Protect Your Hearing Aids from Heat and Humidity

The technology inside your hearing aids is one of the single best treatments for those with hearing loss, hence why they tend to be the most common recommendation by audiologists when treating it. However, that same technology does have a few weaknesses that you have to be wary of. Here, we’re going to look at why they’re such a risk, as well as what you can do to protect your devices from them.

How Heat and Humidity Affect Your Hearing Aids

Moisture is one of the critical weaknesses of the technology inside your hearing aids. Many hearing aids are designed to be moisture or water-resistant, but this doesn’t mean that they are waterproof. When moisture builds up on hearing aids, it can reach the tech inside it and cause the device to malfunction.

Moisture can also affect the battery, causing it to leak, which can do further damage to the device, still. The heat from high temperatures and from being left out in the sun can damage the casing as well as the batteries, leaving the device’s sensitive inner technology open to damage.

Use a Dehumidifier

Everyone who owns hearing aids should also own a dehumidifier for them. Many hearing aid cases, whether provided by your audiologist or bought elsewhere, will have dehumidifying properties but you should check to make sure. These draw excess moisture away from the devices. Some of them have space for your batteries to help do the same thing for them, as well.

Keep Your Hearing Aids Out of the Sun

Most people don’t live in the kind of harsh temperatures where your hearing aids are going to start experiencing damage from exposure to the air, alone. Rather, the most common risk is that your hearing aids are too exposed to the sun, whether it’s because the sun’s rays reach them while you’re wearing them or because you leave them out where the sun shines on them.

You want to avoid doing the latter while making sure that you’re wearing things like a wide-brimmed hat if your hearing aids are likely to get UV exposure. You want to avoid prolonged exposure to heat, in general, as well.

Get Them Cleaned Regularly

Hearing aids become a lot more susceptible to moisture beginning to build on them when there is earwax, dust or debris. The moisture in the air can effectively cling to dirt, dust and wax. As such, you should make sure that you clean your hearing aids every evening if you can. A cleaning kit will provide the tools you need to gently scoop wax or harder bits of dirt and debris off.

Then you can use a dry cloth to remove oils, sweat and anything else that can’t easily be scooped off. Having it occasionally cleaned by your audiologist can help, too. If your ears build-up wax easily then getting your ears cleaned on occasion can prevent so much of it from getting on your hearing aids.

Invest in Protection for Them

There are a few different options that can help protect your hearing aids from excess heat and humidity. A heat and fan system dries your hearing aid with warm air, while a fan helps to manage its temperature. You can also wear hearing aid covers that protect your devices from excess moisture and the rain, as well keeping them free from dirt and dust to some degree. You still want to do your nightly maintenance to ensure that wax and moisture don’t have the opportunity to build up, however, even if you wear a protective case every day.

Know How Water Resistant Your Devices Are

There are waterproof hearing aids that are designed to be worn in the water, such as for swimmers. However, these are not common at all. More common, but not applicable to all hearing aids, is water resistance.

Water-resistant hearing aids can protect them from some water damage, but that doesn’t mean that you should expose them to water intentionally. Moisture can still build up and, with enough exposure, eventually infiltrate and cause damage. This is something to be avoided.

Heat and humidity can start to cause problems with your hearing aids pretty quickly if they’re exposed. Follow the tips above and, if you think that your hearing aids might have some faults you want to fix or you want to better protect them, get in touch with Imagine Hearing Solutions, call us today at (530) 392-4533.