It most likely feels like a simple thing to take care of your hearing aids. When you first got your hearing aids, you probably got a set of care guidelines, 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 that much information at once means you probably didn’t retain some of it. So you may 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?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in good working order, look at the following tips.
Tip #1: Try not to allow your hearing aids to get wet
Moisture and electronics don’t really get along that well. While your hearing aids might offer a certain degree of water resistance, you typically want to keep moisture away from them. Beyond the obvious, this means you should do things like the following:
- When it’s humid outdoors, run a dehumidifier. When it’s extremely humid, your hearing aids can have more dampness than you would want even indoors. And the fragile electronics inside of your device will be damaged. If you want to get the most longevity out of your hearing aid as possible, get that dehumidifier running!
- Avoid using hair products while you’re wearing your hearing aids. 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.
- Find a dry and cool spot to keep your hearing aids when you’re not wearing them. Knowing the best way to store your hearing aids can be somewhat of a challenge for many people. So the steamy bathroom isn’t going to be a great place to store your hearing aids. And in order to keep track of your hearing aids, keep them in the same place every day. Also, cats like to play with hearing aids and dogs will occasionally try to eat them, so don’t just leave them lying about.
Tip #2: Keep the earwax filters nice and clean
The human body normally generates earwax in a healthy way. Hearing aid makers are well aware of this. Consequently, most hearing aids are created 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 part of your cleaning schedule. 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? Well, for most models, it will be around once every month or so.
Tip #3: Keep your batteries charged and fresh
Your batteries keep your hearing aids working. Your hearing aid will last a lot longer if you keep your batteries fresh. The following are a few tips for battery care:
- Be 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. As with electronics in general, moisture will result in a bad time here.
- Invest in a rechargeable device or a battery charger: That way, you won’t be throwing batteries (and money) away over and over again.
- When you’re not using your hearing aids, don’t forget 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.
Tip #4: Wash 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 hands to put in your hearing aids, and those hands could contain all types of things (salt, maple syrup, Cheeto dust, and so on). By design, hearing aids are really delicate and likely won’t do well with things like crumbs.
Generally, you should only handle your hearing aids with clean hands. So before you put in or take out your hearing aids, give your hands a quick cleanse.
Tip #5 Keep us in the loop
You may assume that you won’t require any assistance from us once you’ve purchased your hearing aids. Typically, though, this is not the situation. Most individuals who have hearing loss will want to schedule routine appointments with us for the following reasons:
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
- To track and monitor the advancement of your hearing loss.
- To help make sure your devices fit well.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Sometimes, 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 such as this.
If your hearing aid requires any repairs, or you need to get a new one, we can help with that.
Schedule an appointment with us today to discuss your current or next pair of hearing aids.