It probably seems like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. After all, you were most likely given a set of care instructions when you initially bought your devices. With regard to routine hearing aid maintenance, the majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. Still, getting that much information at once means you most likely didn’t remember some of it. So you still might be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? Or, how frequently should I get my hearing aid serviced? How can I get the most life out of 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 allow your hearing aids to get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really jive. Hearing aids are slightly water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they should be kept as free from moisture as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you need to do things like the following:
- 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 become gunked up from these types of products.
- When it’s humid outside, run a dehumidifier. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids may be more moist more often. And the fragile electronics inside of your device will be damaged. If you want to get the most life out of your hearing aid as you can, get that dehumidifier going!
- Keep your hearing aids somewhere dry and cool. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for many people. Well, don’t, for example, keep them in your bathroom (which gets nice and steamy at least once a day). It also helps to keep them in the same place every day so you’re not trying to figure out where you put them. By the same token, don’t leave your hearing aids just lying about, dogs like 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. Hearing aid makers are well aware of this. The majority of modern hearing aids include features that are created to deal with a modest earwax production.
It’s up to you to make sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. So make changing out your wax guard, when needed, a regular element of your cleaning regimen. You can buy and use special cleaning tools for this, depending on your hearing aid model (ask us for recommendations here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? You will change these wax guards around once every month on most models.
Tip #3: care for the batteries
Your Hearing aids count on your batteries for power. Your hearing aid will last a lot longer if you keep your batteries fresh. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, don’t forget to switch the power off. Or else, your battery will just sit there and drain. For this reason, when you need your hearing aids the most, they may not be charged enough to function.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away over and over again.
- Keep all of the contact points on the battery dry and clean. If they are dirty or wet, you can use a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. This is yet another place in your device where moisture is the enemy.
Tip #4: Only use clean hands to handle your devices
Most of the time, your hearing aids should be in your ears. But they don’t get there on their own. You use your hands to put in your hearing aids, and those fingers could contain all kinds 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 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 up with your hearing specialist
You may think that you won’t need any assistance from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. Usually, though, this is not the situation. Here are some very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still relevant.:
- To keep track of and monitor the progression of your hearing loss.
- To help you adjust your fit.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Sometimes, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. You should call us as soon as possible in situations such as this.
We will be able to help you fix your devices, or get a new set if needed.
Want to speak with us about your next pair of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!