When purchasing polyurethane foam earplugs, many people wonder: can they be washed? Of course you can. And it is necessary, because your health and their effectiveness depend on the cleanliness of the earbuds: earwax, dust, sweat and dirt from your hands will certainly accumulate on them, and the entry of bacteria into the middle ear predictably leads to inflammation.
On forums and in comments in online stores, buyers often complain that earplugs lose their elasticity after water, including Moldex inserts. How to wash an accessory so as not to spoil it? The main thing is accuracy, warm water and proper drying.
How to properly wash polyurethane foam earplugs?
Earplugs are now the go-to tool for blocking out sounds for a restful sleep or work, as well as protecting your ears from water while swimming. One way or another, over time, the earplugs become dirty and begin to require washing. To properly wash your earplugs, you don't need any special products.
You will need:
- warm water;
- a highly absorbent towel or sheet of paper;
- a little detergent - baby soap or dishwashing detergent.
To wash your earplugs, just wash them carefully in warm water using the product you choose, being careful not to rub or wrinkle the earplugs. After washing, they need to be rinsed thoroughly.
Important: If cleaning agent remains on the surface, it will damage the plastic and sound insulating properties of the earplugs.
To dry the inserts, just lay them out on a well-absorbing towel or sheet of paper, always away from heating devices or direct sunlight, without a hair dryer or other heating. Drying will take three to four hours, and after that the earplugs will fully restore their properties. Dry and clean earbuds can be stored in the case.
If your earplugs lose their shape during washing, no need to worry: just carefully return them to their original shape and leave to dry.
Important: Be sure to ensure that small children or pets cannot reach your earplugs while they are drying. At best, they will simply “play” with them, and at worst, they will try to swallow them or, if we are talking about children, push them into their noses. Earplugs are very flexible and quickly return to their usual shape after being crushed, so they can easily block a child’s small airways or esophagus.
Disposable products: how to properly insert earplugs into your ears
Disposable earplugs are made from wax with the addition of petroleum jelly or other synthetic components. The peculiarity of such liners is that each product can be divided into parts. Before inserting earplugs into your ears, you need to remove the piece of cotton cloth in which it is wrapped from the wax ball. If the earbuds are too large for your ears, remove excess wax with clean fingers before using them.
How to use earplugs for sleeping or swimming? To do this, you need to warm up the wax balls in the palm of your hand and insert them shallowly into the ear canal. To remove the earplugs, you need to pry them with clean fingers and carefully remove them.
What to do if the earplugs are very dirty?
Sometimes, for example, after a long trip, the earplugs become very dirty, and it seems that simple water will not be enough. In such a situation, “Chlorhexidine” or a three percent solution of hydrogen peroxide will help - they will dissolve dirt and disinfect the accessory. How to proceed:
- Pour the selected product into a small container so that you can completely immerse the earplugs in it.
- Place the earbuds there for two to three minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly in running water.
- Dry as usual.
Miss Clean Tip: If you feel like your earplugs are still not clean enough after a swim, wash them with additional detergent as you would during regular cleaning. Do not forget to rinse thoroughly so that the polyurethane foam does not lose its properties.
Material of manufacture
Earplugs for sleep are made from natural and artificial materials.
Manufacturers use polyurethane, wax, polypropylene and silicone for this. To make the right choice, you should take into account the properties of each material. According to their intended purpose, products are either single-use or reusable. The warmth of the human body softens the material of wax earplugs, so they mold to the exact shape of the ear, completely filling the auricle. This achieves complete sound insulation. The disadvantage of wax is its ability to absorb dirt and stick hairs together, it hardens quickly after removal and the associated difficulty of disinfection. Therefore, wax products are classified as disposable.
If polypropylene is used to make sleep earplugs, they are soft and pliable and easily take the desired shape. They can simply be washed and dried for reuse. Disadvantages: sometimes skin irritation occurs, the material soon tears.
Polyurethane liners are soft and elastic. They clean well and are suitable for reusable use. The choice of the appropriate model depends on the size of the auricle.
Silicone products are considered the most popular. There are no allergies to them, and they absorb sound well. All that remains is to keep them clean.
How to keep your earplugs clean while traveling?
Of course, one of the best ways to prolong the life of your polyurethane foam earplugs is to keep them from getting too dirty. But how to maintain hygienic cleanliness when it is not possible to constantly wash the accessory? In this regard, your helpers will be special sprays and non-alcohol wet wipes, which are presented in a large assortment on store shelves.
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Cleaning the accessory is very simple and requires only careful movements. With good care, your earplugs will be able to please you with peace and quiet for longer, and by taking care of their cleanliness, you are also taking care of your health.
Contraindications and side effects
There are people who cannot stand earplugs at all. In this case, it is better to make plugs from scrap materials or use headphones.
Inserting earplugs correctly requires some skill. If the “ear mufflers” are not worn correctly, there will be no benefit; extraneous sounds and noises will interfere with deep sleep. Too much addiction is the other harmful extreme. Doctors do not recommend using such products for too long. A psychological dependence and habit is formed. Even in a quiet environment, a person will not be able to sleep without earplugs; they will begin to listen even to background noise, will experience severe irritation from every rustle, and will think about how to put on earplugs.
For reference. Manufacturers advise storing reusable products in special containers away from sunlight. This will ensure their safety for a long time.
Contraindications and side effects
In most cases, there are no contraindications or side effects for good earplugs for sleeping. The only thing that may bother you is the habit of falling asleep in silence that has become established as a result of their use. In the future, if there are no earplugs at hand, the nervous system may react sharply to external stimuli.
Most of the problems associated with using earplugs to sleep are due to poor hygiene. If you ignore cleaning and disinfection of products, there is a risk of infection entering the ear canal and associated consequences. In rare situations, an allergy to the material may occur. Therefore, you should carefully read the instructions for earbuds before purchasing them.
A contraindication for use is the presence of inflammation inside the ear (infectious ENT disease, etc.). If an infection is detected, it is prohibited to use earplugs until it is completely cured.
Types of earplugs
Earplugs are distinguished by the method of use (disposable and reusable) and by the material used for their production. Each type of insert has its own advantages and disadvantages. Having selected the necessary option, it is easy to create favorable conditions for sleep, relaxation, and sometimes work.
Based on the principle of use, manufacturers offer disposable and reusable inserts. Which ones are better to choose for sleep?
Maybe you will be interested in reading and useful to learn how to use a sleep mask and how to sew a protective mask yourself: - https://matrasium.ru/postelnoe/aksessuary/povyazka-na-glaza-dlya-sna-ili-maska-dlya- sna-sshit-svoimi-rukami/
Disposable
Made from wax coated with a protective cotton layer. They are ideal for one-time use, when the need for a full-fledged holiday organization arises periodically. Sometimes there are foam inserts with similar characteristics.
Reusable
For regular use, it is better to use reusable earplugs, remembering to properly care for them and change them promptly. Carefully following the instructions that are usually included with the product will keep them hygienically clean and protect the health of the user. Reusable liners are made with special filters that reduce:
- the noise level is not completely (used when you need to hear the alarm clock);
- degree of pressure (in airplanes or when diving under water).
Cleaning the ear pads
In addition to earplugs, there are ear pads - these are soft cushions of headphones that are designed to isolate from external sounds. It is very important to know how to clean the ear pads of headphones, since using them dirty leads to inflammation of the middle ear.
Clean your ear pads every two weeks. Cleaning them is very similar to cleaning earplugs, so you can also clean the ear pads with peroxide or liquid soap. Dry the ear pads on a paper towel or cotton wool. For a quick effect, you can use a hairdryer.
Separately, it is worth mentioning how to clean leather ear pads. They are wiped with a cotton swab soaked in vinegar or alcohol.
Tip: Before you start washing the ear pads, pay attention to the recommendations of the headphone manufacturer. Perhaps there will be specific solutions that can be used to safely and effectively wash the ear pads.
Now you know how to clean earplugs and ear pads. It will take less than 15 minutes to wash the pads. It would seem that these are such little things, but your health depends on them.
When purchasing polyurethane foam earplugs, many people wonder: can they be washed? Of course you can. And it is necessary, because your health and their effectiveness depend on the cleanliness of the earbuds: earwax, dust, sweat and dirt from your hands will certainly accumulate on them, and the entry of bacteria into the middle ear predictably leads to inflammation.
On forums and in comments in online stores, buyers often complain that earplugs lose their elasticity after water, including Moldex inserts. How to wash an accessory so as not to spoil it? The main thing is accuracy, warm water and proper drying.
Where to buy earplugs
I bought my first earplugs in a specialized store of protective equipment, they were earplugs from the 3M company (in the photo below they are number 2), the cost was 16 rubles per pair, the quality of these earplugs is low. They may be suitable for soundproofing when performing noisy work, but they are not comfortable enough for sleeping.
We sell earplugs for sleeping in pharmacies, but the best foam earplugs that I managed to try were bought online on Aliexpress.
In pharmacies the cost of 1 pair of earplugs for sleeping is 70-90 rubles. When ordering from a Chinese online store, the cost of 1 pair of earplugs with delivery will be approximately 50 to 80 rubles. It is much more profitable to buy 5 or 10 pairs at once; the price increases only a couple of times, and not 5 or 10.
