If you have hearing aids, you should be able to hear, right? When your hearing aid stops doing its job, it can be extremely frustrating. Luckily, your hearing aids should have no problem doing their job if you take proper care of them.
Consider this list before you do anything hasty. It may be time to come in and talk with us if you find it’s not one of these ordinary issues. Your hearing might have changed, for example, or you may need a hearing aid recalibration.
Potential Pitfall: Low Batteries
Hearing aid batteries, while improving in quality, still need to be recharged or replaced occasionally. That means that it’s essential to keep up with your hearing aids’ batteries. If it seems as if the sound is diminishing or cutting in and out, check your battery first.
The fix: Keep ‘em Fresh
A battery tester is a worthwhile investment, especially if you like to stock up. Even if you keep batteries sealed until it’s time to use them, always a good plan, they have a limited shelf life, and so the last batteries in that giant pack you bought months ago probably won’t maintain a charge as long as the first few did. Another trick: When you unpack new batteries, wait 5 minutes before putting them in. 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 are going to accumulate dirt and debris. If you can hear but sounds seem distorted or slightly off, dirt could be the cause.
The fix: Clean Them Out—And Keep Them Clean!
You can buy a kit for cleaning your hearing aids or you can use things you already have around the house to keep them clean. You can use a microfiber cloth, like the kind you use to clean your computer screen or cellphone, to wipe your hearing aid down after disassembling it.
Simple hygiene practices will really help with keeping your hearing aids clean. Whenever you do something that calls for liquid or moisture, like washing your face or styling your hair, take your hearing aids out and make sure your hands aren’t wet when handling them.
Potential Pitfall: Trapped Moisture
Even a little bit of moisture can really damage your hearing aid (you don’t need to be underwater, even sweating can be a problem). The vent in the hearing aid and the battery can even be effected by humidity in the air. Depending on how much moisture’s gotten in, you might experience issues from sound distortion to static, to crackling. They might even appear 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. Any captured moisture will be able to evaporate and air will be able to flow with very little effort on your part.
Store hearing aids in a cool, dry place. The bedroom is a smart spot, skip the bathroom or kitchen. Storing them in the bathroom may seem convenient but there’s just too much moisture. You will likely want to purchase a hearing aid storage box if you live in an overly humid environment. Most models 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 may be time for you to give us a call.