Hearing aids are essential for those with hearing loss. They often require regular maintenance and troubleshooting in order to ensure that they work optimally. With the right knowledge and tools, hearing aid maintenance and troubleshooting is straightforward. Let’s take a look at how to do it properly.

How to Maintain Your Hearing Aid

The most important thing when it comes to hearing aid maintenance is cleaning. Make sure you use a soft cloth when cleaning your hearing aids, being careful not to get any liquid inside of them. Your hearing professional will have provided you with special tools to clean your specific style of hearing aid — it could be a brush with a loop or a wire that you run through the tube. If you are unsure of how to use the tools you were given, please reach out to your hearing care clinic for further instruction. You should also store the hearing aids in a dry place when not in use, as moisture can damage them over time. Some people that sweat a lot need additional help with moisture, such as a drying kit or waterproof sleeves. Additionally, you should replace the battery regularly so that your device does not run out of power unexpectedly. For some models, you want to open up the battery door at night when not in use to help with humidity and moisture. For rechargeable units, place them back in the charger every night.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If your hearing aid is not working correctly, there are some steps you can take to try and fix it yourself before seeking professional help from an audiologist. First, check the battery; if it’s low on power or dead, replace it with a new one and see if that resolves the issue. If you’re unsure about your battery status, there are hearing aid battery testers available at your nearest pharmacy or hearing aid center. If this doesn’t work, try adjusting the volume; sometimes a simple increase or decrease can make all the difference in sound quality. Next, check to see if the hearing aid needs cleaning, particularly at the end of the tube where the sound comes out. Your hearing care provider probably provided special tools to help with cleaning. Hearing aids with a rectangular end to the tube (a receiver) often have a wax guard which needs to be periodically replaced. 

Remember, the most common issues with hearing aids are:

  • battery drainage (low or dead battery)
  • A recharging issue for rechargeable hearing aids
  • earwax blockage in the sound tube
  • dust or debris near the microphone(s)
  • moisture from a shower, rainstorm or excessive sweating

If none of these solutions works, consider taking your device into an audiologist like Craig Barth, for further assessment and repair if necessary.

Checking Your Fit and Comfort Level

It’s important to remember that your hearing aids should fit comfortably and securely in your ear canals so that they don’t slip out easily while you are wearing them. If they don’t fit properly, they may cause irritation or discomfort which will affect their performance as well as your overall experience with them. To ensure that you have the correct fit, take any extra molds or tips given to you by an audiologist into consideration when selecting your new hearing aid device. If you find that none of these options provide a comfortable fit, contact an audiologist for assistance in finding the perfect size for you.

Never Do These Things

Unfortunately, we've seen people damage their hearing aids by trying to fix them in ways that are detrimental. Here are a few of things to never do with your hearing aids

  • Put them in the microwave
  • Put them into the oven
  • Attempt to crack open the casing
  • Messing with the wiring
  • Cleaning with tools that are not meant for hearing aids

Maintenance is Essential

Hearing aid maintenance and troubleshooting are essential tasks for anyone who wears them regularly. By following these simple steps for cleaning, replacing batteries, troubleshooting common issues, and checking your fit and comfort level regularly, you can ensure that your device performs optimally at all times! Properly taking care of your hearing aids will extend their life span significantly while ensuring crystal clear sound quality whenever you need it most!

Written by
Reviewed by
Craig T. Barth, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA
Founder & Audiologist
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Craig was drawn to Audiology through a curious route. His undergraduate college major was Pre-Med, with a secondary concentration in Music. He realized his own personal music appreciation cannot be fully experienced by someone with hearing impairment.