How to Put in Earplugs Correctly in 5 Easy Steps

While tons of people think they’re using their earplugs correctly, the truth is that too many people don’t put them in their ears correctly. Once you know what you’re doing it’s a pretty simple process, but it’s an important one.

We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to install earplugs for you here, and we’ll highlight why it’s so important to install them correctly in the first place!

How to Put in Earplugs Correctly

Before we dive into why it’s so important to put earplugs in correctly, we’re going to walk you through how to put them in your ears in the first place!

1. Roll the Earplug

With soft foam earplugs, you need to roll them as thin as possible. Don’t squish or flatten them, try to roll them into a thin shape. The thinner you can get the earplugs the easier the rest of the steps will go.

2. Pull the Ear

Grab the top of your ear and pull up for this step. You don’t need to yank your ear too hard, but you do need to pull up to open the ear canal. You should feel the ear canal stretch a bit, and that’s when it’s time to move on to the next step.

3. Insert the Earplug

Now you’re ready to insert the earplugs! Put the earplug directly into your ear canal. It should slide right in at this point and should slide relatively far into your ear canal.

4. Hold the Earplug

Once you insert the earplug you need to hold it in place while it fully expands. Once it fully expands, sounds from the outside should sound muffled coming from that ear.

5. Check the Fit

Now that you have a fully expanded earplug in, it’s time to verify the fit. The earplug should be mostly inside your ear with only a little bit sticking out. If too much is sticking out then you need to start over from step one to ensure the earplug is far enough inside your ear and will stay in place.

Why Inserting Earplugs Correctly Is So Important

Every pair of earplugs you look at will come with a dB reduction rating. This rating tells you how much sound you can expect the earplugs to block out. While those are very accurate and effective ratings, they only provide that level of protection if you use them correctly.

If you don’t, they’ll leave extra space for sound to work its way around the earplugs, giving you far less protection. Not only does that potentially expose you to unsafe sound levels, but since you think the earplugs are working, you’ll be less likely to take further precautions to protect your hearing.

In short, if you want your earplugs to work the way they should you need to take the time to ensure you’re putting earplugs in correctly.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to put earplugs in the right way the next time you need them you can put them in with confidence. You’ll get all the hearing protection you need, and you won’t have to stress out about whether or not you did it the right way or not!

Featured Image Credit: Anke Sundermeier, Pixabay