Secrets to Making Your Hearing Aid Batteries Last 1. Once Opened, Use Them Modern hearing aid batteries are powered using zinc. The zinc sits dormant until activated so energy loss is minimal. But once you remove the tab, you activate the zinc and the proverbial clock starts ticking. At this point the battery begins to drain, even when not in use. Have you ever popped a new battery in and then stopped using your hearing aids for a couple weeks? If you did, you’d probably come back to a nearly dead battery. Only wearing your hearing aids when you think you need them, doesn’t really save that much battery. Saving battery life by restricting time worn is a hearing aid myth. To get more out of your batteries, wear your hearing aid batteries throughout the day every day. 2.  Wait Five Minutes Before Installing Them in Your Hearing Aids, Get 3 More Days It’s so tempting to pop a battery out of the package and insert it. You want to get your hearing back as quickly as possible. But allowing the zinc about 5 minutes to activate after removing the tab before inserting it can give you as many as 3 more days on that hearing aid battery life. That’s huge! 3. Don’t Freeze Your Hearing Aid Batteries You may have learned as a young adult to put batteries into the refrigerator or even the freezer to reduce the loss of energy before usage. But this actually has the opposite effect on zinc batteries. Keep them in a drawer in your bedroom instead. 4. Open Up the Door to Your Hearing Aid Moisture speeds up battery drain. Get into a habit of opening the battery door and leaving it open when not in use. This reduces trapped moisture and extends battery life significantly. 5. Don’t Store Them in Humid Places A drawer in your bedroom is the perfect place to store batteries because it’s one of the driest places in most homes. Hearing aids and hearing aid batteries should not be stored in the bathroom or kitchen where they’ll be exposed to steam and humidity. 6. Get a Dehumidifier for Your Hearing Aid If you live in a humid part of the country, consider getting a dehumidifier for your hearing aid case and/or the room where you store the batteries. This also helps prevent corrosion which could ruin your hearing aids. 7. Remove the Batteries from the Hearing Aid for Extended Disuse If you have an ear infection or can’t wear your hearing aids for several days for some reason, take the batteries completely out to get a little more life out of them. 8. Follow Good Hygiene Practices Dirt, oil and skin cells are always on your hands. These can muck up the hearing aid connection so that it’s not getting all of the battery juice that the battery is producing. Always wash your hands before handling hearing aids or batteries. This will improve the connection. 9. When Should I Change My Hearing Aid Batteries? Your hearing aids will give you some clues about when you should change the batteries. Consider changing your hearing aid batteries if you find yourself turning up the sound more than usual, if sounds become distorted, or if you hear a beeping sound that alerts you to slow battery life.