Caring for your hearing aids probably feels simple enough. 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 when it comes to regular hearing aid maintenance. But it’s quite likely that you might forget some of that information that you got all at once. So you might still have questions like, how often should I clean my hearing aid? Or, how often should I get my hearing aid serviced? 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: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Electronics generally don’t like moisture. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they need to be kept as dry as possible. Beyond the obvious, this means you should do things like the following:
- When it’s humid outside, run a dehumidifier. When it’s extremely humid, your hearing aids can have more moisture than you would want even inside. And that moisture can compromise the delicate electronics inside. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier running.
- Keep your hearing aids someplace dry and cool. Many individuals 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 store them in the same place every day so you’re not wondering where you put them. Also, cats like to play with hearing aids and dogs will sometimes attempt to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying around.
- Don’t use hair products while you’re wearing your hearing aids. That is, remove your hearing aids 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
Earwax production is a healthy and normal thing for the human body to do. It’s also something that hearing aid makers know is going to occur. As a result, most hearing aids are created to deal with a modest amount of earwax.
Your job is to be certain your hearing aids don’t become overloaded with ear wax. So make changing out your wax guard, when needed, a regular part of your cleaning schedule. Depending on what model hearing aid you have, you can invest in specialized little tools for this and we can assist you with that.
How frequently should wax guards be swapped? Well, for most models, it will be around once a month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your Hearing aids count on your batteries for power. Your hearing aid will last a lot longer if you keep your batteries fresh. The following are some tips for battery care:
- Make sure all of the battery contacts and components are dry. You can wipe them with a clean cloth if they aren’t. As with electronics in general, moisture will result in a bad time here.
- When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, don’t forget to switch the power off. Otherwise, your battery will just sit there and drain. Consequently, when you need your hearing aids the most, they may not be charged enough to work.
- Invest in a rechargeable hearing aid or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away again and again .
Tip #4: Wash your hands before handling 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 sorts of offending materials. By design, hearing aids are very sensitive and likely 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 cleanse.
Tip #5 Stay in touch with your hearing specialist
It might seem like, once you have your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. Typically, though, this isn’t the situation. Most people with hearing loss will want to schedule routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- Check the status of your hearing loss (making sure it isn’t advancing faster than expected).
- To help you fine-tune your fit.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
What should you do when something breaks?
Sometimes, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. When this takes place, you should get in touch with us as quickly as possible.
If your hearing aid requires any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Want to talk to us about your next pair of hearing aids? Set up an appointment today!