I lost my right earbud in the couch and spent an hour digging through cushions like I was hunting a mouse. When I found it, I was holding a lint ball in one hand and feeling deeply foolish.

I have since learned that finding a lost earbud has a few tricks, and most of them take under five minutes.

Check the case first

Sounds obvious, but earbuds left in the case look lost. I have panicked twice over earbuds sitting snug in their charging case. If the case is closed, they might be inside. Check before you tear the house apart.

Use the finder app

If you have Apple or Samsung earbuds, use the built in finder. Apple’s Find My and Samsung’s SmartThings Find both show your earbuds on a map and let you play a sound. The sound is a loud chirp that is impossible to miss, and it works even when the earbud is in a couch cushion.

I use the play sound feature and follow my ears. It takes about two minutes when it works.

Play a sound from your phone

Even without a finder app, you can play loud audio through your earbuds if they are still connected. Open any music app, hit play, and raise the volume. Follow the sound. This works because earbuds stay connected to your phone for a long time after you set them down.

The flashlight trick for dark corners

Earbuds are small and dark colored, which makes them vanish in shadows. Use your phone flashlight and look at floor level. Scanning from your normal standing height misses them. Get low and sweep slowly. I found my lost earbud wedged between two couch cushions this way.

Check the classic spots

The statistically likely hiding places: couch cushions, bed sheets, car seats, pockets, and bags. Earbuds fall out of pockets constantly. Check the washing machine too if you have done laundry, an earbud can survive a cycle and get stuck in a shirt.

Use a Bluetooth tracker on the case

For prevention, attach a small Bluetooth tracker to your earbud case. A Tile or an AirTag on the case means you always know where the case is, and the earbuds are usually nearby. The case is bigger than the earbud, so it is easier to track.

I found mine between the cushions with the flashlight trick, about four minutes after I started looking. The finder app chirp works too, but the flashlight got me there faster.