How to Keep Your Hearing Aids Repair-Free

When hearing aids experience problems, they can often be repaired. However, that can leave you without your usual hearing aids for a few hours or even longer. It’s always best to try and prevent the need for repairs, if you can. With the right care, you can avoid repairs and ensuring you can keep wearing your hearing aids for a long time.

There are several things you can do to keep your hearing aids repair-free. By wearing them, handling them and storing them carefully, you can keep them in good condition and prevent any damage that will require repair.

Clean Them Regularly

Cleaning your hearing aids is the first step you can take to prevent the need for repairs. Hearing aids can become dirty over time, affected by earwax and by other dirt and dust that could get on and into them. You should try to clean them gently every day to stop various dirt and debris from building up. A soft, dry cloth or brush can be useful for this purpose. There are also tools and kits that come in handy for cleaning your hearing aids. Ask your audiologist about these tools and kits, to make sure you get the right one. If you wear behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids, you might also need to clean out the tubes.

Handle Them Carefully

Dropping hearing aids is one of the main causes of damage. Although they’re built to be tough, the impact of landing on the floor or another hard surface can cause them to break. If you want to avoid this, you need to handle them carefully when you put them on, take them off or carry them around. Concentrate on handling them gently and keeping a good grip on them, trying to avoid getting distracted by anything else. Avoid leaving them somewhere they could be knocked to the floor and put them in a case if you’re carrying them around.

Take Them Off When Necessary

Wearing hearing aids in humid or wet environments, like in the bathroom or while swimming, could lead to moisture damage. Additionally, you should be careful about using products like perfume, cologne or hairspray while wearing your hearing aids. It’s better to put them on after you’ve used these products because they can cause damage if they get inside your hearing aids.

Store Them Smartly

When you do need to take off your hearing aids, especially at night, the right storage is important too. When you store your hearing aids, they could be damaged by moisture or by changes in the temperature. Ideally, they should be somewhere cool and dry. Opening up the battery compartment will allow moisture to escape, helping to protect both the hearing aid and the battery. Follow the instructions that come with your hearing aids for proper storage too.

Regular appointments with your audiologist are also a great idea to keep your hearing aids in good condition and working well for you. If you want to learn more about how to prevent hearing aid repairs, get in touch with an audiologist.