Throw away your drum's internal muffler! Back in the eighties, manufacturers realized most drummers don't like them and stopped putting them in high-end drums. They usually only show up on entry-level drums these days.

Internal mufflers (often called dampeners, or tone-controls) are a bad idea; they press up against the head, impeding the inital attack of the note, where all the timbre or tone is created. Located under the head, they are always being indirectly struck and consequently develop a rattle, break, and fall apart. Then you have to remove a head to fix it.

You are far better off with an external muffler. There are dozenss of different devices on the market, but I prefer the classy -- and affordable -- folded paper towel held on by a piece of duct-tape! Fold the paper towel to about the size of a small wallet, and tape it down on one edge. That allows the paper towel to "flap" as the drum is struck. Because the towel flaps up when the head is struck, all the intial attack -- and all the tone -- is present. Then the towel flaps back down and the drum is dampened. It works and it's cheap!

Okay, don't throw away your old muffler. You'll need it if you ever go to sell the drum. Carefully remove it, save all the mounting hardware, and put it somewhere safe.