I Dream of Hygiene
Yesterday I discussed 3M’s PELTOR Hearing Defender headset, which is ideal for rough and rugged jobs. It’s important to remember though: as impressively durable as these products are, they house extremely expensive and sophisticated technology. You don’t have to worry about dirt getting into the housing itself, but this is still a product worth taking care of in the long term. That’s why 3M provides hygiene kits and accessories to keep the equipment looking nice and lasting long.
For the microphone, it’s a good idea to have a windsock. As the term implies, it slips onto the head of the mic like your favorite socks, protecting it from airborne debris and cutting down on interference from the wind itself, just like a boom mic on a movie set. It will fit the microphones found on a wide variety (if not all) of 3M’s PELTOR products. Interestingly, it’s actually our single highest-selling PELTOR product.
Hygiene is important. We think we’re much cleaner than we are in America, and neglect areas of self-care that we should emphasize. This also extends to our property. We care more about how things look than how clean or safe they actually are, often not bothering to clean something until filth is visible. We’re a mess! In the case of PELTOR headsets, these hygiene kits come with replacement foam pads that maintain the attenuation levels of the headset itself. If you don’t keep up with replacing them (3M advises once or twice a year depending on usage) you won’t be getting the full value of the product. What a waste that would be, both of a great product and your money. These kits also provide easy replacement parts in the event of damage (note the two reviewers on our site who had the misfortune of their headsets being found by eager puppies).
The hygiene kits also include padding for the outer rim of the ear cup, the part of the headset that physically rests on the skin. You’ll probably be sweating to some extent out in the field so it’s a good idea to replace all the padding every six months in the interest of sanitation, especially if the headset is going to be shared between multiple users. You can wipe down the parts of the ear cup that actually rest on your head, but there will come a point where they’re simply too gross to continue using. Single-use hygiene pads are available in 100-pair boxes. They look kind of like band-aids that adhere to the padding and provide a clean surface that can be thrown away when the user finishes their work. They work fine and could bring the replacement rate for the main pads down to once a year, but not enough to eliminate the need for hygiene kits.
It’s not just a good idea to take care of your PELTOR products if you remember to, it’s actively protecting your investment and maximizing the value. We stand by the integrity of 3M and its products here at Enviro, and we want to make sure you have the best customer experience possible.