You love swimming and are all about going into the water. When you were a kid, everyone said you were part fish because you loved to swim so much the pool was your second home. The water seems a bit…louder… than normal today. And that’s when you notice you may have made a mistake: you brought your hearing aids into the pool. And you aren’t entirely certain those little electronic devices are waterproof.
In the majority of cases, you’re right to be a bit worried. Normally, contemporary hearing aids are resistant to water to some degree. But a device that resists water is a lot different than a device that’s waterproof.
Hearing aids and water resistance ratings
In general speaking, your hearing aids are going to function best when they are kept dry and clean. But for the majority of hearing aids, it won’t be a big deal if you get a little water on them. The IP rating is the established water resistance figure and identifies how water resistant a hearing aid is.
Here’s how the IP rating works: every device is assigned a two-digit number. The device’s resistance to dust, sand, and other forms of dry erosion is represented by the first number.
The number here that we’re really considering though, is the second digit which represents the device’s resistance to water. The greater the number, the longer the device will keep working under water. So a device that has a rating of IP87 will be very resistant to sand and work for about thirty minutes in water.
Some modern hearing aids can be very water-resistant. But there are no hearing aids currently available that are completely waterproof.
Is water resistance worthwhile?
The sophisticated electronics inside your hearing aid case aren’t going to mesh well with water. Typically, you’ll want to take out your hearing aids before you go swimming or jump into the shower or depending on the IP rating, go outside in overly humid weather. No level of water resistance will help if you drop your hearing aids in the deep end of the pool, but there are some circumstances in which a high IP rating will absolutely be to your advantage:
- You enjoy boating or other water activities that generate over-spray
- You have a history of forgetting to take out your hearing aid before you take a shower or walk out into the rain
- If you have a heavy sweating issue
- If you live in a fairly humid, rainy, or wet environment
This is surely not a complete list. Naturally, what level of water resistance will be sufficient for your day-to-day routine will only be able to be determined after a consultation.
You have to care for your hearing aids
It’s worthwhile to note that water-resistant doesn’t mean maintenance-free. Between sweat-filled runs, it will be in your best interest to ensure that you clean your hearing aids and keep them dry.
In some instances, that might mean purchasing a dehumidifier. In other circumstances, it may just mean keeping your hearing aids in a clean dry place every night (depending on your climate). And it will be necessary to completely clean and remove any residue left behind by some moistures including sweat.
If your hearing aids get wet, what should you do?
If there’s no such thing as a waterproof hearing aid, should you panic when your devices get wet? Well, no–mostly because panicking won’t improve anything anyway. But you will want to completely allow your hearing aids to dry and check in with us to make certain that they aren’t damaged, particularly if they have a low IP rating.
The IP rating on your hearing aid will give you an idea of what you can expect when it comes to possible water damage. At least, try not to forget to take your hearing aids out before you go swimming. It’s best to keep your hearing aids as dry as you can.
