Caring for your hearing aids probably feels easy enough. After all, you were probably given a set of care instructions when you initially purchased your devices. Most 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 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: Keep your hearing aids dry
Electronics typically don’t like wetness. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but aren’t at all waterproof, so they need to be kept as free from moisture as possible. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Store your hearing aids someplace cool and dry. Many people wonder what the best way to store hearing aids is. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a great place to keep your hearing aids. And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, keep them in the same spot every day. Also, cats love to play with hearing aids and dogs will sometimes try to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying about.
- Keep a dehumidifier going during those more humid months. Even inside, high humidity means your hearing aids might be more moist more often. And that dampness can compromise the delicate electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
- When you’re wearing your hearing aids, don’t use hair care products. That is, take your hearing aids out before using a lot of hair spray or hair gel. Your hearing aid can really become gunked up from these kinds of products.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body naturally produces earwax in a healthy way. It’s also something that hearing aid designers recognize is going to occur. The majority of modern hearing aids incorporate features that are designed to manage a modest earwax production.
Your task is to be certain your hearing aids don’t become overloaded with ear wax. This means inspecting and swapping the wax guards when necessary (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning routine). Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can get specialized little tools for this and we can assist you with that.
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? You will change these wax guards approximately once every month on most models.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids going. The better your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your device will last. The following are some tips for battery care:
- Make 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 electronics in general, moisture will result in a bad time here.
- Don’t forget to turn off your devices when you aren’t wearing them. This just kills the battery for, well, no good reason. 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 chucking 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 are required in order to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all sorts of offending materials. Your hearing aids are delicate devices by design, so crumbs aren’t exactly very good for them.
In general, 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
It might seem like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. But… this is not typically correct. Most individuals with hearing loss will want to make routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To help you calibrate your fit.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- Keep an eye on the status of your hearing loss (making certain it isn’t progressing faster than expected).
What should you do when something breaks?
Sometimes, something could go wrong (maybe you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. You should get in touch with us as soon as you can in cases like this.
We will be able to help you fix your devices, or get a new set if needed.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Schedule an appointment today!