“Are my hearing aids waterproof?”
After getting accustomed to hearing well with hearing aids, most of our patients actually forget that they are even wearing them. You would not believe how many of our patients have told us “I forgot I had my hearing aids on and wore them in the shower!” But, they always report that as soon as they realized they were wearing them, they took them off immediately.
Most of today’s hearing aids are water resistant, not waterproof. So, what does that mean? That means that a little splash of water on your hearings aid should not cause you any harm.
It all comes down the Ingress Protection (IP) rating. An IP rating has two numbers. The first number can tell you how much protection your hearing aid has from dust and debris. The second number can tell you how much resistance your hearing aids have against moisture. You can find an example of an IP rating chart HERE.
So, let’s say you are improving your hearing health with a Phonak Marvel hearing aid. This hearing aid has an IP Rating of 68. That means that dust won’t enter the housing of your hearing aid and it is protected against long periods of being immersed in water.
What if you have a Widex Hearing Aid? Widex states all their hearing aids have an IP rating of at least 55. That means that hardly any dust will enter the housing of the hearing aid and that hardly any water was found in the hearing aid when tested.
A high IP rating on your hearing aid is good to have if you sweat a lot, live in humid climates (we are talking about you snowbirds) and if you have a tendency to forget this. But, always keep in mind, a dry hearing aid is a happy hearing aid!
If you do happen to get your hearing aids wet, dry them with a clean cloth immediately. If your hearing aids have batteries, remove the batteries and let the battery doors open to air dry. If your hearing aids are rechargeable, they must be dry before you place them on the charging unit. Consider purchasing a drying kit. A drying kit can help dry out your hearing aids and help you save on costly repairs. We recommend the D-Dryer, a drying and cleaning UV-C light kit that is for all types of hearing aids and earmolds. You can check out the D-Dryer in our online store with free shipping HERE.
Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions about your hearing aids, we are always available to you for your hearing health care.
