Just as you take your car in for a tune-up, your hearing aids also require regular maintenance. Having them cleaned and checked regularly by a hearing health professional will keep them performing at their best and help you stay on top of any potential issues that may arise. We recommend scheduling a maintenance appointment every six to 12 months.
Why You Need a Professional Cleaning
A maintenance appointment for your hearing aids will also include a professional cleaning. This is in addition to your regular daily or weekly at-home cleaning routine. Hearing aid professionals have sophisticated tools at their disposal that can reach the delicate and hard-to-reach places on your hearing aids.
Professional cleaning is also considered a preventative measure: deep cleaning your hearing aids will remove dust, debris and earwax. Letting years go by between professional cleanings allows dust and earwax to accumulate, potentially causing damage or impacting functionality over time. Cleaning them off now will save you an expensive fix later.
Maintenance, Adjustments and Repairs
Without regular servicing, hearing aids can, just like any other electronic device, begin to weaken and malfunction. Professional tune-ups stay on top of issues like that, ensuring your devices are functioning at their best, allowing for adjustments to your hearing needs, and performing minor repairs.
Hearing needs change over time. Regularly checking in with your audiologist ensures that your hearing aids continue to serve your hearing needs. If you need settings adjusted or frequencies changed, you can do that at a tune-up appointment. Even the slightest changes in programming to hearing aids can make a big difference and improve your hearing quality.
Signs You Might Need Maintenance More Often
As stated above, we recommend having your hearing aids serviced every six to 12 months; however, some cases may necessitate more frequent visits. These include:
- Not cleaning your hearing aids at home. You should clean your hearing aids with a soft cloth every day, or at least once a week. If you are not doing this, bring your hearing aids in for professional cleanings more often to prevent earwax buildup, which can affect hearing aid functionality significantly.
- Being in a hot or dusty environment. Heat and dust can wreak havoc on hearing aid circuitry. If you live in or have travelled to a hot or dusty place, schedule a cleaning to ensure everything is still in good working order.
- Exposure to excess moisture. Hearing aids can come into contact with moisture in many ways. Being dunked in water or worn into the shower may seem the most obvious, but don’t discount rain, sweat or humidity either. In any circumstance that could lead to exposure to moisture, bring your hearing aids in for a check-up to ensure the moisture didn’t cause any lasting damage.
Our audiologists at The House Institute are committed to protecting your hearing and your investment. Call today to schedule a service and repair appointment.