Your hearing aids should improve your hearing right? When your hearing aid stops doing its job, it can be seriously frustrating. Luckily, your hearing aids should have no trouble doing their job if you properly maintain them.
Go through this list before you do anything rash. If it’s not one of these common issues, it may be time to pay us a visit to make sure there isn’t a bigger problem. Your hearing might have changed, for example, or you may need a hearing aid recalibration.
Potential Pitfall: Low Batteries
While hearing aid batteries have gotten considerably smaller and lifespans are getting better, the batteries still need to be replaced occasionally or recharged. That means that it’s essential 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
Investing in a battery tester, particularly if you like to stock up, is a worthwhile idea. Batteries have a shelf life so the last batteries in the pack might not have the same voltage as the first few even if they stay sealed. Another trick: Wait five minutes after you open new batteries before you install them. This can help extend the battery life by allowing the zinc to become active.
Potential Pitfall: Grease, Grime, And Other Gross Stuff
Regardless of how clean you keep your ears, and if you have difficulty hearing, you’re a lot more likely than the average individual to pay attention to earwax, your hearing aids will accumulate debris and dirt. If you’re able to hear but sounds seem distorted or somewhat off, dirt might be the cause.
The fix: Clean ‘em Out—And Keep Them Clean!
There are lots of products available specifically for cleaning hearing aids, but you can DIY it with things you already have around the house. You can use a microfiber cloth, like the kind you use to clean your cellphone or glasses, to wipe your hearing aid down after taking it apart.
Simple hygiene practices will go a long way to keeping your hearing aids clean. Clean and dry your hands before you take care of your hearing aids, and remove them while you’re doing things, such as washing your face, styling your hair, or even shaving, that might put them at risk of being spritzed, sprayed, or splattered.
Potential Pitfall: Trapped Moisture
Even a little bit of moisture can really harm your hearing aid (think sweating, not deep-sea diving). The vent in the hearing aid and the battery can even be impacted by humidity in the air. Problems ranging from distortion to static or even crackling may happen depending on how much moisture is inside. They could even seem to stop working.
The fix: Keep ‘em Dry
Leave the battery door open when you store your hearing aid overnight and any longer than that, remove the battery. Any trapped moisture will be able to evaporate and air will be able to circulate with very little effort on your part.
Store hearing aids in a cool, dry spot. Don’t store them in the kitchen or bathroom. Storing them in the bathroom might seem convenient but there’s just too much moisture. If you live in a humid environment, you might want to consider investing in a hearing aid storage box. Most versions use a desiccant in the form of a small moisture absorbing packet, but some more costly models remove moisture with electronics.
If you’ve tried all of these and none of them are helping then it might be time for you to give us a call.