Would you buy a new camera and never clean the lens? What about buying a beautiful five-burner gas stove and never planning to wash off the droplets of dried sauce? Of course not; you are not a monster. Buying a new digital hearing aid and not completing the basic, daily maintenance is just as much of a disgrace. So, what’s the proper ways of maintaining your hearing aid?
Your hearing aids are your connection to the outside world, and finding the ones that work best for you was not an easy process. You completed hearing tests and worked with your Thousand Oaks audiologist to determine which device would work for your listening lifestyle. In order to make sure your expensive purchase last for as long as possible, it is imperative that you take proper care of your new devices.
Your audiologist recommends completing the following daily tasks:
Cleaning your hearing aids
This may sound like a rather obvious suggestion, but it needs to be stated. After you remove your hearing aids at the end of the day, you need to properly clean the devices to remove any buildup of earwax, dirt or grime. You should use a soft, dry cloth to clean the hearing aids themselves and the earmold (the part that goes into the ear canal) should be cleaned with a mild soap solution. It is important to remove the earmold from the hearing aid before cleaning and that the earmold is completely dry before reattaching.
Remove the moisture
Moisture can easily become trapped inside your hearing aid; think about it, the devices spend their whole life inside your ear. A hearing aid drying container or a dehumidifier should be used to remove the excess moisture. Don’t forget to remove the battery from each hearing aid before you place them in the container overnight.
Check the batteries
The batteries used in a hearing aid are unlike the mercury ones you are used to. Instead of slowly draining over time, the zinc batteries used in your hearing aid will go from seemingly full to dead in an instant. Because of this, this only way to tell if your batteries will make it through the day is to use a battery tester every morning. You should always keep extra batteries with you, just in case.
While these steps may seem like a lot, they are nothing compared to the time and money frequent repairs will cost you. Your audiologist can help you set up a daily plan to help take care of your new digital hearing aids.