Guide On How To Fit Earplugs Correctly

Other than buying the wrong earplugs, the other mistake that many people make is wearing earplugs improperly. When you don’t wear the pieces correctly, you allow noise to leak in, which puts you at the risk of suffering from noise-induced hearing loss. To keep you safe, here are tips on how to fit earplugs correctly:

Fitting in soft foam earplugs

Soft foam earplugs are the most common types of earplugs you will find in most stores. The most common ones are Mack’s ultra-soft earplugs. From their name, they are soft hence press easily.

While the earplugs are soft, you should be cautious as some are too soft that they cant move between your fingers. If buying from a local store, take time to test them, and ensure they can move between your fingers.

When buying online, buy them in bulk to increase the chances of finding those that will roll smoothly. In addition to the earplugs moving smoothly between your fingers, they also should be thinner and rounded on one of the edges. This is to make it easy for them to get into the ears.

For you to get the most from the earplugs, begin by rolling them into a small thin, snake-like shape with your fingers. If the foam is thick, roll the earplug between your hands. When rolling the earplug, ensure that you are thinning it lengthwise. Don’t roll it into a ball.

The purpose of rolling the earplug is to make it easy for it to insert into the ear.

To insert the earplug, pull the top of your ear up and back. Avoid pulling too hard as you might hurt the ears. To see what you are doing, use a mirror. Once the ear is open, slowly and gently insert the earplug into the ear canal.

A properly rolled-up earplug should easily slide in place. Don’t push it or put it too far into the ear.

After inserting the earplug, hold it in place with your finger. This is to give it time to expand and fill the ear canal. When the plug has made a good seal, your voice will sound muffled. The pieces aren’t designed to silence the surroundings completely, but they should quiet them.

To confirm that the pieces are working, cup your hands tightly over your ears. If the sounds are more muffled when you place your hands, the earplugs aren’t sealing properly. You should try reinserting the pieces or go for another pair of earplugs.

How to fit in moldable and silicone earplugs

Moldable and silicone earplugs are often the first choice for swimmers as they provide a quality seal. Wax earplugs come packaged in tiny balls surrounded by cotton. Peel the cotton using your fingers, then use one hand to roll the ball between your thumb and index finger.

With your other hand, pull the cotton away as you roll the ball. Continue spinning the ball of wax and pulling away from the cotton until you have completely removed it.

After removing the cotton, soften the wax by enclosing it in your fist for 40 seconds. You should enclose it until you feel the ball getting soft and sticky. Once it’s soft enough, shape the ball into a cone. To do this, you need to hold the ball between your thumb and forefinger. With your other hand, pinch the top of the ball of wax.

Continue pinching while rotating the ball with your other hand. With time, the wax will start forming a rounded cone shape.

You should then pull your hair out of your face and away from the ears, then insert the earplug. Insert the earplug until it completely seals off the ear canal. Most of the earplugs should fit the ear canal, with just a small end sticking out. To form a seal, rub on the end of the earplug.

Guide to fitting in pre-molded reusable earplugs

From their name, reusable earplugs are pieces that you can use several times. Pre-molded pieces are already designed to fit your ears. Before you attempt to insert them, read the instructions given on the package. How you insert the pieces depends on the shape of the earplugs.

To insert the pieces, pull your ear up and back to straighten the ear canal. You should then reach over your head with one hand, grab the top of the ear, and pull up and back. This pulls up the ear, making it easy to insert the earplug.

Once you have expanded the eardrum, insert the earplug using a gentle, rocking motion. Continue inserting the piece until you have completely sealed off the ear canal.

When inserting the piece, take care that you don’t push the earplug too far. When properly worn, you should still be able to grab the earplug with your fingers when you need to remove it.

If you can still hear properly with the earplug in place, the chances are that you haven’t worn the ear protectors properly. Try to reinsert it. If you try the second time and hear the noises, you are most likely using the wrong size. You need to try out another dimension.

Step-by-step Guide On How To Fit Earplugs Correctly

1. Grab one of your earplugs

2. Pinch the earplug with both hands

3. Roll-in back and forward between your fingers and compress it as much as possible

4. Squeeze to ensure it is as narrow as possible

 5. Grabbing the top of your ear with your opposite hand, open up your ear canal

6. Insert the compressed earplug into your ear while still pulling the top of your ear back

7. Twist the plug to help it go in

8. Once it is in as far as is comfortable, hold the earplug by pressing it in until you feel the lug fully re-expand his may take around one minute.

 

9.  Done! A correctly inserted earplug should look like this. You should not be able to see the plug standing front on. To remove the earplug, pull the end of the plug and twist it out.

 

Note: the example below is of an incorrectly inserted earplug. If you are having trouble correctly fitting your earplugs, you may need to get a supplier to do a demonstration on-site.