Accidents happen—your hearing aid got wet.
Moisture or water can be a deadly opponent for hearing aids, and while maintenance and repairs can keep most of the moisture in check, sometimes you have to bring out the big guns.
Enter Redux—the latest and greatest hearing aid dryer that can help you dry out your hearing aids in no time.
Below, I’ll go into why moisture can cause problems, what to look for, and why I think Redux is an excellent solution.
Why Is Getting My Hearing Aids Wet an Issue, and How Common Is It?
Hearing aids are not waterproof. Some do a better job of keeping out moisture, but none of them will stay 100 percent dry after a spin in the washing machine or during a deep-sea diving trip.
When hearing aids get water or moisture in the electronics, they can malfunction. It only takes a tiny bit of water for this to happen, and it’s not just pool water or rain that does it; it’s also moisture from sweat, humidity, and condensation.
How Will I Know If My Hearing Aids Are Broken or Waterlogged?
The signs of water damage in hearing aids can include when they:
- ZAren’t working
- ZDon’t sound right
- ZFeel wet
If you’ve noticed any of these things happening, request a callback to book your clean and check.
What Should I Do If My Hearing Aids Get Wet?
When water gets into a hearing aid, the receivers can flood, the circuit can short, or the microphone can malfunction. Left untreated, trapped moisture will begin to cause problems in just weeks.
In the past, we have recommended retail-bought dehumidifiers you can use at home, but these can’t remove all the moisture from your hearing aids.
If you think moisture or water has caused severe damage to your hearing aid(s), call us right away so we can extract it all with our Redux system. The sooner we can dry them for you, the better the outcome.
Some things you can try to dry out rechargeable hearing aids are:
- Get them to a room-temperature, dry place as soon as possible
- Remove the battery, if you can, to open the circuit
- Leave the battery door open
- Clean them as best you can with a soft cloth to remove any moisture you can see
- Leave them in a dry place overnight
- Leave them in a dehumidifier for 24 hours
What Is the Redux Hearing Aid Drying System, and How Is It Beneficial?
There are several great things about the Redux that our patients love:
- It can dry hearing aids quickly—in approximately 15 minutes.
- It removes ALL the moisture—it combines vacuum drying with humidity-level measurement to vaporize liquid at a low temperature.
- We can choose from three drying options based on your type of hearing device.
- It reports how much moisture is removed in real time.
Redux is a patented and proven solution that can save you much of the time and money you might have spent resorting to some other drying method.
Another benefit to drying out your hearing aids with Redux is that we can gather data about how much moisture your hearing aids tend to acquire and, from that, we can recommend a drying schedule that will always keep your hearing aids dry enough so they never malfunction from a moisture issue.
Can the Redux Hearing Aid Drying System Fix Serious Problems?
The Redux works for all types of hearing aids and styles, and it can dry any hearing aid safely, including cochlear implants and hearables (like AirPods). It dries both battery-operated and rechargeable hearing aids.
Redux numbers show that the drying system has a 98 percent success rate in removing moisture and that 77 percent of hearing aids improve in performance after being dried.
That said, there are a few reasons why your hearing aids might be malfunctioning that are not caused by water damage. The only way to know for sure is to drop them off for repairs so we can diagnose the problem and find a suitable solution.
How We Use Redux in Our Clinic
We always want your hearing aids to perform as they should, and helping you keep them dry is part of that. We frequently use the Redux system for drying hearing aids:
- At your clean and check appointment
- Before checking your hearing aids for needed repairs
- Before your annual hearing evaluation
- At your first follow-up appointment after having your hearing aids fitted
Schedule an appointment with us so we can make sure your hearing aids are dry and working properly.
Hearing Aid Moisture Removal With PHC Tennessee
Express Patient Care timeslots are available from 1:00–3:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday. Feel free to contact us to schedule an appointment.
It typically takes up to 15 minutes to dry out your hearing aids safely, so there’s no need to drop them off and make a second visit to pick them up. We recommend arriving as close to your appointment time as possible so you don’t have to wait long.
If your hearing aids have been in the water for any length of time, such as in a bath, pool, or washing machine, please contact us as soon as possible so we can get the water out!
If they’re still malfunctioning after the Redux treatment, we can perform a clean and check on all parts of your hearing aids to see what’s going on.
If we find that your hearing aids need to be repaired by the manufacturer, we can offer you a loaner pair until your repaired devices are returned.
No matter what, your hearing care is always our priority, and we will do whatever it takes to keep your hearing aids doing everything promised.
