Summer brings some of the loudest recreational activities of the year — concerts, motorized water sports, fireworks, lawn equipment, and outdoor events. It also tends to be the season people think least about hearing protection. Here’s a practical guide for protecting your hearing through the summer.

Lawn and Garden Equipment

A gas-powered lawnmower typically runs at 85-95 dB. String trimmers and leaf blowers can exceed 100 dB. Exposure at these levels for more than an hour can cause incremental hearing damage that accumulates over a lifetime. Foam earplugs — kept in the garage near the equipment — remove the friction of finding protection before each use.

Recreational Shooting

A single gunshot can produce sound pressure levels of 140-165 dB — far above the threshold for immediate and permanent hearing damage. Electronic hearing protection designed for shooting allows wearers to hear normal sounds and conversation while automatically blocking impulse noise above a safe threshold. This is one area where no protection is genuinely dangerous.

Fireworks

Fireworks at ground level can reach 150-175 dB. Standing close to a display without hearing protection is one of the highest acute hearing risk events most people voluntarily experience. Keep some distance and carry disposable foam plugs.

Concerts and Festivals

High-fidelity musician’s earplugs reduce volume evenly without muffling sound quality — you hear the music clearly, just at a safer level. These run $15-30 and are reusable. They’re a significantly better experience than foam plugs at events where sound quality matters.

Embrace Hearing carries custom and over-the-counter hearing protection options. Stop in or contact us to find the right fit for your summer activities.