Summer Activities & Hearing Aid Care

Summer and the activities we like to engage in during the warm weather can be hard going on our hearing aids. Let's face it, when you have your hearing aids fitted, you are told to keep your hearing aids dry and away from moisture and humidity, but that's what summer involves – splashing about in the pool or the ocean and lots of getting hot and sweaty.

It involves just about everything that can damage your hearing aids, but to be able to enjoy your summer and live your best life, you still need to be able to wear them. How are you supposed to keep them safe and undamaged without compromising on all of the fun summer activities? Here, we look at how to take care of your hearing aids while still doing the normal summer activities.

Keep Your Hearing Aids Clean

In the summer, minute particles from sunscreen or bug spray are more likely to enter the sensitive components of the hearing aid. Seawater can be extremely damaging to hearing aids because salt and minerals are left behind when water evaporates. These microscopic particles can cause significant damage to the delicate parts of hearing aids.

Furthermore, in the summer, materials like sand, dust and pollen may represent a greater threat to hearing aids. It is important to wipe clean your hearing aids every night, no matter what the weather or season, to remove any moisture, wax or oils that may have built up on the device. Avoid touching your hearing aids when playing a sport, gardening or doing any other outdoor activities, particularly if you have sand or dust on your hands. 

Keep Your Hearing Aids Dry

Rule number one of wearing hearing aids is to always keep them dry and away from sources of moisture. That can be pretty difficult in the summer, when the air itself is humid and full of moisture, you are sweating and you are by the pool or the ocean.

You can’t, of course, avoid the humidity and moisture in the air and neither be practical to leave your hearing aids out for an entire season. You still need to make sure that you are taking them out to go swimming or when playing in the water, though. Put them somewhere safe so that you can enjoy your day without worrying about your all-important hearing aids being damaged.

If you are worried about humidity, you can buy dry aid kits or UV boxes, which you use overnight to draw out any moisture that has got in through the use of UV light rays. You can also use special dehumidifier boxes as well – your audiologist will be able to give you more advice on these. Inspect your hearing aids closely when you take them out and if you do not have any of these products, use a clean, dry cloth.

Clip your hearing aids in

The last thing you want to be doing, especially if you are on vacation, is to be running and jumping about enjoying yourself only to notice that one of your hearing aids – which are tiny – has fallen out and disappeared. It can really put a downer on your summer activities. 

When participating in an activity that needs a lot of movement, use specially designed, lightweight lanyards to attach your behind-the-ear (BTE) or in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids to your clothing or glasses. They're not going very far if they fall out!

Don’t let your hearing aids get too hot

Heat is something we expect with summer, and while it feels nice for us, it is not so good for your hearing aids. Because so many hearing aid parts are made of plastic, they are readily harmed by hot, direct sunshine. Do not even consider putting them in a hot car or garage; they may even melt!

Avoid being outside or exercising during the hottest part of the day to avoid sun damage to your hearing aids. This is sound advice for anyone, but it is especially important for hearing aid wearers. If you must go outside, wear a hat or a sweatband and take frequent pauses from direct sunshine.

Whatever the weather, Peninsula Hearing is here to help you with your hearing needs. If you have any questions about hearing aid care in the summer or want to bring in your hearing aid for maintenance work, our team of trained audiologists is available to help. We provide a comprehensive spectrum of hearing health services, from hearing exams to hearing aid fittings. Call us today at Poulsbo: 360-697-3061 or Port Townsend: 360-379-5458.