How To Care For Your Hearing Aids

If you are someone that experiences hearing loss, a hearing aid is a real blessing to help you live your life as normally as possible. Hearing aids can ensure you hear what’s going on around you and mean you can have conversations and go about your daily duties without worrying about missing anything. Because of this, you want to ensure you take care of your hearing aids as well as possible. Failure to do so could lead to them breaking or malfunctioning which could require repair or even finding a replacement.

When this is being done you’ll be without your hearing aid which isn’t ideal. To help you get the most from your hearing aid, we’ve put together some top care tips that should keep it in the best condition for as long as possible.

Why Might You Need Hearing Aids?

The most common need for a hearing aid is if you have sensorineural hearing loss which is hearing loss that derives from the inner ear. A hearing aid can help you to hear sounds clearer, amplifying them and helping you to differentiate between those sounds closer to you and background noise. Your hearing instrument specialist will talk to you about the different types of hearing aids and see which one is best for you.

What is a Hearing Aid?

A hearing aid is made up of three main components – a microphone, an amplifier and a speaker. These parts work together to convert sound waves to electrical signals which are then sent to the ear for you to hear. Hearing aids are intricate little devices that require careful looking after. With them being made to fit your ear specifically, you don’t want it to break or become damaged.

How to Care for Your Hearing Aids

Caring for your hearing aids isn’t too difficult, it just requires you to take a bit of extra care such as in your bedtime routine or when you are out and about. Some top tips to take care for your hearing aids include.

Store Your Hearing Aid in a Clean and Dry Place When Not in Use

Any moisture that gets into your hearing aids can cause them to become damaged and sound to warp. To avoid this, keep them in a clean and dry place when you aren’t using them. It can be a good idea to have a dedicated box or tin you keep them in, and you can place them here when you go to bed, have a shower or any other time they’re not being used.

Keep Your Hearing Aids Clean from Wax and Debris

Wax and debris can quickly build up in your hearing aid, but this can cause sound to become muffled and the parts damaged. Clean your hearing aids at the end of every day with a clean dry cloth or a cotton swab. Be careful not to push any dirt into your hearing aid and ensure you always look up your own manufacturer’s instructions before cleaning them for the first time.

Turn Your Hearing Aid Off When It’s Not in Use

Leaving your hearing aid turned on when you’re not using it is one of the quickest ways to drain its battery unnecessarily. Doing this can mean you need to replace it sooner and more frequently than you would otherwise. Try and remember to switch it off every time you put it away.

Replace the Battery as Soon as it’s Needed

If your hearing aid battery dies, it’s important you replace it as soon as you can. If you wait for it to die, it can lead to sound distortions in your hearing aid and the battery might also run out when you really need to be able to hear. Hearing aid batteries last around a week and with use, you’ll know the lifespan yours tends to have. Set a reminder and replace your battery before it goes to ensure you can always make the most of your hearing aid.

Be Careful of the Products You Use on Your Hair

When you have a hearing aid, the products you use on your hair can transfer onto them and cause them to not work properly. Because of this, avoid using hair spray, dry shampoo and other similar products while you are wearing your hearing aids. This will prevent moisture and product getting into the mechanisms and causing them to break.

Taking proper care of your hearing aids is the best way to ensure it lasts and you get the most use from them. To find out more about hearing aids from hearing instrument specialist at Hearing Well Matters, give us a call at (647) 247-2704.