with hearing aids and dogs will occasionally attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying around.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body normally produces earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. The majority of contemporary hearing aids have features that are designed to deal with a modest earwax production.
It’s up to you to make sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means examining and swapping the wax guards when needed (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning schedule). You can invest in and use special cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for guidance here).
How often should wax guards be replaced? You will change these wax guards around once every month on the majority of models.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. 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:
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: This will save you lots of money on wasted batteries.
- Make sure all of the battery contacts and components are dry. You can wipe them with a clean cloth if they aren’t. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
- When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, remember to turn them off. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. Consequently, when you need your hearing aids the most, they might not be charged enough to work.
Tip #4: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
Most 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 your hearing aids in, and those hands could contain all types of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). By design, hearing aids are very delicate and likely won’t do well with things like crumbs.
It’s important that you don’t touch your hearing aids with dirty hands. So before you put in or take out your hearing aids, give your hands a quick cleanse.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
It might seem like, once you have your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. But… this isn’t usually true. Here are a few very good reasons why scheduling regular appointments with us is still relevant.:
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
- To keep track of and monitor the development of your hearing loss.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Sometimes, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. You should get in touch with us as soon as you can in situations such as this.
We will be able to help you fix your devices, or get a new set if necessary.
Want to speak with us about your next pair of hearing aids? Set up an appointment today!