Caring for your hearing aids probably seems simple enough. When you first got your hearing aids, you probably got a set of care guidelines, after all. 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 remember some of it. So you could still have questions like, how often should I clean my hearing aid? Or, how often should I have my hearing aid serviced? How can I get the most life out of my hearing aids?
These five, simple-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as simple ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they work better longer.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they should be kept as dry as possible. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Stay away from using hair products while you’re wearing your hearing aids. 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 kinds of products.
- Find a dry and cool place to store your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Many individuals question what the best way to store hearing aids is. Well, don’t, for instance, keep them in your bathroom (which gets nice and steamy at least once a 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 occasionally attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying around.
- Keep a dehumidifier running during those more humid months. When it’s extremely humid, your hearing aids can have more moisture than you would want even inside. And the fragile electronics inside of your device can be damaged. Prolonging hearing aid life might mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body normally produces earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid makers are well aware of this. As a result, most hearing aids are created to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to be sure there’s not too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means inspecting and replacing the wax guards when necessary (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning program). Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can help you with that.
How often should wax guards be replaced? Well, for most models, it will be about once a month or so.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. The healthier your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- Be 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.
- Don’t forget to turn off your devices when you aren’t using 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.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: This will save you lots of money on wasted batteries.
Tip #4: Wash your hands before handling your hearing aids
Your hearing aids are going to be in your ears most of the time. But they don’t get there on their own. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. By design, hearing aids are really delicate and likely 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 cleanse.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
You might presume that you won’t need any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this isn’t usually correct. Most individuals with hearing loss will want to schedule routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To help you fine-tune your fit.
- To keep track of and monitor the development of your hearing loss.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (perhaps you accidentally step on them). When this occurs, you should contact us as quickly as possible.
If your hearing aid needs any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Make an appointment with us today to discuss your current or next pair of hearing aids.
