Hearing aids are becoming more and more advanced. With all the extra processing power and new features in modern day devices, you can typically get 3-10 days off a single battery. But why is the life of hearing aid battery so unpredictable? A lot of it depends on how often you’re using your hearing aids, if you’re streaming phone calls or other audio direct to your hearing aids via Bluetooth, and how you care for your devices.
There are plenty of steps and tricks you can take to maximise the life of your batteries and optimise the performance of your hearing devices.
Have a read below of our top 10 tips and tricks for hearing aid batteries:
- Let the battery “breathe” for 3-5 minutes. Once the tab has been removed from the battery, let the battery sit for 3-5 minutes before putting it in your hearing aid. This activation time allows air to reach the materials inside the battery and oxidise, maximising their lifespan.
- Wash your hands before changing batteries. Grease and dirt on the batteries can damage the hearing aid and clog up the air pores in the battery.
- Check the expiry date on the packet. Especially if they’ve been purchased at chemist or supermarket, as they may have been sitting there for a while.
- Open the battery door at night. When you’re not wearing your hearing aid, turn it off by opening the battery door. Leave the battery compartment of your hearing open at night so moisture can escape – it prevents corrosion and damage to the hearing device.
- Use a drying chamber. A hearing aid dehumidifier or drying chamber will help to absorb moisture from the hearing aid and battery. You can use this once or twice or week, or even every night during the hot summer months!
- Use the oldest batteries first. The newest packs will have the furthest expiration date by comparison to your older packs of batteries.
- Remove the batteries entirely if you won’t be using the device for extended periods of time. It helps to prevent corrosion and moisture from being trapped inside your hearing devices.
- Keep the stickers on the batteries. The sticker on the battery keeps the battery “fresh”. Once the sticker is removed, the battery is activated and starts draining. You want to make sure you don’t peel the sticker off until you’re ready to use the battery.
- Keep the batteries in a cool dry place. Storing new, unused batteries in extreme temperatures can cause the battery to drain/have a shorter life. It can also cause the a sticky film to remain on the battery after you’ve pulled the sicker off – this can make it seem like the battery isn’t working, but it’s actually just a coating that’s preventing the hearing aid from making contact with the battery.
- Invest in a rechargeable hearing device. Rechargeable batteries allow you to charge the battery overnight, while you’re not using the hearing aid, so that it’s ready to go for you in the morning.
At Hearing Sense we like to do our bit to look after the environment, and recycling batteries is a part of our service. Feel free to bring in your old hearing aids batteries and we can take them and recycle them for you. For more information on batteries, rechargeable devices and all our services you can visit our website or call 8331 8047 to speak to our lovely team.
