How to Clean Earplugs

You clean earplugs with lukewarm water and a soft cloth, without soap or harsh products. Wipe them after every use, clean them thoroughly once a week and always let them dry completely before you put them away. Foam earplugs are not for cleaning: you replace them. Below you can read how to go about it for each type.

Why you should clean your earplugs

Even the cleanest ears produce earwax every day, and it ends up in your earplugs. Together with sweat and dust, that makes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. If you are prone to ear infections, this can cause problems. Whether earplugs can harm your ears in other ways is explained in are earplugs bad for your ears?

Earwax also gets into the filter or the sound channel. Once that is clogged, everything sounds more muffled, or an earplug with a filter no longer attenuates as intended. You often only notice this late. By the way, your own ears do not need cleaning in the same way; you can read more in how to clean your ears and remove earwax yourself.

How often to clean them

Cleaning custom earplugs: step by step

These steps work for custom earplugs (custom earmoulds) made of silicone or hard material.

1. 1Remove earwax from the sound channel. Use a tissue or a cerumen pen. Do not press hard on the filter.
2. 2Clean the outside. With a cleaning spray for hearing protection, which disinfects at the same time, or simply with lukewarm water. Preferably do not use soap or cleaning products.
3. 3Thorough clean? Use an effervescent tablet. Dissolve a cleaning tablet in a small bowl of lukewarm water and leave your earplugs in it until they are clean.
4. 4Let them dry completely. In the air or with a cloth. A filter may get wet, but it only works properly again once it is completely dry.
5. 5Store them in their case. Not loose in your trouser pocket, coat pocket or bag.

Want everything in one go? Take a look at the complete cleaning set.

When should you change the filter?

Does your earplug sound more muffled or attenuate less than you are used to, and can you no longer get the filter clean? Then it is time for a new filter. The same applies if the filter is damaged. If you want lighter or stronger attenuation, you can also change it. In the first 3 months after purchase, we change your filters free of charge; after that you can order separate filters, such as the Pure Tones filter (€19.00) or the Custom filter (€9.00), and change them yourself. You can read how it works under filter adjustment.

Good care is also the reason why custom earplugs last for years; see sustainable hearing protection.

Do you wear your earplugs for work? Then have the fit checked too. We do a leak test when you start using them, and after that we recommend repeating it every year. More about this in hearing protection leak test.

Cleaning festival earplugs

Universal festival earplugs usually consist of a silicone or foam tip with a small filter inside. They get quite dirty from sweat and earwax in a single night.

• After the festival: wipe the tips with a slightly damp cloth and let them dry before they go back in their case.
• Thorough clean: if you can remove the tip from the filter, rinse only the tip with lukewarm water. Do not soak the filter and keep it as dry as possible. If in doubt, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Replace: foam tips only last a few uses. Replace silicone tips when they become limp, discoloured or torn; many brands supply spare tips.

Do you go to festivals or concerts more often? Then custom festival earplugs are easier to keep clean, because there is no loose tip and the filter can be changed separately.

Cleaning earphones and earbuds

Wireless earbuds and in-ear monitors also collect earwax, especially in the small grille in front of the speaker.

• The earbud itself: wipe it with a dry, lint-free cloth. Remove earwax from the grille with a dry, soft brush. Do not use water on the electronics.
• Silicone tips: remove them, rinse them with lukewarm water and let them dry completely before you put them back.
• Custom sleeves: if you have custom sleeves on your earbuds, take the sleeve off the earbud and clean it like a custom earplug: earwax out of the channel, rinse with lukewarm water, let it dry. Only put it back once it is dry.

Storing your hearing protection

Always carry your earplugs in the case you got with them. Do not have one? Then you can choose a soft case or hard case. That keeps them clean and makes them harder to lose; you will find more tips in lost your earplugs?

Cleaning setEverything to keep your earplugs cleanFor the daily care of your custom earplugs. View the set