Taking care of your hearing aids likely seems simple enough. When you first got your hearing aids, you most likely got a set of care instructions, after all. The majority of hearing specialists will give you a step-by-step how-to in regard to routine hearing aid maintenance. But it’s quite 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 possible?
If you want to keep your hearing aids in good working order, look at the following tips.
Tip #1: Try not to let your hearing aids get wet
Electronics typically don’t like moisture. Even though your hearing aids may provide a certain level of water resistance, you typically want to keep moisture away from them. Beyond the obvious, this means you should do things like the following:
- Find a dry and cool spot to store your hearing aids when you’re not using them. Many individuals question 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 spot every day so you aren’t wondering where you put them. 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 you’re wearing your hearing aids, avoid using hair care products. That is, remove your hearing aids before using a lot of hair spray or hair gel. These kinds of products can really gunk up your devices.
- Keep a dehumidifier running during those more humid months. When it’s very humid, your hearing aids can have more moisture than you would want even inside. And the delicate electronics inside of your device will be compromised. Prolonging hearing aid life may mean keeping that dehumidifier going.
Tip #2: Check (and clean) those earwax filters
Earwax production is a normal and healthy thing for the human body to do. Hearing aid designers are well aware of this. The majority of modern hearing aids incorporate features that are designed to deal with a moderate earwax production.
It’s up to you to be sure there’s not too much earwax on your hearing aids. This means examining and swapping the wax guards when necessary (and making that part of your hearing aid cleaning schedule). You can buy and use specialized cleaning tools for this, depending on your hearing aid model (ask us for recommendations here).
What is the replacement schedule for earwax guards? Well, for the majority of 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. So there are a few battery-care steps you can take:
- Get a battery charger or a rechargeable hearing aid: That way, you won’t be chucking batteries (and money) away again and again .
- Be certain all of the battery contacts and components are dry. You can wipe them down with a clean cloth if they aren’t. This is yet another place in your device where moisture is the enemy.
- When you’re not wearing 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 might quit working when you really need them.
Tip #4: Clean your hands before handling your hearing aids
The majority of the time, your hearing aids should be in your ears. But they don’t get there by themselves. Your hands (which you need to handle your hearing aids) could be covered in all sorts of offending materials. Your hearing aids are sensitive devices by design, so crumbs aren’t really very good for them.
It’s important that you don’t touch your hearing aids with dirty hands. So give your hands a quick clean before you need to take them out and handle them.
Tip #5 Stay in touch with your hearing specialist
It might feel like, once you purchase your hearing aids, you can just forget all about your hearing specialist. But… this is not normally true. Here are a few very good reasons why scheduling routine appointments with us is still important.:
- Check the status of your hearing loss (making sure it isn’t advancing faster than expected).
- To help you ensure your devices fit well.
- To clean and maintain your hearing aids.
When something breaks, what should you do?
Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, something goes wrong with your hearing aids (perhaps you accidentally step on them). You should contact us as soon as possible in cases like this.
If your hearing aid requires any repairs, or you need a new one, we can help with that.
Schedule an appointment with us today to discuss your current or next pair of hearing aids.