Summer tips for using your hearing aids

The UK is currently enjoying some beautiful summer weather, but if you expect to spend some time in hot and muggy conditions, ensure you take precautions when wearing your hearing aids.

Hearing aids are sensitive high-tech devices and contain a number of very delicate components which susceptible to damage if exposed to extreme environmental conditions. Our lead audiologist Neil Daniel has pulled together a few suggestions for helping to keep your hearing aids working in top condition throughout the summer months:

1. Don’t leave your hearing aids out in direct sunlight

If your hearing aids are not waterproof, you might be tempted to remove them and leave them lying on a beach chair or table while you dip in the sea or pool. Hearing aid casings are plastic, and as such likely to start melting if left in strong sunlight for too long. Make sure you tuck them into a case out of the direct sunlight and stored in a cool, shady place.

2. Avoid excessive heat

Even out of direct sunlight, leaving hearing aids in very hot conditions, such as the glove compartment of your car, can cause major damage to casings and batteries. Again, find a cool storage option, even if that means leaving them in your hotel room or inside your house for a while.

3. Watch out for moisture

Whether the result of humidity, being splashed at the pool, or sudden downpour, moisture that gets inside hearing aids can cause irreparable damage. Protect your investment by wearing a hat when you go outside, avoiding splash zones, and keeping your hearing aids stored in waterproof containers if you’re at the beach or poolside. Don’t forget to pop your hearing aids into a drying container at the end of each day. You should have been supplied one of these when your hearing aids were fitted. Note: if you have rechargeable hearing aids, the charging unit is likely to come with a drying function built in.

4. Avoid chemical damage

This can come in the form of spray-on sunscreen, hair spray, insect spray, or perfume, all of which could clog or otherwise ruin your hearing aids. Before you spray, make sure you take out your hearing aids and stow them somewhere safe. If you are concerned anything may have gotten on them despite your best efforts, use your hearing aid cleaning kit to wipe them down and clear all the vents and other openings.

All it takes is a few precautions to make sure your hearing aids continue to function at peak performance throughout the summer, and for years to come.