Caring for your hearing aids probably seems easy enough. After all, you were probably given a set of care guidelines when you originally bought your devices. The majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to in regard to routine hearing aid maintenance. But it’s quite likely that you may forget some of that information that you got all at once. 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 out of my hearing aids?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in tip-top working order, check out the following tips.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Although your hearing aids might offer a certain degree of water resistance, you generally want to keep moisture away from them. Beyond the obvious, this means you should do things like the following:
- Keep a dehumidifier running during those more humid months. When it’s very humid, your hearing aids can have more dampness than you would want even indoors. And the delicate electronics inside of your device will be damaged. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as possible, get that dehumidifier running!
- Store your hearing aids somewhere cool and dry. Many individuals wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. Well, don’t, for instance, 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, store them in the same spot every day. In the same way, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying around, dogs like to eat them and cats love to play with them!
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, avoid using 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 types of products.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
The human body naturally produces earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. Consequently, most hearing aids are created to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to be sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means inspecting and swapping the wax guards when necessary (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning program). You can buy and utilize specialized cleaning tools for this, depending on your hearing aid model (ask us for guidance here).
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 batteries keep your hearing aids going. 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:
- Don’t forget to shut off your devices when you aren’t using them. 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 function.
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery dry and clean. 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.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away again and again .
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your hearing aids
The majority of the time, your hearing aids should be in your ears. But they depend on you to put them in. Your hands (which are required in order to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. By design, hearing aids are very delicate and probably won’t do well with things like crumbs.
It’s essential 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 wash.
Tip #5 Keep up with your hearing specialist
It might seem like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can leave your hearing specialist in the dust. But… this is not typically correct. Most individuals with hearing loss will want to set up regular appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To keep track of and monitor the development of your hearing loss.
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, despite your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (maybe you accidentally step on them). You should contact us as soon as possible in cases such as this.
If your hearing aid requires any repairs, or you need a new one, we can help with that.
Want to speak with us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!
