It’s officially summertime, and that means more people are heading outdoors to enjoy the warm weather. With the summer heat, it’s not uncommon for people to partake in water activities to keep them cool. Unfortunately, for those who wear hearing aids, extra precaution is needed when you are near the water. However, it’s not uncommon for people to forget and jump into the water, only to realize after the fact that they forgot to remove their hearing aids.
Life happens, and sometimes we forgot to look before we take the plunge, but all is not lost. If you accidentally got your hearing aids wet, check out our waterlogged hearing aid tips that can help you get your hearing aids working again.
- When your hearing aid is exposed to water, make sure you remove the hearing aid from the water and take out the battery immediately.
- Take care to get as much water out and off of your hearing aid as possible. To do this, gently shake your hearing aid and dry it lightly with a towel.
- Leave your hearing aid out to dry for a day or two. Make sure you have the battery out, and you leave the battery compartment door open. If you have a hearing aid dehumidifier, use this to dry out your hearing aid.
- Never use an oven or microwave to dry off your hearing aid(s), or other sources of high heat. Otherwise, you risk melting the circuitry inside the hearing aid.
- After a day or two, give your hearing aid(s) a try to see if they work. If they work, great! But if not, don’t just assume that is permanently broken. Call your audiologist to have your hearing aid sent for repair. You may have a warranty that will cover this repair, and even if you are out-of-warranty paying the repair charge is often cheaper than the price of a new one.