Caring for your hearing aids probably seems easy enough. When you initially obtained your hearing aids, you probably got a set of care instructions, after all. The majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to in regard to regular hearing aid maintenance. Still, getting all of that information at once means you most likely didn’t retain some of it. So you still might be wondering, what should my cleaning routine look like? What about my service schedule? How can I get the most life out of my hearing aids?
These five, simple-to-follow tips can help give you some answers, as well as easy ways to help in maintaining your hearing aids so they work better longer.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Electronics typically don’t do well with wetness. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they should be kept as dry as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you need to do things like the following:
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. Even indoors, high humidity means your hearing aids might be more moist more frequently. And that moisture can compromise the sensitive electronics inside. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as you can, get that dehumidifier going!
- Find a dry and cool place to keep your hearing aids when you’re not wearing them. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for lots of individuals. Well, don’t, for example, store them in your bathroom (which gets nice and steamy at least once a day). It also helps to keep them in the same spot every day so you’re not trying to figure out where they went. Also, cats love to play with hearing aids and dogs will sometimes attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying around.
- Stay away from using hair products while your hearing aids are in. That is, take your hearing aids out 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 normal and healthy thing for the human body to do. It’s also something that hearing aid designers know is going to occur. Consequently, most hearing aids are designed to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to be sure there isn’t too much earwax on your hearing aids. So make changing out your wax guard, when needed, a routine element of your cleaning routine. Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can invest in specialized little tools for this and we can assist you with that.
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for most models, it will be about once a month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. The healthier your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your hearing aid will last. So there are a few battery-care steps you can take:
- Don’t forget to shut off your hearing aids when you aren’t using them. Otherwise, your battery will just sit there and drain. Because of this, when you most need your hearing aids, they may not be charged enough to work.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away again and again .
- Be certain 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.
Tip #4: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
Your hearing aids are going to be in your ears most of the time. But they depend on you to put them in. You use your fingers to put your hearing aids in, and those fingers could contain all types of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). By design, hearing aids are really sensitive and probably won’t do well with things like crumbs.
Generally, you should only touch your hearing aids with clean hands. So before you put in or take out your hearing aids, give your hands a quick wash.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
You may think that you won’t need any help from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. But… this is not typically correct. Most individuals with hearing loss will want to schedule regular appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To keep track of and monitor the advancement of your hearing loss.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
- To help you calibrate your fit.
What should you do when something breaks?
Sometimes, 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 possible.
If your hearing aid requires any repairs, or you need a new one, we can help with that.
Want to speak with us about your next set of hearing aids? Set up an appointment today!
