Caring For Your Hearing Aids

• Clean your hearing aids every day. Use a soft cloth or tissue (non-lotion) to wipe the outside of your hearing aid. Never use alcohol or cleansers as they will harm the aid’s shell. This will help remove skin oils and wax from the hearing aid shell or earmold.
• Use a dehumidifier kit regularly to help combat moisture from perspiration and/or the air that can enter the hearing aid and damage the components. Even if you can’t see it, our humid climate in Florida can corrode wires and circuitry over time.
• Use a wax loop or brush to remove ear wax and other debris from the hearing aid or earmold. Never use a straight pin or other sharp object to clean wax from your hearing aids.
• If your instruments are equipped with a wax filter, be sure to change the filters at least once a month, or any time the aids sound weak or dead.
• Schedule an appointment for us to replace BTE earmolds and tubing when they become dry, cracked, stiff or discolored. BTE earmolds made of soft vinyl can also shrink over time. Most earmolds will need to be replaced after 1-2 years of use.

• Open the battery door when the hearing aid is not in use.
• Store it in a cool, dry place away from moisture and humidity. It is best not to store them in the bathroom, which can get filled with steam during showers.
• Protect your hearing aid from excessive heat (hair dryer, vehicle glove box or dashboard).
• Never put your hearing aids in a pocket or wrap them in a tissue—use the protective cases they came with instead.

• Although newer devices are more water and dust resistant than ever before, do not get hearing aids wet. Remove hearing aids when swimming, showering, perspiring, etc. If your aid gets wet, remove the battery and open the battery door. Do NOT microwave the aids in an attempt to dry them out, or they will melt! Bring them in for a checkup as soon as possible.
• Do not use hair care products (especially hair spray) or apply lotion, sunscreen or makeup to your face while wearing hearing aids. Remove your aids first then refit them after you’ve applied the product.
• Bring your hearing aids into us for regular servicing and performance checks. Routine cleaning and check-ups can keep them working properly, much like a car needs oil changes and tune-ups every so often for optimum performance.
• Avoid dropping or banging your hearing aids on hard surfaces.

Battery life can vary from instrument to instrument. The exact schedule for changing batteries depends on factors including the size of the battery, the amount of time the hearing aids are worn and the power requirements of the hearing aid. Generally, the smaller the battery size, the shorter the battery life, which can range from 5 to 21 days. Most new digital hearing aids have battery warning indicators. Before the battery goes out, the hearing aid will “beep, beep, beep” to tell you that your battery voltage is running low and it needs replacement. Using excellent, fresh batteries is important, and changing batteries should take no more than 60 seconds.

• Store batteries in a dry, safe location away from children and pets. Do not refrigerate hearing aid batteries as it impedes their performance.
• Replace dead batteries immediately, as they can leak and corrode your hearing aid.
• Once the tab is removed from a battery, it will slowly lose power over a 30-day period regardless of whether it is used in a hearing aid or not. As the batteries are vacuum sealed at the factory, replacing the tab will NOT prevent this loss of power from occurring. Therefore, do not remove tabs until you need the battery.
• Never put batteries in your mouth. If a battery is swallowed, call the battery ingestion hotline printed on the back of each pack of batteries immediately for assistance.
• Always discard batteries carefully. Throw dead batteries away immediately so as not to confuse them with good batteries.
• The sizes of hearing aid batteries are listed below, from smallest to largest, along with their standard number and color codes (tab color).

Size 10: YELLOW

Size 13: ORANGE

Size 312: BROWN

Size 675: BLUE

We are proud to carry Rayovac Xcell batteries, available exclusively through our licensed professionals. They have a highly developed film seal which guarantees that the battery does not dry out or drain prematurely. This long shelf life has been demonstrated in long-term tests even under extreme climatic conditions. We have the most competitive pricing for hearing aid batteries and sell them in bulk at a discount to the patient.