Just curious how people here remove wax from their ears.
I use warmed olive oil with a ball of cotton wool pushed into my ear canals to stop the seepage. I then follow up with a dose of Hydrogen Peroxide 3% solution as a follow-up treatment.
How do others here clean their ears?
… or so my Mum used to say…
I busted a memberane many years ago , as a result of agressive management of recurring ear infections.
It became chronically infected and nothing in the conventional medicine box would kill it…and I had it all … had to take probiotics to revive my gut flora.
I was a regular visitor to the ent for a vaccuum job … got to know everyone really well.
The ent eventually threw up his hands and scheduled me for clean out surgery.
Facing an very uncertain outcome , I then tried some alternate ideas , killed the bug in a flash ,and presented to the gobsmacked ent with a fragile but intact membrane.
Ever since I have used AQUA EAR… a spirit based liquid for swimmers ear …EVER TIME I shower or swim.
I also clean out the ears meticulously every month or so with a cotton bud dipped in a glycerine based solution. It entails some risk but I’m now very good at it.
I haven’t had a sniff of infection in the past eight years , and the docs and audio’s are always impressed by the state of the canal and the membrane.
My ears don’t produce a lot of wax, but I did have dry skin and dermatitis - aka dandruff - even in my ears. Based on another thread here, I started a morning regimen of a few drops of Scalpicin on a q-tip, rubbed gently in my ears, and the dry skin and itchiness is gone.
I even put a few drops on a q-tip and massage my eyebrow area to stop the dry skin there.
On my head I use a dandruff shampoo, and on my face I use Clinique men’s face soap and a hydrator lotion. The scaly dry skin is held at bay that way!
Like TGH I use a product designed for swimmer’s ear. It’s called Auro-Dri. Two drops in each ear every two days. I work the drops in with a pumping procedure taught to me by my ENT. After the drops are in the canal and with the head still held to the side, press in on that little triangular shaped piece sitting in front of the ear canal about thirty times. Repeat for the other ear. I still use q-tips every couple of weeks, but the amount of wax buildup is a fraction of what it used to be.
The little triangle peice infront of the ear canal is called the tragus:)
I use plain old Q-tips at least once a week. On occasion I will use drops for swimmers ear but I am ridiculously careful about getting water in my ears (because it is an instant sentence for a good month long ear infection) and always use earplugs even when showering.
I was told to never use q-tips in the ear…
I also have extremely thick gooey ear wax…and dry ear canals…my ears are itchy all the time, and I was told just to put a couple of drops of mineral oil in the ear…I haven’t done this because I am afraid it may cause more of a wax problem and may hurt the hearing aids…
I was told NEVER to use q-tips either. Besides, even if I were to use them, there is nothing to clean. The wax in my ears just does not come out and what is in deep in there is super dry. I go to the doctor every 3-4 months to get my ears drained (either with water or the metal tip they use). I have tried home kits using water and ended up with a labyrintitis (which in my humble unprofessional opinion is what contributed to my hearing loss).
Apart from that, same here, a few drops of olive oil and some hydrogen peroxide when it gets bad and I’m waiting to go to the doctor. Although I don’t think I would want to use too much olive oil because of the hearing aid that I just bought yesterday…
thanks Laura… sounds like you have the same problem I have…the little wax dome that came with my hearing aid is continually full of wax…and it doesn’t just wipe out like they say it should, it is very thick and clogs the domes up really bad with like a heavy glue…no way is a tissue going to clean it out… I just had my ears professionally cleaned when I bought the aids and immediately they clogged…
I had a doctor who advised me to use hydrogen peroxide. It worked, but the wax then seemed to build up much faster.
Been using q-tips forever…or long as I can remember. Probably at least 30 or 40 years. I have lots of thick ear wax and daily cleaning with q-tips work great. Never had a problem.
Wife also uses Q-tips for cleaning her ears.
I am surprised that no one has mentioned the ERO Ear Wax Removal System (~$5 at Walmart). Put 5 drops in the ear and lay down on your side for 5 - 10 minutes. Flush the ear canal with warm water using syringe (included). Works great. Distributed by Sherer Labs Inc.
Check this one:
Not for solo use!
What a great article! With a sense of humor, too.
I have messy, nasty ears and have frequent problems. About once a month, I lay on my side and, using an eye dropper, I put a small amount of hydrogen peroxide in my ear and let it “boil” for about 10-15 minutes. After it’s had a chance to dissolve any massive, disgusting clods of wax, I use an ear bulb with more hydrogen peroxide to flush my ears over the bathroom sink. Once I’m nice and clean, I use the eye dropper again and put a solution of alcohol with a tiny bit of vinegar in it to sanitize my ears. Works great for me.
I don’t have any olive oil so I just put vegetable oil in there. Mine gets so thick and gooey that when I eventually get round to putting oil in the movement makesme go more deaf than I already am. Errrrg!
For me after I shower everyday I just take a q-tip and gently clean my ears every day! I never have any wax build up at all. The area in the ear that secretes wax is not near the ear drum, but I just wipe them clean and dry, wait about 30 min after and put in my HA’s
If I don’t do this I will get major wax buildup and use a mix of alcohol, boric acid to put a few drops in until it loosens up and falls out in a day or two. I learned this trick from scuba diving to keep from getting ear infections and dry out the ears after diving
The alcohol displaces water so it takes the moisture out of the wax which makes it shrink and falls out and the boric acid creates an enviroment that bacteria does not like so you don’t get infections.
Hi,
Here’s best way to remove ear wax. To remove ear wax safely, some suggest using warmed oils such as baby oil, mineral oil or olive oil to soften the ear wax. A few drops of warmed, but not hot, oil should be placed carefully in the ear canal as the patient lies on his or her side. The oil should be allowed to remain in the ear canal for a few seconds to literally melt the ear wax. To remove ear wax after the oil has been applied, the patient should lean his or head to one side and allow the oil to flow out naturally into a clean cloth. A supply of clean water can then be squirted into the ear to remove ear wax deposits that may remain.
Jay Man2 wrote "I did have dry skin and dermatitis - aka dandruff - even in my ears. Based on another thread here, I started a morning regimen of a few drops of Scalpicin on a q-tip, rubbed gently in my ears, and the dry skin and itchiness is gone.
I’ve had dry ears for years, drive me mad. Thanks for the advice Jay Man2, I’ll give that a go:)
I use Q-tips and witch hazel, that is what is on baby wipes too. I use plane cheap baby wipes on the aids too. I am looking to get an dryer for the aids now. When I scuba dived a lot I used alcohol in my ears to get the water out. I don’t want to use alcohol on my aids. it may hurt them. just the baby wipes for now.
FYI, most Ear Nose and Throat specialists advise against using Q-Tips because they tend to push ear wax up against the ear drum, which makes the problem worse - not better.
You can remove the earwax using products such as Ear Wax Removal System, which you drop in each ear and leave for 10 - 15 minutes. Some in this forum use ordinary peroxide, which also seems to work well. (Warning: don’t use peroxide if you have punctured ear drums.)