A Guide to Hearing Aid Care

Your new hearing aids can make a significant difference to your life. With the help of an audiologist, you will learn more about how to use them and program them if necessary. However, to keep them as effective as possible, they also require a little care and maintenance. Here are a few tips to ensure that you know how to keep your hearing aids in the best possible condition.

The listening test

Before you start wearing your hearing aids, you should test them in the morning. This can be done using a listening tube. With the tube, make sure that you can’t hear any feedback, any breaks in the sound, or any whistling sounds inside the aids. If you do, it’s a suggestion there’s a problem necessitating a repair.

Cleaning your hearing aids

Similarly, your hearing aids should be cleaned every day. It’s best to clean them at the end of the night. For in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids, use a specialized cleaning brush and wax hook or wire to clean out wax or debris, before wiping off with a dry cloth. Behind-the-ear (BTE) devices can be cleaned off with a brush, while the earmolds can be soaked in warm, soapy water before behind left to dry. If you don’t have any hearing aid cleaning equipment, your audiologist can help you find them.

Keeping your hearing aids dry

Unless your hearing aid is waterproof, any kind of moisture should be avoided as best as possible. This means that the hearing aid shouldn’t be taken to the bathroom, whether you are bathing, showering, washing your face, or washing your hair. Soaps and water will damage it. Ensure your store your hearing aids in their proper container when they are not in use. If you don’t have one, ask your audiologist about finding a drying container.

Look after those batteries

A battery tester can help you ensure that your batteries are as effective as possible. They should last up to one-to-two weeks and it’s a good idea to keep spares on you. When you take your hearing aid out at night, make sure you take out the batteries and store them in a cool, dry place. Clean out the battery storage area with a dry brush and leave it open throughout the night. Leaving your batteries inside the hearing aid overnight can cause them to degrade, and the battery acid can further corrode the device itself.

Listen out for feedback

Feedback happens when the microphone of the hearing aid is too close to the receiver and is an unpleasant, often high-pitched sound. If you can hear it, there’s likely something wrong the device and it’s worth taking it to your audiologist to see the root of the problem. In the meantime, repositioning the microphone (if it is external) or turning down the volume can help.

If you have any other questions about how to care about your hearing aids, or you are experiencing any problems, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your audiologist. Not only do they have plenty of advice and information on hearing aid care, but also can take care of many common repairs on the spot.