Household Chores that Require Hearing Protection

People often don’t realize how few decibels it takes to affect your hearing permanently. In fact, even something as innocent as a hair dryer could cause hearing loss if you’re exposed to the sound up close. Knowing this, it starts to put hearing loss into perspective and makes you realize just how vulnerable your ears are even at home. So in this article, we’re going to talk about a couple of household chores that people normally wouldn’t use hearing protection for, but we do recommend that you at least try some form of hearing protection especially if you’re worried about hearing loss.

Gardening

Gardening might not seem like a very noisy household chore but you’d be surprised at how loud a lawn mower or a leaf blower can get. If you’re going to use these noisy garden appliances then it’s in your best interests to look for suitable hearing protection so that you can save your ears from suffering hearing loss.

Repairs

Be it fixing a shelf or installing a new cabinet, if it involves some kind of tool such as hammering on a nail or using a drill, it does create a loud enough sound that could damage your hearing.

Vacuuming

If you’re already using some kind of headphones to play music while you vacuum then you’re probably safe, but if you’re not using any kind of protection when cleaning the floors and upholstery then you may want to speak to your hearing specialist for a custom hearing protection solution or at least purchase some cheap disposables. Vacuums are incredibly loud and if you have a large home, then it’s common to have the vacuum on for long periods of time. We would recommend not just using hearing protection, but also vacuuming different spots each day instead of leaving the vacuum on for a long time.

Cooking

Did you know that appliances like juicers, blenders and even coffee grinders can produce sounds that are loud enough to affect your hearing? While it might seem impractical to using hearing protection for cooking, it’s worth the investment especially if you cook for the family on a regular basis.

Cleaning

We already mentioned that vacuuming is already very loud, but other appliances can also get very loud. For instance, a garbage disposal can typically reach sound levels of up to 95 dB, and some washing machines and tumble dryers can cause very loud noises and vibrations that may affect your hearing especially if they are not maintained. As you can see, even some of the most common household chores should be accompanied by some form of hearing protection in order to keep your ears safe from hearing loss. You don’t need to buy something expensive to protect your ears but it does help if you have a pair laying around so that you can use them for these general household chores. If you need more information, don’t be afraid to speak to a hearing health professional for advice on what hearing protection to use at home.