You’ve noticed it for a while now. The TV volume rattles the windows. The “huh?” and “what?” have become their own conversational soundtrack. The way family dinners have quietly reorganized themselves around the one person who can’t quite follow along.

You love this person, and you are losing your mind.

So you bring it up, and somehow, within thirty seconds, you’re in a full argument about something that happened in 2011.

Welcome to the hearing loss conversation. It rarely goes the way you planned.

Here’s what you need to understand before you try again: the person you’re worried about isn’t being difficult. They genuinely don’t know how bad it’s gotten. 

Hearing loss is sneaky. It doesn’t show up one morning like a broken arm. 

It creeps in over the years, and by the time you’re frustrated enough to say something, they’ve long since convinced themselves that restaurants have gotten noisier, that everyone mumbles now, and that the TV volume is completely reasonable.

Denial isn’t stubbornness. Their brain has been quietly gaslighting them for years, and it’s very good at its job.

Pick Your Moment And Your Words

Timing matters more than you think. Don’t bring this up mid-argument, mid-meal, or mid-anything. Find a quiet moment, one-on-one, when neither of you is already irritated, and lead with love, not logistics.

“I miss talking to you” lands completely differently than “you need to get your hearing checked.” One opens a door. The other reads like a summons.

Don’t say: “You never hear anything I say.” 

Do say: “I want to hear your voice, and I want you to hear mine, and lately I feel like we’re losing that.”

Don’t Lead With The Hearing Aids

The minute you say “hearing aids,” a significant portion of the population will mentally check out because what they hear is “you’re old,” “something is wrong with you,” and “everyone is going to notice.” 

Which, to be fair, is a lot to absorb before dessert.

So, skip the devices entirely in the first conversation.

Talk about what’s actually being lost: grandkids’ voices at the dinner table, phone calls that have gotten shorter because the connection always seems “bad,” the Sunday night shows they used to watch with you that have quietly stopped.

That’s the real conversation. The audiologist appointment is just the next step.

Use Evidence From Their Own Life

Point to the turn signal they didn’t hear. 

Mention gently that you said their name three times before they looked up. 

Do this without the tone of someone keeping score, which, be honest, is hard when you have been keeping score.

If they push back, skip the debate about whose perception is accurate and suggest a simple baseline hearing screening instead. 

Frame it like any other routine health check. You get your eyes checked. You go to the dentist. You let someone look at that mole. 

Your ears have been working very hard for a very long time, and they deserve a little attention, too.

Know When To Stop Pushing

You may not win this conversation the first time…or the third time. In my experience, the record is considerably higher than that, and both parties had aged visibly by the end.

Planting the seed matters, though. 

Saying something once, calmly, with love, is more powerful than a weekly campaign. They heard you. The irony of that sentence is not lost on me. But they did. Give it time.

Sometimes it takes a grandchild saying, “I want to tell you something, and I really need you to hear me.” Sometimes it takes a doctor mentioning it offhandedly in an appointment. Sometimes it takes one bad moment at a wedding, when they feel completely cut off from everyone they love, for them to come home quieter than usual.

Your job isn’t to force the decision. Your job is to make sure they know you’re asking because you love them, and that when they’re ready, you’ll be right there.

A Note For The Person This Is Actually About

If someone handed you this article, it’s because they love you. They want you at the table, fully present, not nodding along and hoping for the best.

Getting your hearing checked takes about an hour. You’ve spent more time than that looking for your keys.

Come in and see me. We’ll figure it out together.

The ear is a dark, warm, moist place…the perfect environment for growing fungi, germs, and bacteria. Hearing aids reside in this environment 13 to 16 hours/day.

Guess what? Every time you remove your hearing aid from your ear, it is loaded with fungus, germs, and bacteria. 

Reinserting your hearing aids without cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting them can irritate the lining of your ear canals, leading to redness, swelling, itching, pain, unpleasant odors, and infections.

Here are our best tips on how to clean and disinfect your hearing aids.

Do I Have To Clean or Disinfect My Hearing Aids?

There are three key reasons why you should always clean and disinfect your hearing aids:

• Protect your ears
• Upkeep for optimal performance
• Avoid broken parts

A hearing aid, similar to an earbud or any type of headphone that sits in your ear, collects earwax, dirt, dust, and debris over time. While little bits of that won’t hurt, over time, all of those materials mixed within your ear can lead to ear infections and skin irritations.

Long-term, you might experience other ear-pain-related issues, all because you didn’t clean your hearing aids.

Like most electronics, the better you take care of them, the better they’ll work. Hearing aids are no different.

To maintain your ability to hear and the clarity with which sound comes through your hearing aid, you must clean it regularly. Debris (especially earwax and moisture) clogs microphones, receivers, and vents.

And of course, when your hearing aids start to break down, they just won’t last as long. Well-maintained hearing aids can last anywhere from 3 to 7 years, but if you aren’t keeping up with cleaning, that time will shorten quickly.

While Hearing Health Center is always ready to help with any repairs you might need, we also want your hearing aids to last as long as possible to save you money and protect your hearing.

How To Clean Your Hearing Aids

Step 1: Wipe with a non-alcohol sanitizing wipe (like Audio Wipes). 

Step 2: Keep your hearing aids in a drying system (Dry and Store) or the new (PerfectClean) explicitly designed to sanitize and pull out the moisture inside the hearing aids that accumulated from your ear. 

Drying systems utilize desiccants and heated, moving air to dry the hearing aid both inside and out. The built-in ultraviolet light sanitizes and kills germs while removing moisture.

Using a drying kit will:

• Increase the life of your hearing aids
• Prevent costly repairs
• Increase battery life
• Maintain the peak performance of your hearing aids
• Relieve itchy ears by killing germs

**Pro Tip!** Never use alcohol on hearing aids or ear molds. It will ruin and erode the surfaces and special plastic materials used in the manufacturing process. Alcohol will also damage the delicate components of the hearing aid.

What NOT To Do When Cleaning Your Hearing Aids

1. Do NOT use household cleaning products to clean hearing aids.

It might be tempting to grab something underneath your sink to clean out your dirty hearing aids, but let me stop you there.

Instead, stick to cleaning products specifically designed for use with hearing aids. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask a member of the Hearing Health Center team.

2. Do NOT use sharp objects to clean hearing aids.

The products around your house, such as pins, needles, or even pencils, should never be used to clean something out of your hearing aids.

If an object is sharp, you have a good chance of puncturing and scratching the inner workings of your device, which increases the likelihood of breakage.

3. Do NOT submerge hearing aids in water to clean them.

We know it sounds obvious, but hearing aids are not waterproof. They might be water-resistant, but that isn’t the same thing. Instead, use a damp cloth with hearing aid-specific cleaning products to wipe them down.

4. NEVER use compressed air to clean hearing aids.

Your hearing aids are fragile, so a single blast from a can of compressed air could cause a lot of problems. The power is too much for the inner workings of your hearing aids to function, so whatever you do, do not use compressed air.

Need Help with Your Hearing Aids? Call Hearing Health Center Today.

Whether your hearing aids need tuning up or you’re in the market for a new pair, the team at Hearing Health Center has you covered. Our experienced audiologists conduct a comprehensive hearing exam to ensure your hearing aids are a perfect match for your needs.

Don’t delay; call Hearing Health Center or schedule an appointment online today.

Hearing aids, like all electronic or mechanical devices, require routine maintenance. Otherwise, sounds become muffled or – in the worst-case scenarios – fail altogether.

Regardless of the style of hearing aid you have, they are all electronic devices that are placed in a sweaty, waxy, and moist environment for an average of 18 hours a day. That means gunk and dirt from your ears enter the hearing aids, causing malfunctions and unnecessary costs.

That’s why daily hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is important. With decades of experience, we’ve compiled the following tips to help keep your hearing aids working under the toughest of conditions.

Why Hearing Aid Maintenance Matters

Hearing aids improve the quality of life for anyone struggling with their hearing health. A 2022 study reported 80% of hearing aid owners are satisfied with their devices, and 64% acknowledged that hearing aids have improved the quality of their lives.

Despite that, a 2013 research paper identified that 80% of adults aged 55–74 years who would benefit from a hearing aid do not use them.

Some of that is due to poor fits or broken hearing aids, but there’s a portion of the population that struggles with the daily maintenance required to keep their hearing aids working properly. They might wear their hearing aids for a few months, then stop once the maintenance becomes too much.

But it’s important to note that hearing aids are electronic devices. Just like any other device in your home, they are susceptible to gunk, earwax, and dirt. Sensitive components, such as microphones, receivers, amplifiers, and batteries, are all vulnerable to moisture and ear buildup.

Regular upkeep helps prevent repairs and keeps your hearing devices functioning better and longer.

It’s not just about protecting your hearing aids, it’s about maintaining a healthy quality of life.

7 Tips to Keep Your Hearing Aids Clean

1. Wipe Down Your Hearing Aids

This first step you should do at least once a day.

Take out your hearing aid and wipe it down as well as the dome with a tissue or moist wipe.

You can do this first thing in the morning or right before bed to ensure any buildup from the day isn’t still on the electronic parts.

2. Brush Parts of Your Hearing Aid

Your audiologist probably gave you a small brush when you picked up your hearing aids. Use that brush to clean your microphones, receivers, and other parts of hearing aids daily.

If you cannot find the original brush, use a small, soft baby toothbrush as an alternative.

3. Change Your Wax Guards

Hearing aids that have wax guard systems—check and change at least once a month, or anytime the wax guard is clogged and you’re not hearing well.

If you need to buy new ones, wax guards are available for purchase at all Hearing Health Center locations.

4. Replace Your Domes

Domes should be replaced if they start to become loose or sag, so they don’t become stuck in the ear canal.

Consider changing your domes every couple of months to prevent this from happening.

5. Air Out Your Batteries

Open the battery door at night to turn your hearing aids off and allow air to enter the battery compartment. This limits additional buildup and allows you a chance to clean any dirty areas.

As a bonus, this saves you some battery life.

6. Store Hearing Aids in a Dry Environment

Do NOT store the hearing in a humid environment like the bathroom.

Hearing aids spend most of their day in the humidity of your ear canal, so give them space to breathe and avoid picking up any additional bacteria that may exist due to the humid temperatures.

7. Use a Drying Unit

Place the hearing aids in a drying unit overnight.

Most units have fans to circulate the air, UV lights to kill bacteria, and a desiccant to remove moisture and humidity from the hearing aids. If you don’t have one, get one.

Need Help with Cleaning, Parts Replacement, or Hearing Aid Troubleshooting? Visit Hearing Health Center Today.

The team at Hearing Health Center is on your side and ready to help with all of your hearing aid problems. Schedule a visit with our audiology team today at any of our five locations, and we will work to make sure you never miss a conversation again.