You have an active summer planned. Plenty of beach time and lots of swimming no doubt. You’ll do some day-to-day running and then maybe attend a baseball game or two before going home and grilling up some delicious dinner. Your schedule will be pretty full. So it’s important that your hearing aids are ready.
Summer activities like these can be hard on your hearing aids, but these little useful devices can be protected without it halting your summer fun.
Summer hearing aid obstacles
With hearing aids, each season will have distinctive obstacles. Climate and weather are the greatest obstacles in the summer.
Summer-related challenges could include:
- Wind: Your hearing aids can be pushed and pulled around by the wind if it’s strong enough. And if you’re in a particularly dry climate, wind can also introduce dust and debris into your hearing aids.
- Debris, sand and dirt: You’re active during the summer. But sand inside of your hearing aid, like beach sand, can result in issues.
- Moisture: Whether it’s from swimming, humidity, rain, or just sweat, moisture is nearly always present in the summer. Moisture can be harmful to hearing aids so that can present a challenge.
Part of the reason why these problems are more common in the summer is self-evident: you spend more time outdoors. And you’re more likely to encounter a sudden rain storm or a strong wind when you’re outside so often.
How to keep your hearing aids in good working order all summer
Your hearing aids are manufactured to make it possible for you to do more, to enhance your quality of life. So throughout the summer, most people want to use their hearing aids as often as they can. Taking care of your hearing aids by taking a few additional steps can make that happen.
Take measures to keep your hearing aids dry
Water will damage electronics and the more state-of-the-art the electronics, the worse the possible damage. Keep moisture at bay with these tips:
- Open the battery compartment on your hearing aids while you sleep and let them air dry. This will help keep the battery from corroding and will decrease damage.
- Keep a microfiber towel handy. That way, you can dry out your hearing aids throughout the day. This stops wetness from accumulating when you aren’t paying attention.
- Use a sweatband when you’re exercising. This will help keep sweat out of your ears (and far from your hearing aids).
- Don’t wear your hearing aids in the water. Going for a swim? Great! Just remove your hearing aids first. Obviously, this is common sense. So the real hazard is the wetness in your ears that lingers after you go swimming. That’s why you should start thinking about wearing a swim cap and earplugs when you go swimming. This can help keep your ears (and thus your hearing aids) quite dry.
- Dry your ears thoroughly. Drying your ears thoroughly will help prevent the unintentional transference of moisture from your ears to your hearing aids.
Regularly clean your hearing aids
Moisture and heat can both hasten the growth of bacteria. During the summer particularly, take measures to keep your hearing aids clean. Here are some guidelines:
- Don’t let debris accumulate over time. You can take a little time to clear away any debris on your hearing aids while you sanitize them. Sooner or later, it’s probably also a good plan to have your hearing aids professionally cleaned.
- Store your hearing aids in a dry, cool spot. Hearing aids, generally speaking, don’t do well in the direct sunlight. So don’t store them on your dashboard on the hottest day of summer. Instead, make certain they’re tucked away somewhere cool and dry when you aren’t using them.
- Disinfect your hearing aids regularly. This can be accomplished with specially produced antibacterial and disinfectant wipes.
Stay active, stay happy, keep hearing
Your hearing aids will help you for a lifetime and they will improve your summer months especially. So whether you’re planning on going for a swim in the lake, hiking up a mountain, or going for a stroll around the neighborhood, there’s a way to be sure your hearing aids stay dry and keep working.