If you’ve got hearing aids, you should be able to hear, right? When your hearing aid stops doing its job, it can be seriously frustrating. Fortunately, your hearing aids should have no issue doing their job if you take proper care of them.
Before you do anything extreme, consider this list. It might be time to come in and talk with us if you find it’s not one of these ordinary issues. Your hearing may have changed, for example, or you might need a hearing aid recalibration.
Potential Pitfall: Low Batteries
While hearing aid batteries have gotten significantly smaller and lifespans are getting better, the batteries still have to be occasionally replaced or recharged. That means that it’s important to keep up with your hearing aids’ batteries. If it seems as if the sound is fading or cutting in and out, check your battery first.
The fix: Keep ‘em Fresh
A battery tester is a practical investment, particularly if you like to stock up. Even if you keep batteries sealed until you need to use them, always a smart idea, they have a limited shelf life, and so the last batteries in that huge pack you bought months ago most likely won’t hold a charge as long as the first few did. Another trick: Wait five minutes after you unpack new batteries before you install them. This can help the batteries last longer by allowing the zinc to activate.
Potential Pitfall: Gross Things Like Wax And Grime
Your hearing aids will collect dirt and debris no matter how clean you keep your ears and if you have trouble hearing you’re probably more conscientious about earwax. If you can hear but sounds seem distorted or a little off, dirt might be the cause.
The fix: Clean ‘em Out—And Keep Them Clean!
You can buy a kit for cleaning your hearing aids or you can use items you already have around the house to clean them. Once you’ve taken apart your hearing aids, use a soft, microfiber cloth (like you’d use to clean glasses or smartphone) to wipe down the components.
Simple hygiene habits will go a long way to keeping your hearing aids clean. Whenever you do something that involves liquid or dampness, such as cleaning 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
Moisture can wreak havoc on hearing aids, and it doesn’t take much to do so (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 may experience issues from sound distortion to static, to crackling. They might even seem to quit altogether.
The fix: Keep ‘em 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 move, and any captured moisture can escape.
Store hearing aids in a cool, dry place. Don’t store them in the kitchen or bathroom. Even though the latter is convenient, the steam from a hot shower is exactly what you don’t want. If you live in a humid climate, you might want to think about purchasing a hearing aid storage box. Most models use a desiccant in the form of a small moisture absorbing packet, but some more expensive models remove moisture with electronics.
None of these are working? It might be time to consult us.