4 Maintenance Tips for Hearing Aids

Whether you are just getting used to a brand new hearing aid for the first time or already have years of experience using one, looking after your equipment is essential. Hearing aids are incredibly powerful devices that can improve your lifestyle by a significant amount, but it’s critical to keep them in the best possible condition.

Ultimately, you will get used to your device, and won’t know how much you rely on it until it breaks or suffers from damage. With this in mind, here are four simple maintenance tips for hearing aid owners, new and experienced alike.

Keep it dry

Your hearing aid is a highly sophisticated device that is built out of some incredibly intricate technology. The trouble is, the intricacy that allows you to hear from a tiny little unit that fits inside your ear is also very delicate. As such, water is one of the biggest causes of hearing aid damage. While it’s true that modern devices are made more waterproof, even the most advanced piece will fail if you forget about your hearing aids while swimming, bathing or showering. If you do forget, or accidentally drop your hearing aid into the sink or a bowl of water while cooking, remove it immediately and dry them out with a towel.

If you live in a humid area, you’ll need to consider hearing aid dehumidifiers, which keep them nice and dry when they are not in use.

Keep it clean

Your ear is constantly generating earwax, and you would be surprised at how much dirt and gunk lives in your canals, out of sight and out of mind. But make no mistake about it: your hearing aid will come into contact with all this earwax and dirt on a regular basis. And if you aren’t cleaning your device periodically, you run the risk of causing it damage. It doesn’t take long to give your hearing aid a good cleaning. Most audiologists and hearing healthcare professionals recommend cleaning hearing aids daily and giving them a good overhaul at least once a month to ensure everything is looking clear and wax-free.

Watch the batteries

It’s also a good idea to get into the habit of removing your hearing aid batteries on a regular basis. Moisture build-up, as described above, can lead to battery corrosion, which will ultimately start to cause damage to your device. It is also a goo idea to get into the habit of cleaning the battery contacts every time you take them out, to remove any gunk or dirt that could end up affecting the aid’s performance.

Treat it well

Finally, look after your hearing aid like you would a good friend – it’s really that simple. Hearing devices are a lot more durable today than they were a few decades ago and every year we are seeing tougher, stronger devices coming out to the market. Nevertheless, the technology inside the devices is still intricate and fragile and could break if left to harsh conditions and environments.