var json_comments = new Array("
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TheObserver
June 2, 2009 12:05 AM
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Thanks for the heads up. No doubt vacuuming is the loudest thing I do in my home, and I do notice that sensation you get in your ears when you listen to something loud you shouldn't be.

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2 replies
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econobiker
June 2, 2009 3:39 PM
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@TheObserver: I shop vac the cars out and anyone really needs ear plugs to do this...

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wildhare
June 2, 2009 3:35 PM
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@TheObserver: I had to fly with my mother not too long ago, she always gets ear problems on the plane. So I got her some ear plugs. Never let a novice insert their own ear plugs. Even if you tell them explicitly how to do it...

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Wombatish
June 2, 2009 12:08 AM
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Yeah, I think most people who use these really rarely don't know about rolling them.

When we were cutting lots of metal in the theater shop one day we got a big bucket of them, and most people shoved them in unrolled and went.

They were, of course, the ones going \"HEY, it's REALLY LOUD\".

I never rolled mine that well though, always kind of just flattened. So good tip :D!

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2 replies
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Scoobatz
June 5, 2009 1:17 AM
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@Wombatish: In addition to rolling them, I would also recommend that you twist them while you're inserting them. It makes it much easier to put in your ear far enough.

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wee0x1B
June 2, 2009 6:35 PM
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@Wombatish: When I go shooting, I wear foam plugs underneath my earmuffs, for added protection. Rolling isn't as important, but you don't want them to shale loose, either.

One good trick is to reach over your head with the opposite arm and pull your upper earlobe upwards and back slightly. Then insert the rolled plug pointed towards your opposite eyeball. It should go right in and stay snug

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jennieguzman
June 2, 2009 12:08 AM
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This is awesome and very helpful. I would always force them into my ear and that would just hurt!

:)

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humphrmi
June 2, 2009 12:10 AM
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Ah the benefits of having worked at the airport when I was younger. :)

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2 replies
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Stitchopoulis
June 2, 2009 4:18 PM
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Is hearing hygiene taught in health classes these days?
@DeadWriter: Abstinence only, as in \"don't listen to loud things or your ears will be damaged\" My school tried to have a bowl of free earplugs, but a few parents went nuts, screaming that it would cause the children to listen to Twisted Sister.

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youbastid
June 2, 2009 12:15 AM
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Really? Every single package of earplugs I've bought, regardless of brand, say right there on the package that you need to roll them before inserting them. Next up: a video on how to properly make glowsticks light up!

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9 replies
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dangermike
June 3, 2009 5:48 PM
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@youbastid: Consumerist tip of the day: RTFM.

=D

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ajlei
June 2, 2009 3:34 AM
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@youbastid: Yeah, I have just always known to roll them. Of course, my mom used to take my sister and I to airshows as kids and she's uber-health-and-safety mom, so I guess we just learned young.

@supercereal: You would put earplugs in that had been sitting in a communal bin? Yuck, I know ears aren't a big perpetrator of communicable diseases but I wouldn't want someone's earwax plugging up my ear...

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stuny
June 2, 2009 5:18 AM
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Umm, the bin is a sealed one-way dispenser. Of course a nice note saying \"This is not gum\" could be helpful!@ajlei:

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Jeff_McAwes0me
June 2, 2009 4:39 AM
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@ajlei: I don't think they would return them after they finished wearing them.

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supercereal
June 2, 2009 1:14 AM
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@youbastid: True, but a lot of times, like in my old lab at school, there's just a bid ol' bin of them with no instructions or labels on it.

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OGH!_GitEmSteveDave
June 2, 2009 12:27 AM
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@youbastid: As long as it doesn't involve X, I'll try it.

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Don Roberto
June 2, 2009 12:23 AM
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@youbastid: Absoulutely. The little blue and white cardboard pouches with the yellow ear plugs in them even had the picture of someone stretching their ear, a la elf style.

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ngoandy
June 2, 2009 12:16 AM
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Safety first!

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1 replies
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yagisencho
June 2, 2009 12:16 AM
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Five months of dealing with a colicky baby provided my wife and I with plenty of hands-on experience in ear plug insertion. We knew we'd inserted the ear plugs correctly when we could fall asleep.

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3 replies
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Trai_Dep
June 2, 2009 7:23 AM
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@yagisencho: Funny, that's the same test I use to know if the dropped anvil was held high enough.

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OMG! Homers!
June 2, 2009 12:26 AM
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@yagisencho: 6 months with a snoring pregnant wife (twice) gave me the same level of earplug expertise.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
June 2, 2009 1:36 AM
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@Getem Homerjay!: wait - she only snored for 6 of the months she was pregnant? or she delivered prematurely both times?

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Getem Homerjay!
June 2, 2009 5:37 PM
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@catastrophegirl - manic first time home buyer: @dadelus: @SybilDisobedience: @gStein: Holy cow! I can't believe my wife's pregnancy got so much attention today!

By the way, you're all right. :)

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dadelus
June 2, 2009 1:55 AM
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@catastrophegirl - manic first time home buyer: Considering I don't personally know Homerjay or his wife this is only supposition but I'm guessing the snoring was in some way caused by the increase in abdominal mass or \"baby\" and the first three months of the pregnancy didn't involve as much swelling as the final six.

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SybilDisobedience
June 2, 2009 3:19 AM
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@dadelus: I snore more when I sleep on my back, so maybe Mrs. Homerjay had to sleep on hers when her belly got big enough and that's what made her snore.
It feels kind of creepy to speculate on why someone else's wife is snoring.

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dadelus
June 2, 2009 3:48 AM
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@SybilDisobedience:
Yeah, the swelling forcing Mrs. HomerJay (Marge!?) to make the switch to sleeping on her back was kinda the point I was getting at.


And yes, I hope neither Homer or Marge takes umbridge at my tongue in cheek suppositions of their bedroom activties. I mean no disrespect, simply trying to clarify why the first three months of the pregnancies might be snore free.


@gstein: I guess I could have said little Bart and Lisa but that might be seen as taking a theme too far. :)

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BobCoyote
June 2, 2009 12:21 AM
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Anyone have any tips on how to use wax earplugs? I try something similar by rolling it, but they always end up out of my ear come morning. I'm a little tired of hunting for them!

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5 replies
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PencilSharp
June 2, 2009 12:47 PM
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@BobCoyote: Ick. Dude, I don't know why you would wax over foam, et al, but to each his own. Here's how we used them before I convinced The Beloved Wife to abandon them for real protection:

1. Wash your hands... thoroughly.
2. Remove the protective cotton and roll the wax gently between your thumb and forefinger to soften it with your body heat/friction.
3. Once it has reached the right size, insert in the ear canal. If you don't notice a big difference in noise level, you did it wrong. Pull it out and try again (it takes practice).
4. After that, tug your earlobe. That will help to let air out and improve the fit of the plug.

Final note: I would NOT recommend wax plugs for high-noise situations. They are meant only to block ambient noise (for sleeping, reading, etc). They do NOT work for firing ranges, construction, concerts and such...

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lilyHaze
June 2, 2009 1:47 PM
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@PencilSharp: I use the silicone plugs for sleeping. It takes me a long time to get to sleep and I require complete silence. I've had luck with Mack's silicone earplugs.


I'm probably doing it wrong, but I roll it into a ball, insert in ear canel and then cover the ear with the outer part of the wax.

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shmianco
June 2, 2009 4:58 AM
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@BobCoyote: @baristabrawl: OMG!!! 3 years ago i had a dream i was eating marshmallows voraciously. woke up to my wax ear plug smashed in my mouth - i was eating it =/. not fun!

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baristabrawl
June 2, 2009 12:27 AM
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@BobCoyote: Gross. How do you not occasionally swallow them?

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Conrad
June 2, 2009 12:35 AM
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@baristabrawl: I imagine they don't put them in their mouth. Zing!

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Nathan Miller
June 2, 2009 12:21 AM
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Is it not obvious to roll them? I use these things all the time when shooting, and the packages always made it clear that you had to roll them.

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3 replies
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Wombatish
June 2, 2009 3:14 AM
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@Nathan Miller: Big dispensers/packages (you know, like the one in the picture) don't have instructions.

And some people only use them once or twice. /shrug.

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Triterion
June 2, 2009 1:08 AM
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@Nathan Miller: Apparently there's people that don't know how to read a package and need a video to explain it to them.

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Coles_Law
June 2, 2009 1:31 AM
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@Newman!!!!: Some of the bulk containers aren't labeled with this info. Our resident bin is not, although there's a little poster nearby.

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ludwigk
June 2, 2009 12:27 AM
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I wear ear plugs every day on the commute to work (noisy subway). I can do the roll-stretch-insert one handed, so I can put both in simultaneously to enter my quiet place.

Another tip is that if you're having trouble rolling them, try cooling them down in the wind. This either increases or decreases their viscoelasticity (depending on how that term is used), and they will expand slower giving you more time to insert them.

Another another tip is if you still can't compress them into a tight roll, you've probably had them way too long and its time to throw them out.

Another another another tip is that lots of foam earplugs look alike, but they don't behave the same. You should try different brands to find one that suits you, and not assume that they'll behave similarly because they're the same shape.

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1 replies
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etla
June 4, 2009 5:26 AM
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@ludwigk:dido on cooling the foam plugs. My canals are fairly small, especially the left one. Rolling the plug up tight enough and inserting it before it expands can be a problem but plugs kept in the fridge firm up enough that they slip right in.

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OMG! Homers!
June 2, 2009 12:27 AM
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I have Shure in-ear headphones and the tips I like use pretty much the same material. I've found that with the hard plastic channel in the center of them they're a little hard to roll properly so I've learned to wet them slightly on the outside and they slide right in.

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Dilbitz
June 2, 2009 12:28 AM
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I hate those things. Ugh. The feeling of the expansion in your head is just...WRONG. I prefer to use another type.

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1 replies
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Brunette Bookworm
June 2, 2009 2:47 PM
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@Dilbitz: That's why I use those rubbery ones. I hate the noise of the expansion of the foam ones. *shudder* If people don't like the foam ones, you can get the rubber type ones at Walgreens. If I go to a race, I usually just take my work ones with me since I have to wear them when I go into the plant.

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OGH!_GitEmSteveDave
June 2, 2009 12:30 AM
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I originally used a pair of \"ear muffs\" I bought from Home Depot w/a pair of head phones stuck in them, so I was muffling the sound, and also not getting bored. I bought a cheap Hard Hat from Grainger when I was cutting down tree branches in my yard, and couldn't use the ear muffs I had, so I bought a pair of flip down muffs that clip into my hard hat. Since about the age of 18, I wear sunglasses whenever I go out and wear ear protection whenever I am riding my mower in my paddocks, using the brush whacker, pushing a mower, etc... At 31

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6 replies
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Trai_Dep
June 2, 2009 7:26 AM
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@31y/oToday_GitEmSteveDave: Ironically, but for the lack of a mouth guard...
:)

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31y/oToday_GitEmSteveDave
June 2, 2009 10:26 AM
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@Trai_Dep: That was a pool accident, not a lawn care one.

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ColoradoShark
June 2, 2009 12:53 AM
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@OGH!_GitEmSteveDave: I think we'd all appreciate a picture with you wearing the hard hat, ear muffs and sunglasses. I'm thinking modern day Unabomber.

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Nighthawke
June 2, 2009 2:24 PM
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@31y/oToday_GitEmSteveDave: Thought that was the result of boxing or hockey.

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OGH!_GitEmSteveDave
June 2, 2009 12:31 AM
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@OGH!_GitEmSteveDave: Damn enter key. As I was saying, at 31 tomorrow, my eyesight has slipped to 20/20 from 20/16 and my hearing is still damn good. I firmly believe a ounce of prevention is worth a lb of cure.

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OMG! Con Seannery!
June 2, 2009 1:35 AM
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@OGH!_GitEmSteveDave: I was under the impression that the lower the second number was, the better.

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DH405
June 2, 2009 2:06 AM
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@OMG! Con Seannery!: It is. He slipped TO 20/20, from the previous (better) 20/16.

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Skaperen
June 2, 2009 12:37 AM
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Been doing this for so long at the gun range it was hard for me to imagine people didn't know what to do.

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1 replies
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fatcop
June 3, 2009 5:42 PM
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@Skaperen: If you are wearing garbage like this at the range, you're doing it wrong.

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DeadWriter
June 2, 2009 12:49 AM
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A PSA is always good, but I also tend to think that this is a non-issue, as it is clearly printed on the ear plugs. But that's just me.

What is an issue is getting people to use ear plugs. I love it when people tell me at concerts that they don't wear ear plugs because they want to hear the music, and I respond, \"I want to hear the music tonight and 10 years from now.\"

I have significantly less hearing loss compared to others my age, despite working in audio, because I use ear plugs and use common sense when it comes to headphone use and choice.

Is hearing hygiene taught in health classes these days?

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7 replies
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econobiker
June 2, 2009 3:42 PM
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@DeadWriter: My mother used to laugh but my late father always wore ear plugs at wedding receptions with overly loud bands...

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veronykah
June 2, 2009 7:50 AM
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@DeadWriter: Same thing has happened to me. I worked in nightclubs for years and always got shit from people for wearing earplugs. The funny part? People think you hear LESS with them, in fact, I could hear people some distance away despite the loud music. They had no idea.
Oh and I can HEAR 5 years later, unlinke most of my co-workers.
As far as concerts, I'm with you on that too. Whenever I go and forget to bring earplugs it sounds SO bad, way to much on the high end and way too loud.
If only people knew how much more enjoyable and how much better music sounds with earplugs.

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Powerlurker
June 2, 2009 6:56 AM
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@DeadWriter:

If you're really big into going to loud concerts or other situation where you want to hear stuff but not have it be too loud, you can get custom made musicians earplugs, they're designed to quiet everything down with minimal distortion to the sound. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap. I know that Etymotic says they typically cost $150-200, but they should last you indefinitely.

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MightyDwarf56
June 2, 2009 7:50 AM
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@Powerlurker: Do you know where I can get a set of these? I have heard about them but never knew where to get them.

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Powerlurker
June 3, 2009 11:35 PM
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@MightyDwarf56:

Check out www.etymotic.com, they'll tell you where to go. There may be other manufacturers of such products but I don't know of them. It will require a visit to an audiologist to get an ear impression made.

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jamar0303
June 2, 2009 4:01 AM
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@DeadWriter: Suddenly I'm glad I'm cheap- at the two concerts I've been to (one was ages ago while another one was two years ago for L'Arc En Ciel and cost me some US$25) I wasn't close enough to the stage to necessitate earplugs. That or the sound system was unusually quiet and I'm only making myself unprepared for the aural assault that is an American concert.

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Outrun1986
June 2, 2009 1:32 AM
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@DeadWriter: When I went to concerts I always just put them in halfway, but I was doing that on purpose so that it didn't muffle all of the sound. The concerts I went to also were not that loud, but loud enough to require a bit of protection. When I put them in halfway the sound was perfect and I could adjust how loud the volume was to me by either pushing the plugs in a little or pulling them out.

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gaberussell
June 2, 2009 1:19 AM
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@DeadWriter: I actually find the music sounds better at concerts with earplugs in. They cut way down on the high frequencies, which are the harsher ones that tend to bounce around the venue and muddle the mix.

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SteveBMD
June 2, 2009 12:50 AM
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Is it just me or did anyone else think they were watching a clip from the Onion?

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David Bixenspan
June 2, 2009 12:58 AM
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I find that the silicone earplugs that form a seal work much better than the foam cones.

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2 replies
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MightyDwarf56
June 2, 2009 7:52 AM
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@David Bixenspan: Agreed. The silicone ones work better and last longer as well.

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lilyHaze
June 2, 2009 1:50 PM
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@MightyDwarf56: I can \"hear\" the foam earplugs. With the silicone, I can't. It takes me awhile to sleep, and I require complete silence. When those conditions don't meet, I use the silicone earplugs. Works like a dream.

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The Cheat
June 2, 2009 1:14 AM
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WHAT!?

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HiPwr
June 2, 2009 1:16 AM
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Thanks for the tip. I've been shoving them up my nose all these years. One critical part they left out, though, is how to get them out of the packaging.

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1 replies
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FrankenPC
June 3, 2009 3:00 PM
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@HiPwr: I use a laser....or a rabid wolverine.

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VA_White
June 2, 2009 1:20 AM
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I have flown space A on many military aircraft and they show you how to insert the earplugs properly before every flight. Never occurred to me that someone might not know to roll them up.

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Max Gambescia
June 2, 2009 1:26 AM
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I laughed so hard my earplugs shot out of my nose.

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HogwartsAlum
June 2, 2009 1:50 AM
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I had NO IDEA how to do this. I've never used these things in my life.

When I was a kid, I used to lie in between my stereo speakers on the floor and listen to my records very loudly, so I'm surprised I have any hearing left at all.

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floraposte
June 2, 2009 1:53 AM
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Hey, I wouldn't have known. I bought a pack for travel when I had to stay in a college dorm; I didn't have to use them, but if I had, I suspect I would have staggered blearily into the bathroom and just desperately crammed them in. So now I know.

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KhaiJB
June 2, 2009 3:05 AM
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what? I thought it was take 2 with water....*glug*

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James Sumners
June 2, 2009 3:39 AM
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Forget about ear plugs. These things[1] are awesome. They are comfortable and do an excellent job of killing sound.

[1] -- [tinyurl.com]

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etho
June 2, 2009 4:29 AM
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I spent last summer testing smoke detectors and fire alarms for the local school district.

We never wore ear plugs, although we did hand them out to anyone who wanted them.

We did wear them at one school, but it was a very old, weird school with an honest to god air raid siren as the audible device. I guess they actually hand out ear plugs to the kids on fire drill days.

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azsumrg1rl
June 2, 2009 5:52 AM
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Good to know. I've been suffering with tinnitus for the last six months thanks to some incessant whistle blowing at a motorcross event I worked. Until then, I never had a sensitivity to noise and I loved relaxing in a quiet house. Now quiet drives me nuts. It's like a million freaking crickets living in my head. Earplugs are a must for future events and long nights in loud bars (inevitable given the side job).

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2 replies
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econobiker
June 2, 2009 3:43 PM
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@azsumrg1rl: Any racing event attendance requires ear plugs.

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azsumrg1rl
June 3, 2009 4:01 PM
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@econobiker: It wasn't the racing. It was the whistles we were required to blow for nearly 14 hours straight.

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econobiker
June 3, 2009 4:18 PM
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@azsumrg1rl: Understood. So many race events have those type of things and more- overly loud speakers, screaming fans, fireworks, air wrenchs, etc. above and beyond the engine/exhaust noise.

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Anonymous
June 2, 2009 6:04 AM
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Please please please wash your hands before rolling them. And replace frequently.

I lost considerable hearing in one ear from a viral ear infection directly attributable to wearing just one earplug for a day (and removing it re-rolling, reinserting, . . . ). Wanted to know what life was like for friend with considerable hearing loss in one ear due to scarlet fever. Have known first hand for the last 10 years.

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HogwartsAlum
June 3, 2009 12:33 AM
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@TrilbyPublius:

I cannot IMAGINE using them more than once. Bleah!!!

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Powerlurker
June 2, 2009 6:59 AM
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When I go shooting, I use a set of custom molded earplugs that cost me about $40. I don't like the foam plugs and the rubber ones tend to slip out of my ears and I found the custom molded ones work great, especially since they don't interfere with your cheek weld when shooting rifles or shotguns like earmuffs do.

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nagumi
June 2, 2009 9:12 AM
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Omigorsh! It's true! I never tugged my upper earlobe! That really does improve the fit!

The rest I knew, though~!

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RandomHookup
June 2, 2009 10:40 AM
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I've always seemed to suffer from problems inserting things properly.

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Rachacha
June 2, 2009 11:00 AM
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3 words. Read the Directions :-)

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Rectilinear Propagation
June 2, 2009 12:22 PM
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I'm trying to figure out how anyone even gets them in without rolling or otherwise mashing them to get them smaller. Do I just have small ears?

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techstar25
June 2, 2009 12:24 PM
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As a drummer, I always had to roll them to get to fit in my ear tightly or else they would fall out due to all the movement. If you don't roll them, they tend to fall right out.

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KarlB
June 2, 2009 1:17 PM
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This must work, because I could hardly hear the vacuum in the video.

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GreatWhiteNorth
June 2, 2009 1:52 PM
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What is really entertaining is when you see actors using earplugs in movies/tv shows. They are almost always jamming the whole thing against the ear canal... so most of the plug is visible outside the ear. Why is this never caught by the folks who's job it is to ensure that technical stuff is done correctly. Makes me laugh. I am supposed to suspend belief for the show and believe whatever story they are working... Yet they can't even get earplugs to work for them.

By the way I learned how to use ear plugs properly from Sgt. Bebe, CFB Chilliwack in the early 80's. Considering the sorts of noisy environments I've been in since... I should be deaf if it were not for his instruction. Thanks Sgt.

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GreatWhiteNorth
June 2, 2009 1:53 PM
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@GreatWhiteNorth: by the way... great instructional video...

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Baxterjones
June 2, 2009 2:30 PM
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Helpful home security tip: Insert a foam earplug into your peephole to prevent people from seeing into your house with a scope or seeing if you're there by looking at the light through your peephole.

/paranoia

There has to be a better word than \"peephole\", right?

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HogwartsAlum
June 3, 2009 12:44 AM
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@Baxterjones:

That does sound rather...anatomical.

How about spyhole? Or recon-a-scope? Or maybe porch probe?

Okay I'm tired.

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halothane
June 2, 2009 3:39 PM
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Erm... I've used those foam earplugs for ages because my bulldog snores, and there has always been clear instructions on the package that you need to roll them.

Is it really so hard to take 5 seconds to read the instructions before cramming something in one of your orifices? I know you're excited and all, but damn.

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Amy Alkon
June 2, 2009 3:42 PM
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A tip for those with tiny ear openings who need earplugs, and for anybody who wants a great earplug: Hearos Xtreme, which I buy on Amazon (the blue ones) are fantastic. I always have a few in my purse in a ziplock bag..

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econobiker
June 2, 2009 3:55 PM
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Another use for ear plugs is while riding motorcycles or scooters. Not due to the idiot \"loud pipes save lives\" contingent (which is B.S.- loud bright colors and use of loud horns actually save lives) but due to the wind noise.


Even wearing a full face helmet, using plugs cuts down on the wind noise freqencies which will fatigue you alot when riding. You still can hear horns, and other vehicles too. I have been using ear plugs while riding since the late 1980's. The extremely few times I made the personal choice to ride without a helmet (limited access highways in states with helmet choice laws) I have used ear plugs. This once resulted in the comic picture taken by another rider of me from the side while riding on my cycle helmetless but with bright orange plug in my ear and full black leather protective gear otherwise. Definitely an extreme low on the \"Easy Rider\" coolness scale...

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Eli Bishop
June 2, 2009 9:04 PM
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Ok, so they make a video for anybody who can't properly use earplugs (you know people who need instructions for erasers, ice trays, aluminum foil), and then they don't even mention to put the small end in? You think with the overkill list of instructions on the video, they would have mentioned that for the simpletons that need the directions in the first place.

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trujunglist
June 2, 2009 9:30 PM
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Wow, something I can actually talk about with authority!
...crap, everyone's already said everything important!

I will say that unless you're in a constantly noisy environment, you don't need ear plugs. Just try not to stay around whatever noise is really loud for a long time. If you don't have ear plugs but are in a noisy environment and plan on being there for a while, you should occasionally leave to a quiet place and give your ears a break. It will help tremendously with the tinnitus that will follow and help prevent permanent damage going beyond just TTS. An easy way to figure it out is to compare the standard noise levels and activities associated with those levels with OSHA workplace guidelines (anything above 85 dBA means you should be wearing ear plugs if you plan on being there for a while) to find your range and you can decide from there if using ear plugs is even necessary.
I use professional molded ear plugs that have special unweighted filters on them (they come in either -9 or -15 dBA configurations, probably more now because I got them many years ago) when I go to concerts (my concerts are NOT your mom and dad's concert...) and have no problems with comfort, frequency distortion, or tinnitus the next day. I highly recommend something like these to all you music/noise professionals.

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twophrasebark
June 2, 2009 9:37 PM
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These videos need more action. And Ben Popken.

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UniComp
June 2, 2009 10:14 PM
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I thought I was going to learn something, but no, this was common sense to me.

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Ana Witaszczyk
June 3, 2009 2:30 AM
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It seems like the bar staff at concert venues never know how to use these correctly. They just try to stuff them in their ears.

There are different density foams to block different noise ranges. I have smaller than average ears, so the stiffer foams can actually hurt my ears once they expand.

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FrankenPC
June 3, 2009 2:59 PM
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Actually, I find they work better when you put them in reverse. The fat end makes a tighter seal. Also, you don't need to put them in as far. Ear plugs make my ear itch if I ram them all the way in.

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fatcop
June 3, 2009 5:45 PM
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If I wear earplugs, the voices in my head can't get out and I really don't want them bottled up in there for very long.

You can only hear \"Drive on the sidewalk, burn your house down, kill your neighbors,\" for so long before you MUST OBEY!!!!

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Yamunation
June 3, 2009 9:32 PM
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I knew how to insert them from the very first try. How? I read the back of the box, which clearly stated \"roll it between your thumb and forefinger, then insert into ear.\"

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RonDiaz
June 3, 2009 10:22 PM
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Ha I never considered anyone wouldn't roll these...

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