Caring for your hearing aids probably feels easy enough. After all, you were probably given a set of care instructions when you originally purchased 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 very 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 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 taking care of your hearing aids so they work better longer.
Tip #1: Try not to let your hearing aids get wet
Electronics usually don’t do well with wetness. Although your hearing aids might offer a certain degree of water resistance, you typically want to keep them dry. Here are several ways to do just that:
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, don’t use hair care products. That is, remove your hearing aids before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. These kinds of products can really gunk up your devices.
- Keep a dehumidifier going during those more humid months. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids may be more moist more often. And that dampness can compromise the delicate electronics inside. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as possible, get that dehumidifier going!
- Store your hearing aids somewhere cool and dry. Many people wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom isn’t going to be a great place to keep 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 about, dogs love to eat them and cats like to play with them!
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
The human body normally produces earwax in a healthy way. It’s also something that hearing aid designers know is going to occur. Most contemporary hearing aids incorporate features that are created to cope with a modest earwax production.
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 needed (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning schedule). You can purchase and use special cleaning tools for this, depending on your hearing aid model (ask us for guidance here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for most models, it will be around once a month or so.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
Your batteries keep your hearing aids going. The healthier your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your hearing aid will last. So there are several battery-care steps you can take:
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable hearing aid: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away over and over again.
- Don’t forget to switch off your hearing aids when you aren’t using them. This just kills the battery for, well, no good reason. Consequently, when you need your hearing aids the most, they may not be charged enough to function.
- Make sure all of the battery contacts and components are dry. If they are dirty or wet, you can make use of a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. As with electronics in general, moisture will result in a bad outcome here.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your devices
Most of the time, you should be wearing your hearing aids. 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 sorts of offending substances. Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really great for them.
It’s essential that you don’t handle your hearing aids with dirty hands. So give your hands a quick wash before you need to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
It might seem like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. But… this is not normally correct. Here are a number of very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still important.:
- To track and monitor the progression of your hearing loss.
- To help you fine-tune your fit.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, in spite of your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (perhaps you accidentally step on them). You should get in touch with us as soon as you can in cases such as this.
We will be able to help you fix your devices, or get new ones if necessary.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!