Hearing aids are tiny and expensive and can be very temperamental as well. The batteries that power them can be described in much the same manner as well, compounding the trouble.

Yet, if you rely on hearing aids, you need them, and a day without them is frustrating. That means that doing everything you can do to care for them and to expand their lifespans is important. These tiny, delicate electronics are sensitive and are susceptible to many of the same issues that, well, any other electronics must face.

However, due to the nature of their use, and the intimate nature of their use, hearing aids commonly encounter scenarios from which you could much more easily protect other electronics like a computer, a phone, or a TV. For example, you might very well carry your phone in your pocket, but you’d never willingly subject it to the influences of sweat, rain, or extreme temperatures.

The same can’t be said for hearing aids. They go with you - in your ears - while you are wearing them, and in all weather and in all seasons. That brings them in contact with high and low temperatures, rain and potentially snow and ice, high and low humidity, and sweat and oils.

Moisture is a key player in the elements that come up against your hearing aids, whether in the form of humidity, rain, sweat, or other oils from your skin. For that reason, you need to keep your hearing aids as clean as practicality permits, and you need to keep them dry - potentially even drying them out between when you’re using them and you aren’t.

Hearing Aids and Moisture: Not a Match Made in Heaven

Moisture in all forms will wreak havoc on your hearing aids. This is because your hearing airs have sensitive circuitry and may be made from reactive materials. The problem with moisture is that it is in the air all of the time and that it can even come from your skin.

When moisture gets into your hearing aids, regardless of where it originates, it can cause several different problems. For one thing, when moisture gets into your hearing aids, it can cause a shortage in the electrical circuits. This happens when moisture makes contact with parts of the hearing aid that are not supposed to carry a current from the battery. If they are bridged, it can short out the circuit, which, while not dangerous for you, can potentially cause permanent damage to the hearing aid.

That’s bad enough, but it isn’t the only thing that can go wrong with your hearing aid when the hearing aid is exposed to water or atmospheric moisture. Let’s say your hearing aid has been in contact with sweat for a prolonged period of time, and it has been cleaned but not thoroughly dried.

Even if the hearing aid doesn’t experience a short that damages its functionality, exposure to moisture, over time, can cause corrosion that will damage it or ruin it entirely. Worst of all, this might be happening inside the hearing aid where you might not be able to see. If vital parts of your hearing aid corrode, and it impacts the aids’ ability to function, by that point, there is probably nothing you can do.

Since the damaging effects described here are irreversible, the cure does not come in the form of treatment but in the form of prevention. For its part, routine cleaning after use will take care of some of the issues mentioned here. At the very least, cleaning your hearing aids is good for their longevity, so it’s a good habit to get into.

In addition to keeping them clean, you also need to dry your hearing aids after they’ve come in contact with moisture, keep them dry, and store them in a safe, dry location. For these purposes, there are two unique sets of products, known as hearing aid dehumidifiers and hearing aid dryers. Each of them is useful for its given purposes.

A Hearing Aid Dehumidifier: What It Is and How It Works

You can probably deduce much of what a hearing aid dehumidifier does from the name alone. It is a device into which you place your hearing aids, which, by some method of activation or other, absorbs moisture and keeps them dry. One basic type of dehumidifier is a dry box with a desiccant (like a silica gel) that absorbs water to prevent long-term moisture damage to your hearing aids. These types of dehumidifiers do not require power, such as batteries or electricity, to keep your hearing aids dry. They work by passive absorption.

They are not the only type of hearing aid dehumidifier, however. Other types use other methods of activation to remove moisture from the air (or your hearing aids) and provide them with a safe, dry place for storage. One of these is the Dry & Store Global II Dehumidifier that you can find here at Local Battery.

This is an electric hearing aid dehumidifier. It utilizes a combination of factors to remove humidity from the air. It heats the air using electricity and circulates the air; in addition, this device contains a desiccant material that lowers the humidity even further and captures moisture released by the hearing aids.

This device utilizes more than just passive methods to ensure that your hearing aids are not overexposed to moisture, and a dehumidifier like this comes with additional perks, as well. For one thing, you do not need to remove the batteries from your hearing aids in order to use this device. It also uses UV-C light to irradiate and sterilize the hearing aids that are stored in them. This form of shortwave radiation is highly effective at destroying pathogens and kills many harmful bacteria, including Staphylococcus Aureus.

This dehumidifier is also great for other types of hearing devices in addition to hearing aids. You can use it for in-ear monitors, cochlear implant devices, and a wide variety of other hearing instruments.

Possibly the best thing about this dehumidifier is that it is small and easy to use. Effectively, you can think of it as a place for storing your hearing aids for the night after you wear them. Just place them in, switch it on, and in the morning, they’ll be dry and sanitized. It is highly effective for removing moisture from your hearing aids.

Another hearing aid dehumidifier that we sell here at Local Battery is the Dry & Store DryMax UV Dehumidifier. This dehumidifier provides value similar to the Dry & Store Global II and also utilizes electricity to heat and circulate the air while absorbing moisture.

This dehumidifier heats the air to a steady 104 degrees which are circulated with an internal fan. The heat and circulation speed the rate at which the air is dried by the Dri-Brik Mini desiccant that is intended to be used with it. The Dri-Brik Mini lasts for about a month of use, and the model comes with a 6 month supply, so you’ll be set for a while before you need to buy more.

This is available in both a UV-sterilizing version and a version without a UV light. The version with the UV lamp is effective at killing 99.9% of common bacteria within a minute and a half. Put your hearing aids or other hearing devices in here and after the 8-hour cycle is complete, in the morning, your hearing aids will be dry and sanitized as well.

Hearing Aid Dryers: Similar, but not the Same

In addition to the hearing aid dehumidifiers that we sell here at Local Battery, we also sell hearing aid dryers, from Dry & Store and other makers. Hearing aid dryers, like dehumidifiers, are ultimately designed to keep your hearing aids dry. However, purpose-made dryers are more effective at drying out hearing aids that have become wet than some dehumidifiers. For this reason, dryers are powered to provide better drying ability.

One of our hearing aid dryers is the Dry & Store Zephyr Hearing Aid Dryer that, like the Dry & Store dehumidifiers mentioned here, utilizes electricity to heat and circulate the air along with a desiccant to remove moisture. However, as this is a designated dryer and not just a dehumidifier, it is important to note that the temperatures produced by this device may exceed the safe limits for some rechargeable hearing aid batteries or hearing aids. Be sure to consult your device literature, or contact us, if you have questions.

Another of our hearing aid dryers is the Phonak D-Dry+ Drying System. This hearing aid dryer, which uses an improved and gentle drying system, provides a reduced drying time. Instead of taking 3 hours or more, the D-Dry+ can dry your hearing aids in as little as two and a half hours.

The device can be powered via a USB cord, with your computer if you have no other available power source. Even when you’re on the go, you can still dry your hearing aids with this product, which is often when you’ll need it most. The Phonak D-Dry+ even has overheating protection.

This system can be operated with the push of a single button and will automatically switch off when a cycle is complete. In addition to providing powerful, thorough drying of your hearing aids, it also contains a UV-C light which is highly effective at destroying common pathogens. It even has a safety feature that automatically shuts off the light when the light is opened.

For capable, thorough, yet gentle drying of your hearing aids, the Phonak D-Dry+ is a highly useful option. Contact us if you want to learn more about the fine details of this hearing aid dryer.

Benefits of Keeping Hearing Aids Dry

While you should routinely make use of a hearing aid dehumidifier to prevent long-term damage, the utility and power of a hearing aid dryer are often necessary for the short term. If you’ve been caught in the rain or sweating heavily, a dehumidifier just may not be powerful enough. That’s why some owners keep more than one option on hand for keeping their hearing aids dry.

Doing so is essential to providing necessary care and maintenance to your hearing aids, and it will also help secure some of the following benefits.

●Prevent a Short: Drying your hearing aids when they have been exposed to water will help to prevent a short if one has not already occurred. This can actually “save the life” of the hearing aid. Additionally, providing routine dehumidification will help to prevent the same issue.

●Prevent Corrosion: Corrosion is more of a long-term issue than a short is. A short is immediate and destructive, while corrosion can creep in over time. Preventing it means keeping your hearing aids consistently dry. In this situation, a dehumidifier is more valuable than a dryer, but again, keeping them both on hand is not a bad idea.

●Extend the Life of the Hearing Aid Overall: Taking the previous two ideas into account and what you’ll end up with is a set of hearing aids that lasts longer than they would without care and dehumidification. The long and short of it is, keep them dry, and all else being equal, they’ll last longer.

Shopping with us here at Local Battery carries another benefit - we offer great prices and we also ship all orders via First Class Mail. Local Battery brings you high-quality products and service at great prices and you get to shop from the comfort of your own home. Don’t pay more - get the drying power you need right here and save some time doing it, too.

Contact Us if You Have Questions!

Since we sell a large range of products on our website, including more than one type of hearing aid dryer and more than one kind of dehumidifier, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You can get in contact with us at Sales@localbattery.com. Let us know your questions about products or processes and we’ll address them!