Caring for your hearing aids likely feels easy enough. After all, you were likely 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 all of that information at once means you probably didn’t retain some of it. So you could still have questions like, how often should I clean my hearing aid? What about my service schedule? How can I get the most life from my hearing aids?
These five, easy-to-follow tips can help provide some answers, as well as simple ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they function better longer.
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 free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- When it’s humid outside, 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 delicate electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life might mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, avoid using hair care products. That is, remove your hearing aids before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really get gunked up from these types of products.
- Store your hearing aids somewhere dry and cool. Understanding the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for lots of individuals. So the steamy bathroom isn’t going to be a great place to keep your hearing aids. It also helps to keep them in the same place every day so you aren’t wondering where you put them. By the same token, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying around, dogs like to eat them and cats like to play with them!
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body normally generates earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. Consequently, most hearing aids are designed to deal with a modest amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to make sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means examining and replacing the wax guards when needed (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning routine). Depending on which 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? Well, for the majority of models, it will be around once every month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. The healthier your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. The following are some tips for battery care:
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable hearing aid: This will save you a lot of money on wasted batteries.
- Don’t forget to switch off your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. And that means your hearing aids might stop working when you really need them.
- 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: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
Your hearing aids are going to spend most of their time in your ears. But they don’t get there by themselves. Your hands (which are required in order to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending substances. Your hearing aids are delicate devices by design, so crumbs aren’t exactly great for them.
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 up with your hearing specialist
You might presume that you won’t need any assistance from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this isn’t normally true. Here are some very good reasons why scheduling regular appointments with us is still relevant.:
- To help you calibrate your fit.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To keep track of and monitor the progression of your hearing loss.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. You should call us as soon as possible in cases like this.
If your hearing aid requires any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Want to talk to us about your next pair of hearing aids? Set up an appointment today!