Hearing aids are small but hardworking devices. They’re packed with tiny electrical components, and they spend most of their time in one of the most challenging environments possible: the human ear, where warmth, moisture, and earwax are all part of daily life. With regular care, hearing aids can perform well for years, but even the best-maintained devices sometimes need professional attention.

Caring for Your Hearing Aids at Home

There is no denying that hearing aids are a significant investment. Hearing aids are a monetary investment in your health and wellness. Hearing aids are an investment in your relationships and for some in your career – keeping you connected to your world. Once you take the important step to make this multifaceted investment (purchase the hearing aid), it is time to protect it! Taking the time to protect your investment is not about the hearing aids, it is about you!

Daily Cleaning: It is normal to brush your teeth daily and to clean your eyeglasses daily, so why not your hearing aids? A dirty hearing aid is like dirty eyeglasses. When the lenses are smeared with dirt and grime, it is hard to see. The eyeglasses are not working like they are supposed to. The once clear view is obstructed by the smudges. The same is true for your hearing aids. A hearing aid covered in wax or dust is not working like it should. A good hearing aid cleaning can drastically improve sound quality. Daily cleaning simply means wiping your hearing aid with a cloth or a hearing aid cleaning wipe. Use the little brush to brush debris from the microphone. Make sure you are taking the time to do it!
Consistent Protection: Keep your hearing aids away from moisture, excessive heat, skin lotions, and hair products like hairspray or gels. Store your hearing aids safely when not in use, open the battery door at night for disposable batteries to air-dry, and consider a drying kit or dehumidifier for extra protection against humidity.
Monthly Filter Change: Some hearing aids have wax filters and others do not. Wax filters are those tiny white pieces on the receiver end of a hearing aid. Be sure to ask our hearing professionals for a demonstration on how to change wax filters. It is recommended to change wax filters on a monthly basis. Often times, replacing the filter will fix a dead hearing aid!

Common Hearing Aid Issues

Maybe you turn on your hearing aid one morning and hear nothing. Maybe the battery door has come loose, or the sound just isn’t as clear as it used to be. These things happen, even when hearing aids are cared for properly.

When they do, bring your devices in to Yost Hearing. Our team can evaluate the problem and often fix minor issues right in our clinic during your visit. Your team at Yost Hearing strives to repair almost all makes and models of the major brands. If a repair needs to go to the factory, the process is handled for you – keeping you updated on when to expect your hearing aids back.

For your convenience, in-clinic repairs are typically completed immediately if possible. Factory repairs are sometimes a necessity whenever the malfunctioning cannot be fixed in the clinic and take anywhere from 5-10 business days.

Redux Moisture Removal Treatment

Moisture is one of the biggest threats to hearing aid performance. As a matter of fact, moisture is the top cause of hearing aid repairs. Your ear is naturally warm and humid, and everyday life adds sweat, rain, and the occasional accidental splash. Over time, moisture builds up inside your devices and dulls their sound quality, even with good daily care. Research has shown that 98% of all hearing aids have some moisture present. Moisture can quickly damage hearing aids’ internal components, cause corrosion, and can ruin microphones and receivers.

Warning Signs of Moisture Damage in Hearing Aids:

Sound fades or comes and goes
Sound is crackling or staticky
Sound cuts out during loud noises
Sound is unclear or distorted

That’s why Yost Hearing offers Redux, a professional in-clinic moisture removal treatment that works like a vacuum. Redux completely dries your hearing aids in just 6 to 8 minutes, measuring humidity in real time and verifying exactly how much moisture was removed. It’s also temperature-safe for rechargeable batteries.

Benefits of a Professional Drying:

Clearer hearing aid sound quality
Increased hearing aid reliability
Longer hearing aid life span

This treatment is vital for the routine maintenance of your hearing aids!

Hearing Aid Repair Costs

The cost to fix a broken or underperforming hearing aid varies depending on three main factors:

Your Warranty Status
Your Repair Type
Your Aid Age

First and foremost, patients still under warranty with Yost Hearing are always covered for ALL repair types at no additional cost.

Additionally, if your hearing aid was purchased elsewhere (but still under a manufacturer warranty), repairs can be sent to the factory and completed without any additional costs from the manufacturer.

Last but not least, in-clinic repairs are available at a nominal cost depending on the repair type for patients out of warranty. Non-warrantied factory repairs are also available at a cost depending on the age of the aid. Paid factory repairs return with an additional warranty.

Loaner Hearing Aids

For your convenience, Yost Hearing offers a loaner hearing aid program. In the event that your hearing aid needs a factory repair and you have no back-up or spare aid, a loaner aid can be provided. This solution keeps you hearing while your aid is away!

Signs Your Hearing Aid is Beyond Repair

Totally Damaged: Your hearing aid is most likely beyond repair if it has been run over by a vehicle, chewed by an animal, washed in the washing machine, etc.
Chronically Broken: Your hearing aid is most likely beyond repair if it is constantly needing to be sent to the factory. Normally, an aid always requiring refurbishments is no longer worth the costs of the repair. Chronically repaired hearing aids can become a “money pit”. Your financial and hearing health would be better treated with new technology.
Older Aged: Your hearing aid is most likely beyond repair if it is extremely old. On average, hearing aids typically last about 5 years. Keep in mind that this is an average. For example, some hearing aids could be beneficial to replace at 4 years while others could last 6 years or even longer. The lifespan mostly depends on the level of ongoing care & maintenance. Like most any technology, the developments in hearing aids over the course of a 4+ year period is truly astounding.