Protecting Your Hearing Aids at the Pool

What wouldn’t you give to be on vacation right now? Imagine it: Relaxing on a lounger beside the pool enjoying a drink of something long and cool with an umbrella in it. But if you wear a hearing device then you need to give thought to those poolside activities because water and hearing aids don’t mix.

Don’t ruin that vacation by plunging into the pool (to escape the sweltering heat) while wearing your hearing aid. While some devices are water resistant, this is very different from being waterproof and able to withstand total immersion in water.

If you have a regular, non water-resistant device, then your best bet is to equip yourself with a special head-wrap to go over the aid and around your head or a water resistant sleeve to go over the casing of the behind-the-ear (BTE) device. In the case of the head-wrap, this has the added bonus and holding the hearing aid in place so that it can’t accidentally fall into the pool.

So why can’t hearing aids withstand water? This is all to do with the electrical components inside, shorting and corrosion of the battery contacts and circuitry. Unless you specifically ordered a waterproof device, it’s safest to assume that yours isn’t and take measures to protect it from moisture.

Indeed, on a hot summer’s day sweat can promote condensation formation within the device. At the end of each day it is a wise precaution to remove the device and open the battery compartment. Use a soft, dry cloth to wipe away any moisture and then leave the hearing aid in a dehumidifier overnight.

Moisture tends to build up in the battery compartment because it is not air tight. Indeed, the battery requires the presence of air to function properly, which has been one of the hurdles to developing truly waterproof devices. The problem being that if you completely seal a unit so that water can’t get in, then neither can air – which means the battery doesn’t function properly.

However, improvements in technology mean that completely waterproof hearing aids are available. These have solved the problem of water ingress and with a sleek design they are also pretty robust, dust and sweat proof. This makes them ideal not just for enjoying a poolside vacation not only for but for the serious sportsperson who works up a sweat or someone working outdoors in a dusty environment.

If you do accidentally get your hearing aid wet or heavy condensation is present in the battery compartment, be very careful about using heat to dry it out. Avoid using a hair dryer as the force of hot air can be damaging to the small electrical components. If you live in a humid region and your device regularly mists up then consider investing in a drying device, which delivers gentle sustained heat to dry but without the damage.

Protecting your hearing aids at the pool doesn’t have to be difficult! Enjoy your time swimming, but remember the golden rule: Remove your device before taking the plunge.