3 Ways to Winterize Your Hearing Aids

With the advent of winter, it is important to winterize your belongings, such as your plants, house, or car. But you probably didn’t know that it also vital to winterize your hearing aids to protect them. Keeping hearing-aid batteries away from the cold and adjusting them to the noises of the season ensure proper functioning.

Keeping moisture out

Because hearing aids are small, battery-powered devices, keeping moisture out of them is necessary to prevent damage. Winter is wet with ice, sleet, hail, and snow, so your hearing aids have many possibilities for getting moisture into them. However, be aware that condensation provides the biggest threat. Entering a warm building from the cold air outside will cause condensation. A rapid change in temperature causes moisture to form inside the battery compartments of the hearing aids. This action may corrode the batteries and damage the devices.

Special hearing-aid sweat bands, a hat, or earmuffs serve to wick away moisture. Plus, dehumidifying your hearing aids each night ensures they are dry and in good condition throughout the wintertime.

Keeping batteries safe from coldness

Batteries for hearing aids can be adversely affected by severely cold temperatures, even though they are equipped to stand up to the cold in general. A shorter lifespan for the hearing aids could result from exposure to extremely cold temperatures. So, it is important to minimize their exposure to the cold.

But what about new batteries? Keeping new batteries warm, safe from pets or kids, and dry until you need them is important. Also, having an extra set somewhere close when you are not at home is a good idea. But don’t keep them in your car. Your desk drawer at work is a good place to store an extra set. As well, try keeping the batteries close to your body when transporting them outdoors, rather than putting them in a purse or shopping bag.

Alter settings to minimize excessive noise

Falling snow is lovely, but it invites the use of loud machinery. Snowmobiling or snow blowing your driveway creates loud noises in your ears. Prevent damage to your hearing by wearing muff-style hearing protectors over your hearing aids. You might have to experiment to find ones with the most comfortable fit. If this option fails, contact your hearing instrument specialist about other ways to guard your hearing against winter problems.

Hearing aid safety

The wintertime lasts only for a while, but you will want to protect your hearing aids during this time. Utilize the above suggestions to ensure the safety of your hearing-aid batteries, hearing health, and hearing aids. Contact a hearing instrument specialist at Pure Sound Hearing Aids with any questions.

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