Dirty Earplugs — A Concern?

Hey. The situation is this - I have the usual soft earplugs. Usually I wear them in my jacket pocket, without a cover, in the open. I dress them rather seldom. But only today learned, that behind ear plugs it is necessary to look after - to wash them. I never did it, they turned black. I read that this can lead to ear inflammation.

Do you think this is dangerous? I used them 5-6 times.

 

I reuse my earplugs all of the time. I keep them in my pocket. I've done this for years (I began carrying earplugs with me long before I got tinnitus), and I never had any problems. Having said this, my earplugs don't seem to have a lot of dirt/wax on them even after two weeks. If yours look like they are dirty, it might be a problem.

 

They were disposable. And they were sticky, you did not have this?

 

Mine are also disposable
https://www.amazon.com/3M-1100-Foam-Plugs-Pair/dp/B0067NKCO8/
Sometimes there is some dry wax on them that I can clean by rubbing the plug. Either your pockets have more dirt in them then my pocket (it is usually the small jeans pocket, that contains nothing but the plugs), or your wax is more moist than mine.

 

But did you use them once? How did you buy the box?

 

I throw them away when they start looking dirty, but that doesn't happen until I use them 10-20 times.