Can I Wear Hearing Aids at the Beach or Pool? Best Practices

A hot afternoon at Metro Beach on Lake St. Clair usually means towels lined up and kids running back and forth from the water. Michiganders take their lake time seriously, whether that’s Metro Beach, a pontoon day or a weekend at a state park up north.

If you wear hearing aids, all that sun, sand and water raise a real question before you even pack the cooler. Can you actually wear your hearing aids at the beach or pool, and if not, what do you do instead?

The short answer is it depends on the device and the situation. Some hearing aids are built to handle sweat and splashes, but that is not the same as being safe for swimming or full submersion.

Sand and water can also get into microphone ports and battery compartments faster than people expect at the beach. A few simple habits can help you enjoy the water without putting your devices at risk.

Understanding IP Ratings for Hearing Aid Moisture Protection

If you have ever looked through the specifications for your hearing aids, you may have seen a rating such as IP68. IP stands for Ingress Protection, and those two numbers tell you how well the device is protected against things getting inside. One number is for solid particles and the other is for moisture.

Here is what each number tells you:

• The first number measures protection against solid particles such as dust, dirt and sand. The scale goes up to six, so a six means the casing provides the highest level of protection against dust.
• The second number measures protection against water under specific testing conditions. Higher numbers indicate greater resistance, but the exact conditions matter when interpreting the rating.

How Water Resistance Helps During Time Outdoors

Hearing aids have to deal with quite a bit when you spend a summer day outside. Wind picks up, temperatures change, perspiration collects around your ears and a clear afternoon can suddenly turn rainy. Manufacturers use several features to help hearing aids handle those conditions during normal wear.

Protective coatings and tightly designed casings help limit the amount of moisture that reaches sensitive internal parts. At the same time, hearing aid microphones and processing features adjust to changing sound around you, including the rush of wind that can make outdoor listening difficult. Those features do different jobs, but together they make hearing aids better suited to an active day outside.

There is still an important limit to remember. Water-resistant does not mean waterproof. A device designed to withstand perspiration, light rain or an accidental splash is not necessarily designed to spend several minutes underwater.

Managing Moisture and Humidity Around Metro Detroit

You do not have to drop a hearing aid in the water to end up with a moisture problem. Metro Detroit summers can get muggy, and an afternoon near Lake St. Clair can mean hours of warm, humid air.

That moisture can settle into small spaces around microphone openings, battery compartments and other parts of the device.

If enough gets inside, you might start hearing muffled sound, brief interruptions or changes in volume. Disposable batteries may also seem to run down sooner if moisture begins affecting the contacts.

After a particularly humid or sweaty day, wipe the outside of your hearing aids with a soft, dry cloth before putting them away. A drying system or dehumidifier can help draw out moisture you cannot see.

For hearing aids with disposable batteries, follow the manufacturer’s directions for opening the battery doors during storage and drying.

Protecting Hearing Aids from Sand and Saltwater

Water is not the only thing to think about at the beach. Fine sand has an impressive ability to turn up everywhere, including around hearing aid microphone ports, buttons and other tiny openings.

If you take your hearing aids out at the beach, put them directly into a closed protective case. A loose device tucked into a beach bag can end up surrounded by sand, damp towels and sunscreen bottles.

Saltwater deserves extra caution because the problem does not disappear when the water dries. Salt can remain behind on the device and contribute to corrosion of metal components.

If your hearing aids are accidentally exposed to saltwater, gently dry the outside. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for what to do next rather than rinsing or aggressively cleaning them yourself.

Checking Device Specs and Drying Hearing Aids Safely

An IP rating gives you a useful starting point, but it does not tell you everything about caring for your particular hearing aids. Your owner’s manual should explain the conditions under which the device was tested and any limits or precautions that apply to that model.

The manual should also tell you how the manufacturer recommends dealing with moisture. Depending on your hearing aids, that could mean using a drying cup, desiccant system or electronic dehumidifier.

One thing you do not want to do is try to speed up drying with more heat. Hair dryers, ovens and other direct heat sources can damage plastic, batteries and internal components. If your hearing aids use removable batteries, check the instructions for your model before putting the devices into a drying system.

Protective Accessories and Smart Planning for the Beach

Heading to the water takes a little extra planning when you wear hearing aids. You do not need to pack half your bathroom cabinet, but a few useful items can protect your devices from sweat, splashes, sand and direct sun.

A few things are worth adding to your beach bag:

• A wide-brimmed hat can provide some protection from direct sun and an unexpected light rain.
• A soft fabric sweatband can catch perspiration before it runs down toward your ears.
• Protective hearing aid sleeves fit over the devices and help absorb light moisture during outdoor activities.
• A hard-shell waterproof case gives your hearing aids a protected place to go when you take them out.

When to Remove Your Hearing Aids and Store Them Safely

Some summer activities are simply too wet for hearing aids. Swimming, wading and water games all create the chance of submerging a device or knocking one loose. Even highly water-resistant hearing aids should come out before you get into the pool, lake or ocean.

Sunscreen, bug spray and hair products are another reason to remove them temporarily. Sprays and lotions can settle around microphone ports and other openings, leaving behind a sticky film that interferes with sound.

Once the devices are out, resist the temptation to leave them on a towel or tuck them into a pocket. A hard-shell waterproof case protects them from being stepped on, splashed or buried under everything else in your bag.

What to Do If Your Hearing Aids Get Wet

Even with careful planning, accidents happen. A sudden splash or an unexpected trip into the water does not necessarily mean your hearing aids are ruined. What you do next is more important than trying to get them working again as quickly as possible.

Turn the devices off and remove the batteries if your model uses disposable ones. Gently blot the outside with a clean, lint-free cloth, then place the hearing aids in a drying system recommended for your devices.

The one thing you do not want to do is blast them with heat. A hair dryer might seem like the fastest solution, but high temperatures can damage plastic, seals and electronics. Ovens and microwaves are also completely off-limits, no matter how quickly you want the moisture gone.

Signs of Water or Sand Damage to Hearing Aids

Sometimes a wet or gritty hearing aid keeps working, but it starts behaving a little strangely. You might hear static or notice muffled sound. In some cases, the device may shut off even with a full battery.

Physical changes can give you clues too. A button that suddenly sticks could have a grain of sand lodged around it, while moisture or discoloration inside a battery compartment deserves attention.

Persistent static, unreliable controls or repeated power problems could mean something inside needs professional attention. At that point, your audiologist can inspect areas that are not accessible during routine cleaning at home.

Enjoying the Beach or Pool with Confidence and Care

If you’re not sure whether your hearing aids can handle a day at the beach or pool, that’s worth checking before summer gets away from you.

Professional Hearing Aid Center can walk you through what your specific devices can handle and what precautions actually make sense. A few small habits can go a long way toward protecting your hearing aids without keeping you out of the water.

Reach our Auburn Hills clinic at (248) 648-7981, our Macomb clinic at (586) 328-0154, our St. Clair Shores clinic at (586) 328-0159 or our Sterling Heights clinic at (586) 328-0151. Whichever office is closest, we’re happy to help you enjoy the water worry-free.