Perfectdry Lux hearing aid dryer

Hearing Aids
#1

If you are thinking of purchasing a Perfectdry Lux, I suggest buying it from Costco.

Reading lots of the reviews for this product on Amazon, it appears that there are a number of early failures, with purchasers being stuck with a defective product and no clear way to use the manufacturer’s three year warranty.

I visited my local Costco where I bought a Perfectdry Lux for $39.95, which is half of what most other outlets are charging. The person who waited on me said that because I was not a hearing aid customer, and not in their system, I should make sure to keep a copy the sales receipt in case the unit failed within the 3 year warranty period. If I presented it to a Costco audiology department along with the defective dryer, they would handle the warranty.

Needless to say, I immediately scanned the sales receipt to a pdf file when I got home. If the dryer makes it through 3 years, it will probably last forever, and from what I have read it’s usually a fan failure. These are tiny multi-blade computer fans which are cheap as dirt, and should be easy to install.

Now regarding the drying time. All the specifications and advertising I read online state it runs for 30 minutes, with many folks saying it’s not long enough. Interestingly the documentation in the unit I just purchased (09/23/2020) says the drying time is 45 minutes. I plugged it in and It did run for 45 minutes. I’m guessing the manufacturer has been reading the online reviews, and made a running change.

How well does it work? I have no idea, because the humidity here has been low recently. Even though I clean my aids every evening with alcohol wipes, I do like the idea of exposing the tubes and domes to UV light to protect against germs.

#2

Um, what aids do you have? Why do you clean aids with alcohol wipes? Aren’t HA manufacturers said that you shouldn’t wipe it with alcohol because of their coating?

#3

I have been using Phonak Bolero V70, but I only wipe the thin tubes and domes with the alcohol.

#4

How about it? can you recommend another one?

#5

That’s the question isn’t it?

At $79.95, never. At $39.95 maybe.

What you are getting is a nice box with a fan, uv lights, and a 90 minute timer. The air is only heated to 95f, which is not very warm, and if the incoming air is humid the hearing aid will never get really dry.

I suspect that you could do a better job with a hair dryer, or throwing your hearing aids into a zip-lock bag with a few of the pouches of desiccant that come in many products when shipped.

The uv lights are another matter, and if it can prevent infections in your ears, it’s probably worth it.

There seems to be a lot of hype and misinformation surrounding hearing aids, and these dryers are a part of it.

#6

So big cost, I don’t want it. I will get another one

#7

Well after playing with the dryer for a few days, I am not convinced that it will do much other than flood the hearing aids with uv light. This is too bad because as a product it really looked great sitting on my night stand.

I returned it to Costco this morning, who gave me a refund no questions asked.

On to plan B.

On Ebay I found some small plastic vented containers filled with reusable dessicant beads for $5.22 for two including tax and shipping from China. Throw your hearing aids into a small zip lock bag along with one of the dessicant containers, and you should be good to go. If the dessicant is kept sealed in the bag when not in use it should last quite a while before you need to heat the beads to drive off any accumulated moisture.

Low cost, effective, reusable, simple, and easy to carry in luggage when traveling. What more can you ask for?