How To Safely Clean Your Ears
The task of cleaning your ears can seem to be straightforward, yet washing your ears may not be as beneficial as you might imagine and – if done improperly – may even be harmful.
The primary reason for the temptation to clean your ears is because of a build-up of the waxy substance in them. This substance, commonly referred to as earwax, is medically referred to as cerumen and is completely normal for your body to produce. This waxy product is actually incredibly helpful in protecting and lubricating your ears. Without earwax, the ears may end up feeling itchy and/or dry. As you have probably heard already, doctors tend to recommend leaving it alone and caution against putting anything foreign in your ear, as that could potentially lead to other serious problems (infection, eardrum rupture, etc.). If you find that your ear canals feel as if they are becoming blocked/plugged by earwax and are wanting something to do to help, there are a few things that you can do.
What You Should Do
If you are going to attempt to remove this build-up, we recommend utilizing a warm/wet washcloth to gently go around the outside of your ear canals. In addition to this, while in the shower, you may put a cap full of hydrogen peroxide, mineral oil or glycerin in your ear to soften the wax. We advise doing this while in the shower, because the wax has already begun to soften while in the humid environment, just like your nose. Allow the solution to sit in the ear for about 30 seconds before tilting your head to drain the liquid.
Additionally, there are over-the-counter wax kits if the problem seems to be more stubborn.
What You Shouldn’t Do
Finally, to address the ever-so-popular q-tip, these are not recommended within the ear canal. However, if you are going to use q-tips against our advice, it’s very important that you do not go too deep into the canal. If utilizing this item, lean towards the side of caution and stay very shallow within the canal. Absolutely do not use other items like keys, paperclips and bobby-pins to clean your ears. Items like these are very sharp and can cause a lot of damage to the inner ear which can lead to even bigger issues in the short and long term.
When in Doubt, Consult a Professional
In summarization, if you are going to be cleaning your ears, start by softening them up first and be very cautious with what items that are going into your ears. Ideally, it is recommended that you visit an audiologist to help out with these issues. Here at Hope Hearing & Tinnitus Center, we understand that certain people are at a higher risk for cerumen issues than others, and if you find yourself suffering from excess earwax, we recommend talking to one of our specialists about strategies to prevent this.
