It most likely feels like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. When you initially got 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. Still, getting all of that information at once means you most likely didn’t retain some of it. So you might still have questions like, how often should I clean my hearing aid? How about my service schedule? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as possible?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in good working order, look at the following tips.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they need to be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- Keep a dehumidifier running during those more humid months. Even inside, high humidity means your hearing aids could be more damp more frequently. And that moisture can compromise the sensitive electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier running.
- Find a cool and dry place to store your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Many individuals wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom isn’t going to be a very good place to store your hearing aids. And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, keep them in the same spot every day. In the same way, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying around, dogs love to eat them and cats love to play with them!
- When you’re wearing your hearing aids, avoid using hair care products. That is, remove your hearing aids before using a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really get gunked up from these types of products.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
Earwax production is a healthy and normal thing for the human body to do. Hearing aid designers 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 make sure there’s not 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 schedule). Depending on which model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can assist you with that.
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for the majority of models, it will be about once every month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your Hearing aids count on your batteries for power. The healthier your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. The following are some tips for battery care:
- When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, don’t forget to turn them off. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. Because of this, when you most need your hearing aids, they might not be charged enough to function.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: This will save you lots of money on wasted batteries.
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery clean and dry. If they are dirty or wet, you can use a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your hearing aids
Your hearing aids are going to spend most of their time in your ears. But they depend on you to put them in. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all sorts of offending substances. By design, hearing aids are very sensitive and probably won’t do well with things like crumbs.
It’s important that you don’t handle 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 Stay in touch with your hearing specialist
It might feel like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can leave your hearing specialist in the dust. But… this is not normally correct. Here are a number of very good reasons why scheduling regular appointments with us is still significant.:
- To help make sure your devices fit well.
- 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 (maybe you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. When this takes place, you should get in touch with us as quickly as possible.
We will be able to help you fix your devices, or get new ones if needed.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Set up an appointment today!