How to Keep Your Hearing Aids Dry
At Vibrant Hearing, our mantra is “you wear them, we’ll take care of them”. The most common cause of hearing aid failure and non-routine maintenance is moisture. But not the type of moisture you might be thinking of. Most modern hearing aids are able to tolerate the occasional shower or dunking. If you do accidentally get the hearing aids wet, remove it, toss the battery and give the aids time to dry thoroughly.
The moisture that is more damaging and harder to control is that caused by extreme temperature changes, environmental humidity, sweat, and body oils. This moisture slowly infiltrates the case of the aids and the diaphragms of the microphones and speakers, and reduces both power and frequency response. Although the moisture exposure is unavoidable, the damage is not.
Steps you can take:
- Open your battery door every night.
- Invest in a good electronic hearing aid dryer. These dryers use a combination of warm air and a passive desiccant to ensure a thorough drying between wear periods. Vibrant Hearing carries a wide range of these dryers and we will help you select the model that is best for you.
- Take your hearing aids in at least once every 3 months for maintenance. Seriously. A good technician can spot and remedy moisture-related problems before they cause the need for costly repairs. There is no appointment necessary and there is no charge for the service.
- If your occupation or hobby is manual/hot/dirty/sweaty consider little sweat-socks for your hearing aids. They look a little funny, but they will protect your investment and add years to the life of your hearing aids.
Remember, humans are vapor machines and those tiny electronic devices are expected to operate about 22,000 hours over their expected lifetime. Give them every advantage they need to serve you as well as possible for every one of those precious hours.
Stay Vibrant!
