When you’re washing the dishes at home or walking around Lake Mayer, you might have a small worry in the back of your mind that your hearing aids will fall out and get wet. While this worry is completely natural, modern hearing aids have a water-resistant coating that prevents small amounts of water from entering their casings. That said, water-resistant isn’t the same as waterproof.
Knowing how much water your devices can safely encounter and how to dry them when they get wet is crucial to long-lasting hearing aids.
Water-Resistant vs Waterproof
Hearing aids are constantly improving. Because manufacturers know that water damage is high on the list of concerns for hearing aid wearers, they’ve released many new devices that are either waterproof or water-resistant. You can check how waterproof your devices are by looking at their IP rating. An IP rating has two parts:
- First number: Indicates the device’s level of protection against solid objects. A rating of zero means there is no protection, while a six means the device is completely dust-tight.
- Second number: Indicates how well the device is protected against water. A rating of zero means there is no protection, while a nine means it can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature water jets.
For example, a hearing aid labeled IP68 is dust-tight and protected against continuous immersion in water.
Drying Your Hearing Aids
Regardless of how waterproof your hearing aids are, you should dry them after any water exposure. Take the following steps:
- Gently pat your devices with a soft cloth
- Place them in an electric hearing aid dryer or drying jar
- Remove your devices once they’re dry
Devices that produce a whistling noise, a broken sound or a low volume may have sustained water
damage. If you notice any sound distortion, call Audiology and Hearing Aid Services to schedule a repair and service appointment with one of our specialists. We can thoroughly clean your devices, check their settings and determine the best path forward for repair. We may recommend sending them off to the manufacturer for repairs we can’t do in the office.