It most likely seems like a simple thing to take care of your hearing aids. After all, you were most likely given a set of care instructions when you initially bought your devices. In regard to routine hearing aid maintenance, most hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. But it’s very likely that you might forget some of that information that you got all at once. So you still may be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? Or, how often should I get my hearing aid serviced? How can I get the most life from my hearing aids?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in good 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. While your hearing aids might provide a certain degree of water resistance, you generally want to keep them dry. Beyond the obvious, this means you need to do things like the following:
- Find a dry and cool spot to store your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Many people wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. Well, don’t, for example, store them in your bathroom (which gets really 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. 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!
- 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 inside. And the delicate electronics inside of your device can be compromised. Prolonging hearing aid life might mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
- When you have your hearing aids in your ears, avoid using hair care products. That is, take your hearing aids out before utilizing a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really get gunked up from these kinds of products.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body normally generates earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid manufacturers are well aware of this. Most modern hearing aids have features that are designed to manage a modest earwax production.
Your job is to be certain your hearing aids don’t become inundated with ear wax. This means examining and swapping the wax guards when needed (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning schedule). You can invest in and use special cleaning tools for this, depending on what model you have (ask us for guidance here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for most models, it will be about once every 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 device will last. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- Be 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. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away over and over again.
- Don’t forget to shut off your devices when you aren’t using them. This just drains the battery for, well, no good reason. Consequently, when you most need your hearing aids, they might not be charged enough to function.
Tip #4: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
The majority of the time, you should be wearing your hearing aids. But they don’t get there on their own. You use your hands to put your hearing aids in, and those hands could contain all types of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). By design, hearing aids are really delicate and probably won’t do well with things like crumbs.
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 up with your hearing specialist
You may assume that you won’t require any assistance from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. Generally, though, this isn’t the case. Most people with hearing loss will want to make routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- Keep track of the status of your hearing loss (making sure it isn’t advancing quicker than expected).
- To help make sure your devices fit well.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. When this occurs, you should get in touch with us as quickly as you can.
If your device requires any repairs, or you need a new one, we can help with that.
Schedule an appointment with us today to discuss your current or next set of hearing aids.