Summer Tips for Hearing Aid Maintenance

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, take a much needed vacation, or spend some time lounging on the beach. All these activities can introduce wear and tear on your hearing aid. Here are five ways to expand the life of your hearing aid.

1. Keep your hearing aid out of direct sunlight or in a hot car. The plastic coating can melt away, so you need to keep hearing aids in temperate zones.
2. Do not wearing your hearing aids to the beach if you are planning to get wet. This applies to the winter as well, since you will always want to make sure you have an umbrella to avoid rain damage. The dampness, wetness, or condensation can damage the circuitry in hearing aids.
3. If you’re going out for a night on the town, remove your hearing aids before applying makeup or hair product. If you are putting lotion or sunscreen on your body, do not touch your hearing aid until you have cleaned your hands.
4. Clean your hearing aid well during the summer months, as bacteria builds up faster in the heat. You may want to open the battery door to let air circulate when you are not using the hearing devices. You are probably familiar with cleaning your hearing aids, but remember to always use a soft, dry cloth.
5. This applies to all seasons, but when removing your hearing aid you should make sure to handle them over a soft surface when handling them. If you are at the beach, be extremely careful not to drop them in the sand. First, you might have a hard time spotting them. Second, tiny grains of sand might clog the earpiece.

Follow these tips to avoid the hassle of having to get replacement hearing aids. And have a great summer!