What are Ear Savers?

Download this free printable to explain what ear savers are and how to use them.

Have you ever seen someone wearing a mask and thought, “I bet that person could really use an ear saver”…. but felt too awkward to give them one?

I have. Many times.

Then I remembered that a friend (who’s donated thousands of ear savers!) includes a slip of paper explaining what they do and how to use them.

She inspired me to create a card that explains what ear savers are, and how to use them. (The wording is based on what my friend says. Thank you for the great idea, Leanne!)

Now, I keep a plastic bag with a couple ear savers and the explanation card in my purse. Whenever I see someone with a mask that is slipping down, or that they are constantly pulling at, I just say, “I think this might help make your mask a bit more comfortable” and hand them the bag.

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So – what are ear savers?

Ear savers are simply something that holds the elastic from a face mask off the ears. Now that some people need to wear masks all day, their ears are literally being rubbed raw to the point of bleeding. Having elastic around the ears all day often causes headaches too. If a person wears hearing aids, they can’t have the elastic over their ears.

Do they affect the fit of a mask?

Yes! They make the mask tighter by pulling the elastic taut. Most of the time, this is very beneficial.

What are ear savers made out of?

They can be crocheted, sewn from fabric, made from a headband using buttons, 3D printed, or cut on an electronic cutting machine such as a Cricut, Silhouette, or Brother. I’ve also seen people use a partially unbent paperclip or a piece from the “Barrel of Monkeys” game too!

(In case you missed it, I have a full tutorial on cutting ear savers with a Cricut and free SVGs.)

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Download these printable cards informing users how to use an ear saver

There are five different versions, with slightly different wording, that you can download and use.

Either three or four cards fit on a sheet; depending on if the illustration of an ear saver in use is on the card.

Two versions of the card have room for contact information if you decide to offer to make additional ear savers as needed.

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Save this for later by pinning on Pinterest!

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Ready to download the PDF file? Head over to the 📂 Free Files Folder and enter the ✨ magic word. ✨ (If you don’t have the magic word, just fill in the form below first.)