3 Hearing Aid Care Tips for Summer
Today marks the official start of summer, which means the potential for hot weather, outdoor sporting activities, beach days and barbecues.
How will your delicate hearing devices cope with all the added demands? Do you know how to care for your hearing aids come rain or shine?
Here are our top tips to keeping your hearing aids in good condition, whatever your summer has in store for you.
Water-resistant Hearing Aids
Most hearing aids are water-resistant, and can survive some splashes and near-drownings. If your hearing aids do get wet, it’s best to quickly dry them to ensure they keep working long into the future.
The best way to dry your hearing aids is to:
- Remove any surface water with a soft dry cloth
- Take out the battery and check inside the battery door for surface water
- Leave the hearing aids in a warm dry place, such as an airing cupboard or a shelf above a radiator (do not place directly on a heat source) to dry out for about an hour. *Never try to dry out a hearing aid by placing the hearing aid in a microwave this will cause irreversible damage to your hearing aid!
- Insert a fresh battery
You should be good to go!
Use a Drying Box
Humidity and sweat can damage hearing devices but, help is at hand. If you use a drying box each night, it will help you get the best performance out of your hearing aid by ensuring proper long-term function and cutting down on the need for repairs. Drying boxes also help maintain good hygiene standards.
There is a range of cleaning and drying kits on the market but, for an all-in-one solution to cleaning, drying, and storing your hearing aids, the D-Dry UV-C light kit might appeal. It simultaneously dries and cleans hearing devices overnight. The drying power works to combat the effects of humidity your devices have experienced all day, whilst the UV-C light reduces germs, which in turn lessens the risk of skin infections/ear infections.
If you’ve had too much fun this summer and find your hearing aids do not work properly, be sure to take them to your audiologist or hearing care professional and discuss with them what happened.