In this article, we will be talking about keeping your hearing aids dry. If you are a regular wearer of hearing aids, you will have encountered a situation in which moisture or humidity came in contact with the hearing aids. Avoiding getting caught in the rain would be nice, but it happens. Furthermore, humidity can become nearly like turning on a faucet at some times in the year. In any of these instances, moisture and humidity can do damage to hearing aids. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that can happen and what you can do about it.
Water Damage
In some cases, the water itself is not to blame for hearing aid damage. It’s mineral deposits are damaging and can break down connections. Another possibility is that the ions in the water have formed a chain that connects two electronic parts of the hearing aids that should not be connected. A power surge can flow between these components and can be damaging to them. For these reasons, it is important to do your best to avoid submerging most hearing aids in water. Something like a rainstorm or humidity should not have the same damaging effect of dropping your hearing aids in a sink full of water. Nonetheless, we’ll take a look at what can be done to dry out water-damaged hearing aids.
Humidity Damage
Prolonged exposure to humidity is another possible source of damage that has to do with moisture. Although it will take some time, hearing aids that have metal components can become damaged by humidity. The metal components of hearing aids tend to be covered in a protective coating. Be aware that the coating can wear down with time. In this case, humidity can corrode the metal components, including the early stages of rust damage. Humidity takes more time to work on the units than dropping them in a pool of water, but the incremental damage can have a similarly debilitating effect.
What To Do?
If you have damaged your hearing aids with water or humidity, it may be time to seek out professional maintenance. Begin your inquiry at the location where you purchased your aids. The professional can likely diagnose the problem. Thus, determining if it is something they can help with or something that will need to be repaired. Some people try to dry out their hearing aids with hair dryers or by placing them in a bag of rice to absorb the moisture. Heat and moisture are damaging to hearing aids. The use of a hairdryer is a bad idea. You can try placing the aids in a bag of rice to draw out the moisture, but the damage may remain for the reasons described above. In most instances, support from a trained manufacturer or professional will be necessary.
Hearing Aid Dryers
One alternative solution is to begin using a hearing aid dryer. These devices are small boxes that create a dry condition for hearing aids, particularly useful for storage. Simply place the units in the box and press start. These units can work in 45 minutes to 8 hours. In some cases, you will need to remove the batteries from your hearing aids, so take a moment to inquire about your particular aids before placing them in the hearing aid dryer you have selected.
Hearing Group
With these tips in mind, you should be able to maintain the functionality of your hearing aids. Hopefully, you might even be able to restore functioning in some instances. If you are interested in using hearing aids in very humid conditions or even while swimming, the latest models can accommodate those desires! With water resistance to a certain depth and for a certain amount of time, these hearing aids are incredibly resilient and can avoid water or humidity damage under most circumstances. Contact us at Hearing Group to learn more about new hearing aid technology and for all of your hearing aid maintenance needs.