It’s important to maintain hearing aids with regular care and cleaning:

• Above all, always check the owner’s manual for proper maintenance instructions. Either that or take your aids to your hearing care professional for expert care. Don’t do anything that might void the warranty from the manufacturer or hearing care professional.
• For hearing aids with batteries, don’t forget to open the battery doors at night. This effectively turns off the aids and saves battery power. In addition, you can also open and close the battery doors if the aids need a reboot.
• Ensure your hearing aids have power. If you have a smartphone, try to install an app for your hearing aid brand. After that, pair your hearing aids to the phone. The app should indicate hearing aid battery strength. When in doubt, try fresh batteries or recharge.
• Hearing aids have tiny earwax guards to keep wax out of the speaker. Use a magnifying glass to get a close look at the earwax guard. Some smartphones have a magnifying glass. Either that or you can take a photo of the earwax guard and enlarge the photo on your phone screen. Change the earwax guard it if it looks dirty or if the hearing aid sound quality is poor. Ask your hearing care provider how to get more earwax guards.
• If you have custom ear-molds, you may need to clean out air vent tunnels. Use tools that came with your aids. Besides that, you can use fishing line. Insert line from the vent’s outer opening to ensure wax is not pushed further into the vent.
• Some manufacturers advise cleaning the case with a lint-free cloth, while others suggest an anti-bacterial and anti-virus surface disinfectant. Above all, check your user guide. Do not use a product that contains bleach or moisturizers. In addition, avoid getting anything in the tiny microphone areas of your hearing aids.
• Go to YouTube.com and in the search box type “DIY hearing aid maintenance”. The Center for Hearing and Communication has several videos on a playlist about how to maintain hearing aids .
• Replace the speaker domes as needed on RIC models. Ask your audiologist for info on replacement domes. Above all, be very sure to get the correct size or one may get stuck in your ear canal. Check YouTube for an instructional video on how to replace domes.
• If there’s moisture in the tubes or aid, it needs to be dried out. Place the aids in a sealed container with silica gel. Similarly, there are also charging boxes that come with silica gel. Alternatively, use a drying box that circulates air (sold online). Some drying boxes fit over hearing aid charging stations. Others have UV light to kill germs.
• You may need to send the aid into your hearing care professional. Be sure to ask about a temporary aid. Sometimes a receiver fails and needs replacement.
• Finally, you may be able to find some accessory parts online or on eBay if you know the proper info. Beware that this can be risky if there is no warranty or no return.