It most likely seems like a simple thing to take care of your hearing aids. When you first got your hearing aids, you probably got a set of care instructions, after all. Most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to in regard to routine hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting that much information at once means you most likely didn’t remember some of it. So you still may be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? How about my service schedule? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as I can?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in tip-top working order, check out the following tips.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really get along that well. Hearing aids are slightly water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they need to be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- Don’t use hair products while you’re wearing your hearing aids. When you’re going to use hair spray or gel, take out your hearing aids. These kinds of products can really gunk up your devices.
- Store your hearing aids someplace dry and cool. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for lots of people. Well, don’t, for instance, keep them in your bathroom (which gets nice and steamy at least once every day). It also helps to keep them in the same spot 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.
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids might be more damp more often. And that moisture can compromise the delicate electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier running.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
Earwax production is a normal and healthy thing for the human body to do. It’s also something that hearing aid makers understand is going to happen. Consequently, most hearing aids are created to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
Your task is to make sure your hearing aids don’t become overwhelmed with ear wax. This means inspecting and swapping the wax guards when needed (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning schedule). 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 swapped? Well, for most models, it will be around once every month or so.
Tip #3: Take care of the batteries
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 switch the power off. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. And that means your hearing aids could stop working when you really need them.
- Be sure all of the battery contacts and components are dry. You can wipe them down with a clean cloth if they aren’t. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
- Invest in a rechargeable hearing aid or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away over and over again.
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 depend on you to put them in. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all kinds of offending materials. Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really great for them.
It’s essential 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 purchase your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. Usually, though, this isn’t the case. Here are several very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still important.:
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
- Keep track of the status of your hearing loss (making sure it’s not progressing faster than expected).
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. When this occurs, you should contact us as quickly as you can.
If your device needs any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Make an appointment today!