4 Ways to Prevent Hearing Aid Repairs

If you use hearing aids, then you should know that, like other medical devices, your hearing aids can become damaged. 

When that happens, you will need to have an expert who specializes in hearing aids repairs, take a look at and fix it. The best thing to do though would be to avoid breaking or damaging the hearing aids in the first place. How can you do this?

Have Your Earwax Removed Periodically

Your ear often produces earwax. So, if you need to keep your hearing aids in great shape, make sure to clean them out frequently. Earwax buildup can block and interfere with the performance of your hearing aid. Better still, remove the earwax from your ears periodically. This will prevent earwax buildup in the first place. 

Avoid Undue Exposure to Humidity and Moisture

One of the major causes of hearing aid damage is exposure to moisture and humidity. These two things cause your hearing aids to short or burn. Yes, there are hearing aids that are genuinely waterproof but those are very rare and are very few. 

If you use a waterproof hearing aid you may not have to worry about moisture or humidity. But seeing as most hearing aids are averse to water, moisture and humidity, you need to keep them away from these. 

So, remember to remove your hearing aids when you're about to get into the swimming pool go in the bathroom or have any water-based activity.

Place Them in a Humidifier if They Get Wet

Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, the hearing aids might become wet. If this happens the best thing to do is to turn off the hearing aid device and remove the battery. After this use a dry towel to gently clean the device. 

Avoid using hot items such as hair dryers to remove excess moisture. The heat from such devices will most likely damage the sensitive electronic components in the hearing aid device. 

If you must use a hairdryer, make sure to only use the cool setting. Alternatively, you can put the hearing aid inside dehumidifying equipment. These will help get rid of any excess moisture. And if you don’t have any dehumidifiers, try putting the hearing aids in a bag of dry, uncooked rice. This can help extract excess moisture. 

Only Work Out When It’s Cool

Working out is good as it keeps you in peak physical condition. However, audiologists recommend that you remove your hearing aid when you're working out. This is to prevent excessive exposure to moisture when you're exercising – hearing aids become damp because of the sweat. 

If you don't want to remove your hearing aid while exercising, make sure to move your workouts to the cooler parts of the day to reduce the device’s exposure to sweat. This can be early in the morning before it gets hot or later in the evening when it's cooler. You can also use sweatbands that are shaped like socks to protect the device. 

If none of these tips work for you make sure to speak to an audiologist about the possible repair of your hearing aid device.