4 Dos and Don’ts of Ear Cleaning

Your ears are incredibly efficient at cleaning themselves and many people find that they don’t need to clean their ears at all. Earwax is a sticky secretion your ears produce naturally to carry away any debris from the ear. Sometimes your ear does produce too much wax and hearing aid wearers may find that they experience wax buildup. And this is when it gets all too tempting to clean out your ears yourself.

Here are a few dos and don’ts to guide you through the process.

Do keep it simple

Ears are very good at sorting themselves out but sometimes they do produce too much wax. This wax usually gathers in the outer ear and can be wiped away with a washcloth. If you wear hearing aids, you may produce more earwax than before, but this is completely normal and doesn’t usually cause problems.

Be gentle with your ears and never use any force when cleaning them. Over cleaning can cause some real problems as the wax forms a protective layer over your delicate ear canal helping to prevent infections.

If you are in doubt, don’t clean them out.

Do see a professional for impactions

A build-up of wax can be uncomfortable but often you can use softening oils to help the wax out of your ear. All you need to do is put a few drops of the oil in your ear, with your ear facing the ceiling and then wait a few moments before moving and wiping the excess away. Repeat this on the other ear and as often as twice a day to remove large blockages.

If you are struggling to remove hardened wax and you are experiencing hearing loss, you should seek medical help. Visit a hearing care professional and they will be able to safely remove the excess wax for you. They will often use softening oils or irrigation techniques as you might at home and in some cases may use a curette to move the wax themselves.

Don’t use cotton swabs

When you have a wax buildup it is very tempting to use a cotton swab in the ear canal to remove the excess, but this will actually push the wax further into your ear and cause more discomfort. The wax will harden and form lumps that will sit on your eardrum, making it more difficult to hear.

Putting anything in your ear is always a risk as your inner ear is very delicate and is easily damaged. Resist the temptation and use softening oils and a washcloth instead.

Don’t try “trendy” treatments like ear candling

Ear candling is supposed to work by creating a vacuum that pulls the wax out of your ear. This doesn’t work. All that happens is the candle drips its own wax into your ear risking damage and further blockage as well as potential burns.

Instead of trying alternative treatments like this, you are much better off keeping it simple and visiting your audiologist if you have any concerns about your ears.