If you have hearing aids, you should be capable of hearing, right? When they aren’t working right, it can be downright frustrating, it’s a total “You had ONE job” situation. Luckily, your hearing aids should have no issue doing their job if you properly maintain them.
Before you do anything extreme, consider this list. If it’s not one of these ordinary problems, it might be time to schedule an appointment with us to make sure there isn’t a more substantial issue. Your hearing may have changed, for instance, or you might need a hearing aid recalibration.
Potential Pitfall: Low Batteries
While hearing aid batteries have gotten significantly smaller and lifespans are improving, the batteries still need to be occasionally replaced or recharged. That means that it’s important to maintain your hearing aids’ batteries. The first thing you need to do if your hearing aid begins to falter or cut in and out is check the battery.
The fix: Keep ‘em Fresh
A battery tester is a worthwhile investment, particularly if you like to stock up. Even if you keep batteries sealed until it’s time to use them, always a smart plan, they have a limited shelf life, and so the last batteries in that giant pack you bought months ago probably won’t last as long as the first few did. Another trick: Wait five minutes after you open new batteries before you put them in your hearing aids. This can help extend the battery life by allowing the zinc to activate.
Potential Pitfall: Gross Things Like Wax And Grime
Regardless of how clean you keep your ears, and if you have a tough time hearing, you’re a lot more likely than the average person to pay attention to earwax, your hearing aids will gather dirt and debris. You may find yourself with a dirt problem if sounds seem a little bit off or distorted.
The fix: Clean Them Out—And Keep Them Clean!
You can get a kit for keeping your hearing aids clean or you can use things you already have around the house to keep them clean. Once you’ve disassembled your hearing aids, use a soft, microfiber cloth (like you’d use to clean the screen of a computer or smartphone) to wipe down the components.
You can help keep your hearing aids from gathering excess grime by practicing simple hygiene habits. Whenever you do something that calls for liquid or moisture, such as washing your face or styling your hair, take your hearing aids out and make certain your hands aren’t wet when handling them.
Potential Pitfall: Trapped Moisture
Even a little bit of moisture can really damage your hearing aid (think sweating, not deep-sea diving). The vent in the hearing aid and the battery can even be effected by humidity in the air. Depending on how much moisture’s entered, you might experience issues from sound distortion to static, to crackling. They might even seem to stop working.
The fix: Keep Them Dry
Keep the battery door open when you store your hearing aid overnight and any longer than that, take the battery out. It takes almost no effort and guarantees that air can circulate, and any captured moisture can get out.
Store hearing aids in a cool, dry spot. The bedroom is a smart spot, skip the bathroom or kitchen. Although the latter is convenient, the moisture from a hot shower is precisely what you don’t want. If you live in a humid environment, you may want to think about investing in a hearing aid storage box. Most versions use a desiccant in the form of a little moisture absorbing packet, but some more expensive models remove moisture with electronics.
If you’ve tried all of these and none of them are helping then it might be time for a consultation with us.