It probably feels like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. When you first obtained your hearing aids, you probably got a set of care instructions, after all. In regard to routine hearing aid maintenance, most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. But it’s quite likely that you might forget some of that information that you got all at once. So you still might be wondering, what should my cleaning schedule look like? Or, how frequently should I have my hearing aid serviced? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as possible?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in tip-top working order, look at the following tips.
Tip #1: Try not to let your hearing aids get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they need to be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Find a cool and dry spot to store your hearing aids when you’re not using them. Understanding the best way to store your hearing aids can be somewhat of a challenge for many individuals. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a very good place to store your hearing aids. It also helps to keep them in the same place every day so you aren’t wondering where they went. Also, cats like to play with hearing aids and dogs will occasionally attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying about.
- Stay away from using hair products while your hearing aids are in. That is, take your hearing aids out before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really become gunked up from these kinds of products.
- When it’s humid outside, run a dehumidifier. When it’s really 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. Prolonging hearing aid life might mean keeping that dehumidifier running.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body naturally produces earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid manufacturers are well aware of this. Consequently, most hearing aids are created 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 inspecting and replacing the wax guards when necessary (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning routine). You can purchase and utilize specialized 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 most models, it will be around once every month or so.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your Hearing aids rely on your batteries for power. The better your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. So there are several battery-care steps you can take:
- Make 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. As with electronics in general, moisture will result in a bad outcome here.
- Invest in a rechargeable hearing aid or a battery charger: This will save you a lot of money on wasted batteries.
- When you’re not using your hearing aids, remember to turn them off. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids could quit working when you least want them to.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your hearing aids
Most of the time, your hearing aids should be in your ears. But they don’t get there by themselves. You use your hands to put in your hearing aids, and those fingers could contain all sorts 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.
It’s important that you don’t touch your hearing aids with dirty hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you need to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Keep up with your hearing specialist
It might seem like, once you have your hearing aids, you can leave your hearing specialist in the dust. Generally, though, this is not the situation. Here are several very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still significant.:
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To help you calibrate your fit.
- To track and monitor the progression of your hearing loss.
What should you do when something breaks?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. When this happens, you should contact us as quickly as you can.
We will be able to help you fix your devices, or get a new set if needed.
Schedule an appointment with us today to talk about your current or next set of hearing aids.