Caring for your hearing aids likely feels easy enough. 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 when it comes to routine hearing aid maintenance. But it’s quite likely that you might forget some of that information that you got all at once. So you still may be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? Or, how frequently should I get my hearing aid serviced? How can I get the most life out of my hearing aids?
These five, easy-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as simple ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they function better longer.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Electronics generally don’t do well with moisture. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they need to be kept as dry as possible. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Keep your hearing aids someplace dry and cool. Understanding the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for many people. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a great place to store your hearing aids. It also helps to store them in the same spot every day so you’re not wondering where they went. Also, cats like 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. Even inside, high humidity means your hearing aids may be more moist more often. And the delicate electronics inside of your device will be compromised. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as you can, get that dehumidifier running!
- Stay away from using hair products while your hearing aids are in. That is, remove your hearing aids before using a lot of hair spray or hair gel. These kinds of products can really gunk up your devices.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
The human body naturally generates earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid manufacturers are well aware of this. The majority of contemporary hearing aids incorporate features that are designed to deal with a modest earwax production.
Your task is to make sure your hearing aids don’t become overwhelmed with ear wax. This means checking and replacing the wax guards when needed (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning program). You can purchase and utilize special cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for recommendations here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for the majority of models, it will be around once a month or so.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. Your hearing aid will last much 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: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away again and again .
- Don’t forget to shut off your devices when you aren’t wearing them. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. Consequently, when you need your hearing aids the most, they may not be charged enough to function.
- Be certain all of the battery contacts and components are dry. If they are dirty or wet, you can use a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. This is yet another place in your device where moisture is the enemy.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your devices
Your hearing aids are going to be in your ears most of the time. But they don’t get there by themselves. You use your hands to put in your hearing aids, and those hands could contain all kinds of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really very good for them.
Generally, you should only handle your hearing aids with clean hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you have to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
You might think that you won’t need any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. Usually, though, this is not the case. Here are several very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still important.:
- Keep an eye on the status of your hearing loss (making sure it’s not advancing faster than expected).
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To help make sure your devices fit well.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. You should contact us as soon as possible in cases like this.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get a new set if needed.
Make an appointment with us today to talk about your current or next set of hearing aids.