When you finally get your hands on your hearing aid, it can feel like your world has opened up again. We want you to have that feeling for as long as possible. A hearing aid is a sensitive piece of equipment that can be expensive to repair or replace, but with the right care and maintenance, it can last you for many, many years. There are other reasons to keep your hearing aids clean, too. Research has shown that people who wear hearing aids can suffer more frequent ear irritation, but this can be mitigated with proper care and cleaning.
Hearing aid maintenance should be an ongoing part of your routine. Taking those extra few minutes to keep your hearing aid running at its best can make a big difference. After all, while we pride ourselves on keeping our hearing aids as affordable as possible, they can still be a big investment. We want yours to stay in tip-top condition for as long as possible – and with proper maintenance, it’s easy to achieve!
Make sure you can enjoy the gift of hearing with ease for many years with our top hearing aid maintenance tips.
The first part of hearing aid maintenance that’s often neglected is simple cleaning. It makes sense: they’ll be sitting in your ears for the whole day, so you want to make sure that they don’t carry anything in with them. Most people don’t think about it much, but your hearing aids can pick up everything from earwax to bacteria and even fungus. You also don’t want them to collect anything from inside your ear that could clog or damage their mechanisms.
Maintenance hearing aid cleaning is simple and can be done at home. You should clean your devices at the end of each day – it helps to make it a part of your bedtime routine. Have all the supplies and cleaning tools you need ready and waiting. Your hearing aid should come with some of these tools, while others will be recommended to you by your hearing aid specialist or audiologist.
The first tool is a small, soft-bristled brush. Most hearing aid brushes will come with a small pick on the end to help you get rid of bigger clumps and clean the tiny, hard-to-reach spaces like vents. Use short, vigorous strokes when you brush your hearing aid to help loosen and remove all the dust and dirt on the surface. Once you have brushed your hearing aid, gently rub the entire surface area with a soft, lint-free cloth. Take a look at the how-to videos on our website for a visual demonstration.
Don’t use general wipes or household chemicals to clean your hearing aid. Alcohol is also a no-no. If needed, your audiologist will recommend a mild cleaning solution that won’t damage the hearing aid. This will help disinfect the surfaces and ensure your hearing aid is perfectly clean and ready for its next use. Only put your hearing aid on the charger for the night once it is clean and dry.
A simple checklist can make keeping up with your hearing aid care and maintenance a breeze. Put your daily and weekly cleaning lists somewhere that will attract your attention, and schedule the maintenance as if it were an appointment. That will help you make it a habit and keep your hearing aid in great condition.
Here’s our general daily checklist as a guide:
When you get your hearing aid or at your next appointment, speak to your hearing aid specialist or audiologist about any other daily maintenance your hearing aid may require.
With the recent heat waves fresh in our minds, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you protect your hearing aids. Humidity, extreme cold, and even sudden temperature shifts can cause real damage and prevent them from working correctly, so it’s important to be aware. This is especially true if you’re planning on traveling, so always make sure that you take a hearing aid travel case with you.
When it comes to the cold, the key is to have a supply of extra batteries. Very cold weather may make your batteries less efficient, so you might need to switch to a new one more frequently than usual. It’s good to check on your batteries daily, but it’s especially important during the winter.
A dehumidifier, which draws moisture out of the air, is very useful during the more humid months. Moisture is very bad for your hearing aids, so you want to keep them as dry as possible. This is one of the reasons opening your battery at night is recommended as a part of your daily hearing aid maintenance; it allows excess moisture to evaporate instead of collecting inside your hearing aid and causing trouble.
At least once a year, you should take your hearing aid to your hearing aid specialist or audiologist to be professionally checked and tested. They can replace the plastic tubing if needed and make sure everything works exactly as it should. If necessary, your hearing aid can be taken apart and cleaned thoroughly to ensure that no unwanted moisture or dust particles are lurking inside. If anything needs to be replaced, your hearing aid specialist can take care of that, too.
Hearing aid maintenance isn’t just about the physical hardware these days. There are software updates, too, keeping your hearing aid up to date and working as well as possible. With the rapid pace of change, your software must be updated regularly to avoid outdated technology and achieve the best results. Your hearing aid specialist can perform tests to ensure your hearing aid is working optimally.
If your hearing aid is in need of repairs, don’t delay – if you leave a small problem for too long, it may become a big problem! With Hearwell, your hearing aid will be in the best hands. Don’t risk the health of your device by going to just anyone who offers hearing aid maintenance nearby; make sure you stick with the true professionals.
Our expert team will give your hearing aid a full check-up and a deep clean to remove wax, dirt, and debris, ensuring optimal hygiene. Get in touch with us to book an appointment today.