Today I want to explain how to use ear plugs. These little foam plugs that go in each ear are very important when I am operating or near loud equipment! Without wearing any ear protection there would eventually be gradual hearing loss.
An ear plug is a small cylinder shaped object. Usually made from foam or some other soft pliable material that is safe to put in the ear to quite loud sounds.
While there are many different kinds of ear plugs, I prefer the 3M classic E.A.R. earplugs and they are common enough to easily be found!
How To Use Ear Plugs The Right Way
First of all when you look at an ear plug you may think there is no way that it will fit into your ear! I can assure you it should fit if the proper steps are taking while inserting it. I have learned how to use ear plugs years ago and following these steps will help anybody learn quickly!
- First of all make sure your hands are clean, we don’t want dirt to get onto the ear plug and pushed into the ear!
- Pick up the ear plug packet and take out one ear plug.
- Begin rolling it between the thumb and fingers, squashing it into a narrow cylinder.
- After it is rolled hold it firmly to keep from expanding and select an ear for the plug.
- With the other hand grasp the top of the ear and gently pull the ear up and away from the head to open the ear canal.
- Slowly begin putting one end of the ear plug into the ear, wiggling or rolling the ear plug a bit if needed.
- As the ear plug goes in the ear I am able to carefully push it in until the outer edge is no longer sticking out past my ear.
- I can feel if the ear plug is in correctly because almost immediately I can feel the foam expanding and sound is muffled.
- Get the remaining ear plug and go through the same process.
- Sometimes it is difficult to get the ear plug into the ear, that may be because it was not rolled tight enough or already started to expand. If that is the case, then don’t try to force it in. Pull it out and roll it again, tighter this time and try again!
Where To Find New Ear Plugs
New ear plugs can be found at hardware stores and other places that sell tools and machines. They are a popular item at stores, but because they are so small they seem to be harder to spot on crowded shelves.
I have also found these ear plugs while shopping online. There you will have many different brands and colors to choose from!
How To Use Ear Plugs More Than Once
Depending on the job I am doing I doing sometimes I will need to use ear plugs more than once a day and it would be wasteful to keep using a new pair
If you are wondering how to use ear plugs more than once, the manufacturer is even helping here. My ear plugs are often in a small cardboard box called a pillow pack. Each of these pillow packs have a pair of ear plugs in it. The pillow packs are all in the one big box. Sometimes instead of a pillow pack the pair of ear plugs will be sealed in a small plastic bag.
Before operating a chainsaw I need to protect my hearing. So I pull the ear plugs out of the pillow pack and put them in my ears. Then I save the pillow pack by putting it into my pocket. When my cutting job is finished I can pull the pillow packet from my pocket and easily put the used ear plugs into it, keeping them clean and safe from getting lost!
At the end of the day I usually bring my used ear plugs home. There they will get washed and dried and then they can be used again at another job!
Sometimes I forget to take the ear plugs out of my pants pocket and they go through the washer! That will clean them but they can also be washed under a facet.
Its important to occasionally wash the ear plugs because ear wax will stick to the ear plug and dust will stick to the ear wax. And eventually that buildup of dirt would get pushed into the ear.
My Favorite Ear Plugs – Trusted For Years
Now that I’ve explained how to use ear plugs, I want to show you my favorite ear plugs which are the 3M classic ear plugs. They are yellow foam cylinder shaped ear plugs.
The main reason I like these ear plugs so much is because the foam is slower to expand than most other brands. That gives me a few more seconds to wiggle the plug into my ear before it expands and needs to be rolled again.
Winter’s cold weather makes the foam stiffer and harder to roll, but that is fine because it will open up slower. That gives me more time to get it in my ear. The summer warmth will make these ear plugs expand faster, but it is still slower than other brands!
Working in the summer you know it will be hot, and with that comes sweat! Eventually the ear plugs will become wet from sweat. That is normal, but will make it slightly harder to keep them clean throughout the day.
How To Use Ear Plugs At Work Instead Of Ear Muffs
Often I see people wearing ear muffs instead of ear plugs. Maybe they don’t know how to use ear plugs or believe ear muffs are easier to use. I have found ear muffs can be bulky and feel kinda heavy on my head!
In construction and other areas where hard hats are worn it would be difficult to wear both ear muffs and a hard hat. Ear plugs come in handy for these workers.
In my Tree Pruning and Removal business we usually use hard hats that have an ear muff system attached to them. But sometimes those don’t press firmly enough against my ears so I like to wear ear plugs underneath, especially when using a chainsaw or chipping branches with the chipper.
Ear plugs have the advantage of being much smaller and still doing as an effective job as the much bigger muffs! Plus they can be put in my pocket and always carried with me so I have them whenever I need them!
I hope you have learned how to use ear plugs! But if you have any questions be sure to ask me about them in the comment section below!
Thank you Justin for this informative article on how to use quality hearing protection ear plugs, it was an insightful read and I am certain it will be beneficial to those looking to protect their hearing in industrial work settings as well as do it yourself projects at home.
I wish someone had advise me on wearing this type of protections whenever I was tag practicing or sighting in or hunting with a gun as the residual ringing that I experience constantly in my ears now would have benefitted from that safety concern in the past.
It is kind of a weird experience as the foam expands within your ear canal but this kind of protection is most certainly worth using on a regular basis.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts! I believe more people wished they knew how to use ear plugs years ago. A simple hearing protection aid that will help prevent ear ringing or other issues from target shooting!
How to use ear plugs is something many people don’t really know how to do correctly. While it may seem simple, there is a learning curve to putting them in quickly and easily!
It will only take a few tries to learn how to use ear plugs and that will be a helpful skill you have acquired!