Your hearing aids are a big investment. Most hearing aids will last around five years, and they’ll help you hear clearly, follow conversations, and connect with loved ones. You can get the most out of your hearing aids by taking care of them. These are some of our best tips to help your hearing aids last longer.
Clean Your Hearing Aids Every Day
The most important thing you can do to help your hearing aids last longer is to clean them every day. All it takes is five minutes before bed and you can improve the sound quality and extend the life of your hearing aids. Hearing aids get dirty with everyday use. They are exposed to dirt, dust, moisture, and earwax. All these substances can clog your hearing aid or impact its function, so you’ll need to keep them clean.
You can clean your hearing aids by following these steps:
- Wipe your hearing aids with a soft, dry cloth
- Look for any buildup of earwax, and use a cleaning pick to remove any earwax from your devices
- Open the battery doors and wipe the contact ports. Leave the battery doors open overnight to help your hearing aids dry
- Clean the tubing once a week in warm water and let them air dry before reattaching them to your hearing aids
Daily cleaning will help your hearing aids last far longer, and you’ll need fewer repairs.
Keep Your Hearing Aids Dry
Nothing wears out hearing aids faster than moisture. The electronic components of your hearing aids don’t like being damp, and daily exposure to humid air, moisture, and sweat, can start to affect your hearing aids. If you have a hard time keeping your hearing aids dry, get a dehumidifier. You can place your hearing aids in the dehumidifier overnight to thoroughly dry your devices and help them last longer.
A dehumidifier will also come in handy if you’ve accidentally soaked your hearing aids. You should always take your hearing aids out before showering, swimming, or going out in the rain, but accidents happen. If your hearing aids get wet, put them in the dehumidifier to dry them out as quickly as possible.
Extend Your Battery Life
Do your hearing aids use disposable batteries? You can extend your battery life and change your batteries less often. The best way to preserve your batteries is to open the battery doors when you take them out for night. This will cut off power to the hearing aids by creating space between the battery and the contact points. The batteries won’t lose much power while the battery door is open, and you can extend your battery life.
Replace Worn Out Parts
Depending on the style of hearing aids you own, there may be several replaceable parts. For example, behind the ear hearing aids have a small, clear tube that runs from the hearing aid to the ear canal. This piece is easy to replace. Another replaceable part is the filter that covers the earpiece. When these pieces are worn out or damaged, you can easily replace them to help your hearing aids last longer. You may need to replace these pieces when there’s a build up of earwax that is blocking the piece and muffling the sounds you’re hearing. Some of these parts need to be replaced every few months, but you can easily do the job at home.
Get Your Hearing Aids Serviced
If you’ve noticed any changes in the performance of your hearing aids, then it’s time to get them serviced. At My Hearing Centers we’ll service most hearing styles and brands. We can even do a lot of repairs in our office! For more complex repairs, we’ll send your devices to the manufacturer to get them serviced.
We recommend that you visit us every six months for a hearing aid checkup so we can make sure your hearing aids are still in great shape. We’ll run a few service tests to make sure your hearing aids are working properly. If your hearing has changed, we can also re-calibrate your hearing aids to better match your hearing loss. These tips can help your hearing aids last longer, and you’ll be able to enjoy great hearing without getting new hearing aids.