How to Improve the Performance of Your Hearing Aids: Try These 3 Things

Wearing hearing aids should enhance your life, allowing you to engage fully in conversations and your favorite activities. However, frustration can set in when your hearing aids are not performing optimally.

Whether you’re struggling with sound quality, whistling and feedback, connectivity issues, or discomfort, these common issues can often be resolved with a few simple steps.

There are a few quick tips you can use to boost the performance of your hearing aids at home, but if they don’t quite hit the mark, it might be time to visit a professional audiologist for a repair appointment.

1. Clean Your Hearing Aids

Dirty hearing aids can have reduced performance, making sounds seem muffled or unclear. Dust, sweat, and earwax can build up and cause significant issues to your devices and how they’re helping you hear.

• Daily Wipe Down: Use a clean, dry cloth to gently wipe down the aids every night. Ensure all dirt and wax are removed from the surface.
• Brush It Out: Use a soft-bristled brush to clean the microphones and other small parts. A brush like this is often included in a hearing aid cleaning kit.
• Check for Blockages: Look for any visible blockages in the speaker port and microphone. These areas are prone to wax buildup, which can cause issues with performance.

If cleaning doesn’t resolve the problem, professional help might be necessary to tackle deeper mechanical issues if moisture or wax has gotten under the casing, damaging internal parts.

2. Replace Ear Domes and Wax Guards

Worn-out ear domes and clogged wax guards can also hinder the device’s effectiveness. Here’s how to address the issue:

• Ear Dome Replacement: Ear domes, the rubbery pieces that go into your ear, can wear out over time; they should fit snugly but comfortably in the ear canal. If they’re loose or damaged, feedback can affect your hearing experience, so make sure to replace them when they’re not fitting right.
• Wax Guard Check: Inspect the wax guards for blockages. These are crucial as they prevent wax from reaching the device’s internals. Replace them as necessary, following your hearing aid’s manual instructions, especially if you notice a drop in sound quality.

This small maintenance step can drastically improve sound quality and ensure your aid is functioning correctly.

3. A Factory Reset

When issues persist despite cleaning and part replacement, a factory reset may be necessary as a next step. Turning it off and on again might seem like a simple fix, but this can often reset any glitches that are preventing your hearing aids from connecting to your smartphone or performing as needed.

• Back Up Settings: Before continuing, ensure any personalized settings are backed up. This allows you to restore them after the reset.
• Follow Manual Instructions: Consult your hearing aid manual for steps on how to reset your device. This usually involves holding down a specific button or combination of buttons or placing them inside the charging case.
• Reconnect and Reprogram: After the reset, you’ll need to reconnect your hearing devices to any other technologies you use, such as your smartphone.

If a factory reset doesn’t resolve the issues, it’s likely time to call in a professional.

When to Seek Professional Help

If these tips have not improved your hearing aids’ performance, visiting an audiologist should be your next step. You can rest assured that our comprehensive testing and state-of-the-art technology can pinpoint the underlying issues that these at-home fixes might not cover.

You’ll benefit from the expertise of our team, ready to provide the repairs necessary to get your hearing aids back into optimal condition.