Mobile is known for its warm weather throughout the year, but that doesn’t mean we don’t experience the occasional cold snap. For the more than 10% of people in the U.S. with hearing loss, winter may bring a few extra hearing aid challenges.[1]
As we head into the chilly months, take a moment to familiarize yourself with our winter hearing aid care tips to keep your devices safe all season long.
1. Minimize Cold Exposure
Avoiding long-term cold exposure doesn’t mean you have to stop wearing your hearing aids throughout the day; it means keeping your devices in temperature-controlled areas when not in use. Avoid storing your hearing aids in your car, on windowsills or in other unheated areas in your home to prevent excess cold from zapping their batteries or damaging their tech.
2. Remember Daily Cleanings
The sweat and humidity of summer make it easier to remember hearing aid cleanings. Although winter might not come with built-in reminders like sweat, you still need to clean your hearing aids every night.
Each night, gently wipe your hearing aids with a dry cloth, remove built-up wax with a wax pick and run a vent cleaner through the vents. Every week, do a more in-depth cleaning; wash the ear mold and tubing if they’re removable, change the wax filters when necessary, etc.
3. Remove Moisture
Transitioning from warm indoor spaces to the chilly outdoors is a recipe for moisture buildup. Unfortunately, moisture can degrade sound quality and potentially damage the internal components of your devices. Place your hearing aids in a specialty electric dehumidifier or drying jar to remove moisture.
4. Prevent Loss and Damage
It’s easy to drop and lose or damage your hearing aids when you’re playing in the snow or sliding around on an ice rink. If you’re going ice skating or having a snowball fight in the park, secure your hearing aids to your person with specialty clips or a wide headband.
5. Schedule Your Professional Service Appointment
You should schedule a hearing aid service & repair appointment once every six months. If it’s been a while since your last appointment, contact Premier Medical Group to schedule one. We’ll double-check your programming and deep-clean your devices to set you up for success all winter long.
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Sources
[1] Cleveland Clinic. (2023, August 24). Hearing loss: Types, symptoms, causes & treatment. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17673-hearing-loss