Do you know people who get a little worried when summer comes along? “I burn so easily!” “Here comes the humidity!” Well, if you wear hearing aids… and if hearing aids could talk… they might say some of the same things when summer rolls around. Summertime can be rough on hearing aids.
Heat is the first thing that comes to mind. Don’t leave your hearing aids in a hot car, where plastic parts can melt and batteries can take a beating. And if you take them off while doing something outside, make sure you put hearing aids in a shaded spot.
Moisture takes several forms. Be careful!
You already know that getting your hearing aids wet is a bad thing, but in summer it can be nearly impossible to keep them completely dry, just because it’s hot outside.
- Sweating is part of just about everything you do outside in hot, humid weather: from strenuous exercise on a tennis court to sitting in the sun at a backyard barbecue. If you don’t absolutely need your hearing aids in certain sweaty situations, consider leaving them in their protective case. If you do wear them while perspiring, be sure to dry them properly, as quickly as possible.
- Humidity is a built-in water hazard for your hearing aids. After a humid day, be sure to store your hearing aids in a way that will allow them to air out and get dry. Don’t allow moisture to build up.
- Swimming pools aren’t just dangerous because you might forget to take your hearing aids off when you go in for a dip. Sitting too close to the edge of a pool or a pool’s diving board can result in splashing that can harm hearing aids. If you don’t absolutely have to wear your hearing aids while at a pool, keep them in a waterproof container. That goes for lake swimming, too.
- Ocean water is no friend to hearing aids, either. Obviously, body surfing in salt water while wearing your hearing aids is something to avoid, but so is just enjoying the salty spray of sitting or standing near the breakers. Any salt water that gets inside a hearing aid will leave salt behind after it dries; those crystals can do damage that can’t be fixed.
- Sand is right up there with salt crystals when it comes to damaging the sensitive electronics in a hearing aid. It can also clog your microphone and the tubes that transmit sound into the ear canal.
- Sun Block and Sun Tan Lotion are great things to have at the beach or the pool, but there’s a real chance of literally gumming up your hearing aids if sticky, oily substances make their way inside. Take hearing aids off while putting on a sun-bathing lotion and then clean your hands thoroughly before handling your hearing aids.
All that said, there’s no reason to be afraid of summer. Talk to us about drying kits, protective cases and other ways of keeping your hearing aids safe from heat and moisture.
