Frequently Asked Questions
Are EarJellies more comfortable than other earplugs?
Yes. Once you have inserted them correctly, they seal your ear canals with only gentle outward pressure. That pressure is much less than with foam earplugs. If you put EarJellies in one ear and a foam earplug in the other, the pressure difference will soon become obvious.
Do EarJellies block all noise?
No, but they reduce its loudness dramatically. Sound can travel through your skin, so even perfect earplugs can't provide perfect quiet. However, EarJellies seal your ear canals completely and prevent sound from entering your ears by way of the air.
I put EarJellies in my ears, but the sound is still pretty loud. Why aren't they working?
You either didn't insert the EarJellies fully into your ear canals or you are using the wrong size. If you roll out the proper size so that they are long and thin, they should slide easily into your ear canals. As the bulbs of the EarJellies return toward their original shape, they should gently grip the sides of the canals so they can't fall out, and the bases should rest flush against the openings to those canals. If the EarJellies are too large, you won't be able to get them into your ear canals. If the EarJellies are too small, they won't seal your ear canals and will come out easily.
Why is the NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) only 25? I need more noise blocking to sleep.
The NRR is a poor indicator of the typical noise reduction you can expect from an earplug. For most commercial earplugs, it reports the best noise-reduction value ever measured in a laboratory situation. A company with deep pockets can keep testing until they get an unusually high value and then use that value to sell earplugs. Moreover, most earplugs rarely provide their NRR level of noise-reduction in ordinary use. Their effective NRR is generally less than 20 and often much less than that.
Almost any earplug that perfectly seals the ear canal can achieve an NRR of about 25 on average and may obtain an NRR of 33 on a lucky day. Where EarJellies differ from the competition is in their ability to seal the ear canal routinely and comfortably, so that they actually provide about an NRR 25 level of sound reduction in ordinary use. That means a lot less noise and a lot of quiet.
Are EarJellies reusable?
Yes, depending on how often you use them and, if you keep them clean, they can last for years. Collecting pocket lint or smashing them on a pillow overnight will diminish the life of the product.
How Do I Clean EarJellies?
EarJellies are surprisingly robust and easy to clean. Simply wash them gently with soap and water, rinse them thoroughly, and shake off the remaining water. Then put them on a non-stick surface to dry. Remember to check them for tears before using again, but otherwise they should be good to go!
My EarJellies Have Gotten Too Soft and Recover Their Shapes Too Quickly. Can I Fix Those Problems?
Yes. EarJellies are made of a shape-memory silicone rubber known as MemorySil®. This material has an interesting relationship with moisture: moisture tends to speed up its shape-memory dynamics, while drying tends to slow down those dynamics. If you put your EarJellies in a dry environment for a day or two, particularly a warm dry environment, they should slow down. They will feel stiffer to the touch and they will recover their shapes more slowly. You can warm them to about 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) safely on a non-stick surface.
How Do I Choose the Right Size?
The right size for you is based on the largest EarJellies that you can roll out into a long, narrow cylinder shape and slide successfully into your ear canal. Medium or Small fit most ears. If you're not sure which size to choose, we recommend our Variety Package. Start with a Medium size first, and easily switch to Small or Large if your EarJellies don't fit as expected.
To place an order, visit the Standard Colors or Fluorescent Colors EarJellies pages, or email us at store@earjellies.com with any questions.