It most likely seems like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. After all, you were likely given a set of care instructions when you initially bought your devices. The majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to when it comes to regular 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 may be wondering, what should my cleaning schedule look like? Or, how often should I get my hearing aid serviced? How can I make my hearing aids last as long as possible?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in good working order, look at the following tips.
Tip #1: Keep your hearing aids dry
Electronics usually don’t do well with moisture. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they should be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are several ways to do just that:
- When it’s humid outside, run a dehumidifier. When it’s very humid, your hearing aids can have more dampness than you would want even indoors. And that dampness 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 running!
- Keep your hearing aids somewhere cool and dry. Understanding the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for lots of people. 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, store them in the same place every day. Also, cats love to play with hearing aids and dogs will sometimes attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying about.
- Stay away from using 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.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
Earwax production is a normal and healthy thing for the human body to do. It’s also something that hearing aid designers understand is going to take place. As a result, most hearing aids are designed to deal with a moderate amount of earwax.
It’s up to you to be sure there’s not too much earwax on your hearing aids. So make changing out your wax guard, when needed, a regular element of your cleaning routine. You can buy and use specialized cleaning tools for this, depending on your hearing aid model (ask us for recommendations here).
How often should wax guards be swapped? You will change these wax guards approximately once every month on the majority of models.
Tip #3: care for the batteries
Your Hearing aids rely on your batteries for power. 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. As with most electronics, moisture will result in a bad outcome here.
- When you’re not using your hearing aids, remember to turn them off. Otherwise, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids may stop working when you really need them.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away again and again .
Tip #4: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
Your hearing aids are going to spend most of their time in your ears. But they depend on you to put them in. You use your fingers 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 very sensitive and probably won’t do well with things like crumbs.
It’s important 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 wash.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
It may seem like, once you have your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. But… this is not typically true. Most people who have hearing loss will want to schedule regular appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To help you adjust your fit.
- Check the status of your hearing loss (making sure it isn’t advancing quicker than expected).
- Cleaning and maintenance.
What should you do when something breaks?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) in spite of your best effort. You should contact us as soon as possible in cases such as this.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get a new set if needed.
Schedule an appointment with us today to talk about your current or next pair of hearing aids.