I like that idea, can you use ear wax drops too?
I use a product called ProEar, for dry irritated and itching ears. Has worked well for me
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Ahhh, Q-Tips. The old debate. As a dispenser, here is my take on Q-Tips. If you can use them safely, and you are not trying to remove wax with them, then why not? I think most people are smart enough to know when to stop before hurting themselves. That being said, I have had a few patients who had to go to a physician because they bumped their arm, the dog ran into them, etc., and perforated their ear drum.
For most people, removing wax with Q-Tips is like trying to push water uphill. You run the risk of impacting the cerumen. That is also no bueno.
If you’re just trying to remove a little moisture and you can do so safely, well, you’re a grown up and can decide for yourself if doing so is for you.
For wax removal, I use Debrox for my family. My 18 year old boy is the gunkiest kid I’ve ever seen. That boy always has something leaking out of his head. He has one of the worst wax problems I’ve ever seen. I use Debrox on him once every one-to-two weeks. It works pretty well for him.
For dry, itchy ears, (which can lead to “sheets” of skin mixing with wax) I prefer ProEar (Miracell). I love that stuff. If I’m not mistaken, it was developed by a retired ENT. It’s pretty amazing for keeping the skin in the ear canal moisturized. I even use it on small cuts. Seems to reduce scarring. (That’s anecdotal, of course.) If you don’t like paying for ProEar, some of my patients use slightly warmed up coconut oil. You’ll smell like a pina colada, but there are worse things to smell like. Another solution patients have reported to me is a drop or two of light, salad grade, olive oil. Hey, Sophia Loren uses olive oil on her face as a moisturizer and look at her!
The key to Q-Tips is caution. Make sure you’re not going to bump into anything, and lock up the dog. Seriously, though, just be insanely careful. A perforated eardrum is no joke, and wax impactions can be painful as well.
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If ears are wet they will usually dry naturally - if they are being exposed to excess moisture repeatedly there are drops to help dry them. No Q tips required for moisture.
If ears contain wax or debris the Q tips will just push it further in and add the risk of impaction and perforation - nobody can see what they are doing when poking a long object in their ear.
Dry flakey canals may be eczema - Q tips do not help that.
Q tips have no place in outer ear canal care.
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Well you should never use q tips. BU let’s be serious. Someone who has been using them for 45 years without a problem isn’t going to listen to anything here
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An observation on ear wax.
For years I wore traditional BTE hearing aids with ear molds. I always had a terrible problem with wax building up. I had to clean them myself, with moderate success, and periodically get them professionally cleaned.
For the past 3 years, I have been virtually wax-free in the ears, BECAUSE I now wear a device that has silicone ‘collars’ that fit into my ear. They seem to admit a lot more circulating air than did any form of ear mold, and wax just doesn’t build up. When I flush out my ears now, very little wax is apparent.
I guess I’m stuck. My audiologist does not use silicone collars. Thank you for your advice.
That should work. Moist healing reduces scarring vs dry healing. Seems like an expensive choice over vaseline for the same purpose though.
Q-tips also rub away the natural oils in your skin and increase itching. Leading to an increased desire to use a q-tip.
Water is just as good at removing earwax as anything else, so if one has healthy ear canals that don’t trap water the flush-in-the-shower-daily method seems fine. Finding the most effective cerumenolytic - PubMed
Most ENT doctors and Audi’s will tell you not to use q-tips to clean your ears. Unfortunately many who use q-tips push wax further down their ear canal, then actually remove. I’ve also used q-tips for many years but only insert to the outer part of my ear canal and do a circulation motion and then pull up. You’ve got to be careful or you will cause more damage then good. Or force more wax down versus up.
Also the size of some one’s ear mold or HA will determine how much wax can get forced into one’s ear canal. A small hearing aid will do far less damage, then a big behind the ear custom ear mold.
Lastly I found the “killer wax move for me” is swimming in pool or ocean and then thinking two, three hours later I can insert my aids and all is well. Thinking the long wait will allow my ears to fully dry, Well I’ve learned from experience that after waiting a few hours my ears are dry, but unfortunately wax in both ears and canal are still solt/damp, thus when I put aids (mold in) it pushes everything further down into the rabbit hole. Before you know it within a short period of time (3 to 4 days) I’ve lost almost all hearing in one ear or both s due to compressed ear wax.
And regarding swimming about ten years ago I spent close to $300 buying swimming ear plus at ENT doctors office. Swimming ear plugs were specially made just like my aid molds. Unfortunately two things happened after I purchased swim ear molds.
The molds made for me were large and long (inner ear wise). So as I inserted large swim molds in both my ears, more wax got forced further down, compared to my aid molds. Secondly I found out after a few weeks of swimming the inner part of my swim molds were damp when I removed. So water somehow was still getting inside my ear and probably very near ear canal. I actually think the $300 set of swim ear molds pushed wax further into my ears, then my hearing ever aid did.
So to make a long story short in my case the best solution is to have my ears cleaned by a ENT assistant every 8 months or so. If I want until a year, that when I start having plugged ear problems, especially if doing laps at the county pool,
My preferred ear-cleaning method (having read and tried many systems over the years) is using a dropper to put about 5 drops in ea. ear of a half/half mixture of alcohol and hydrogen-peroxide. Doing one side at a time, lie down for 5 min. each side and let it percolate. Then flush (over the sink) using a small rubber ball syringe with warm water. Dry with the corner of a towel. No Qtips involved in this system. Ideally, do it once a week.
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If we’re resurrecting zombie threads…
I usually q-tip twice a day, once when I get out of the shower to make sure my ears are at least moderately dry before I put my aids in, and once when I take them out at night. Sometimes I’ll q-tip during the day, too, when my ears are especially itchy.
I produce copious amounts of ear wax and the q-tip is usually covered in it. I make sure to only stay in the outer rim area of the canal and don’t go in deep. Over the years I’ve never had any of my ENTs or audis tell me to not use q-tips. 
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Once again I’m going to recommend the corner of a towel poked in the ear, rather than Q tips. Works really well for drying a bit of water!
A doctor recommended straight peroxide. Now I use a wax remover by drops that was recommended by my audiologist. She said it melts the wax. So I mix together.
But, my question is: how often is it safe to clean your ears? Haven’t gotten a response yet.
Once a week certainly fine, or even more often. It’s a good plan, I think, to put a TINY touch of oil/grease in the ear once a week or so…lotion, cream, olive oil–your choice. Just a touch-of-a-smear on the finger tip rubbed into the dry ear. Not too much!
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I use Q tips about weekly. Never had a problem.
Once I literally got a bug in my ear that was discovered by my PCP. He referred me to an ENT who removed it. He seemed to poke around on my ear drum which was painful but he got it out.
I always very careful in clearing earwax. Never have I touched ear drum.
The never advice is probably sound because some people may not be careful.
Probably not. He was probably just in the bony portion of the ear canal, which is sensitive. If he’d been poking you in the eardrum you and he would no longer be friends.
The biggest cause of qtip-through-the-ear-drum seems to be people leaving the qtip in and going about their other business, which is appallingly stupid (and I’m sure they feel that very accutely after the fact). But qtips also rub off beneficial skin oils, cause bruising and abrasions, and generally increase the risk of infection.
But mild risk increase, really. We’re not talking about smoking.
I clean my ears in the shower with a bulb. I squirt warm water in maybe 5-10 times in each side. I produce a lot of wax and that has helped enormously. I’ll do it every time I shower at home so easily 4-5x per week.
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Also, damp ears invite fungal infections and that really messes up your hearing.
“You need to quit pushing the Q-TIp when you feel resistance.”
Joke on Seinfeld