It probably feels like a simple thing to care for your hearing aids. When you initially obtained your hearing aids, you most likely got a set of care guidelines, after all. With regard to regular hearing aid maintenance, the majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step instruction tutorial. But it’s very likely that you may 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 have my hearing aid serviced? How can I get the most life from my hearing aids?
These five, easy-to-follow tips can help provide some answers, as well as simple 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 usually don’t like wetness. Hearing aids are somewhat water resistant but are by no means waterproof, so they need to be kept as dry as possible. Here are a few ways to do just that:
- Find a dry and cool spot to keep your hearing aids when you aren’t wearing them. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be a bit of a challenge for lots of individuals. So the steamy bathroom won’t be a great place to keep your hearing aids. It also helps to keep them in the same place every day so you aren’t wondering where they went. Also, cats love to play with hearing aids and dogs will occasionally try to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying around.
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. When it’s really 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 life out of your hearing aid as possible, get that dehumidifier running!
- When you’re wearing your hearing aids, avoid using hair care products. When you’re going to use hair spray or gel, remove your hearing aids. Your hearing aid can really become gunked up from these types 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. Hearing aid makers are well aware of this. The majority of contemporary hearing aids include features that are created to cope with a modest earwax production.
Your task is to be certain your hearing aids don’t become inundated with ear wax. This means examining and replacing the wax guards when necessary (and making that an element of your hearing aid cleaning program). 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 often should wax guards be replaced? You will change these wax guards about once every month on the majority of models.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. The better your hearing aid batteries are, the longer your hearing aid will last. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- Make sure all of the battery contacts and components are dry. If they are dirty or wet, you can make use of a clean, dry cloth to wipe them. This is yet another part of your device where moisture is the enemy.
- When you’re not using your hearing aids, remember to switch the power off. Otherwise, your battery will just sit there and drain. And that means your hearing aids might stop working when you least want them to.
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable device: This will save you a lot of money on wasted batteries.
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 don’t get there on their own. You use your hands to put your hearing aids in, and those fingers could contain all sorts of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t exactly very good for them.
Generally, you should only touch your hearing aids with clean hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you have to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
You may think that you won’t require any assistance from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. Typically, though, this is not the case. Most individuals with hearing loss will want to make regular appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To track and monitor the advancement of your hearing loss.
- Cleaning and maintenance.
- To help you calibrate your fit.
What should you do when something breaks?
Occasionally, something could go wrong (perhaps you accidentally step on them) despite your best effort. You should get in touch with us as soon as possible in cases like this.
We will be able to help you repair your devices, or get a new set if needed.
Want to talk to us about your next set of hearing aids? Make an appointment today!