Tips to Keep Your Hearing Aids in Optimal Shape

As an old saying goes, “Maintenance pays big dividends.” Your hearing aid is but an instrument that is prone to get damaged. However, with regular maintenance and upkeep, you can prolong its life considerably. 

1. Keep your hearing instrument clean

A hearing aid is a small instrument with tiny spaces and holes. A build-up of dirt, grime, debris and earwax inside the device is pretty common. Over a period of time, this build-up starts hindering the normal functioning of the hearing aid, sometimes rendering it completely useless. This is the reason it is extremely important to keep your hearing aid clean at all times. You can prevent the clogging of the microphone and internal components by cleaning your instrument every day with a brush, cloth or dry tissue. It is all the more important to clear the earwax off the device as it may damage the instrument faster than you can imagine. 

2. Keep your ears clean

Besides keeping the hearing instrument clean, you have to make sure that your ears are also clean. In fact, it is one of the most important parts of your hearing aid maintenance regime. First of all, keeping your ears clean makes the cleaning of the hearing device easier. Secondly, when your ears and instrument are clean and free of grime and dirt, you will not require the frequent repairs.  

Earwax build-up in your ears is a natural phenomenon. However, it has the tendency to get into the small spaces and tiny holes resulting in improper functioning of the hearing device. This is why it is important to clean the ears every day using washcloths. If you feel that the earwax build up and secretion is unusually high and uncontrollable, it is best that you consult your doctor for the remedy. Do not use the cotton swabs to dig deep into your ears to clean the wax as it can cause damage to the eardrums and thereby cause permanent hearing loss. 

3. Keep your hearing aids dry

Our skin secretes oil and sweats every day. For some people the secretion is low and for others it is high. The fact of the matter is that the exposure to the moisture for a long period of time can cause damage to the hearing aid. Most of the users of this instrument have no knowledge about how much moisture their hearing devices can retain and accumulate over a period of time. It is important to remove moisture from your device daily.

When you are taking the instrument off at night, remove the battery from it and keep the compartment open to allow any moisture to dry out. However, if you are prone to excessive perspiration then it might be a good idea to buy a sweatband or a hearing aid sleeve. 

Moreover, it is also recommended that you buy a dehumidifier designed especially for the hearing instruments. Dehumidifiers are inexpensive and a great way to minimize the moisture level inside the hearing aid. This, in turn, will increase the lifespan of your instrument.  

It is also barely a secret that most of the hearing aids are not waterproof and thus get damaged when exposed to excess moisture. This is why it is important for the users of the hearing aid to be careful when showering, rinsing their face or doing anything that may expose the instrument to water.