Hearing Health – How to Safely Remove Earwax - Hear At Home Mobile Hearing Clinic Vancouver

Keeping your ears clean and free of wax buildup is essential for hearing and comfort. Excessive wax accumulation in the ear can lead to canal clogging, resulting in hearing difficulties. So, how can you remove such clogs effectively and safely without damaging your ears?

What is Earwax?

Earwax, also known as cerumen, is a waxy substance secreted in the ear canal to help protect the skin. It has lubricating and antibacterial properties to protect the skin from irritation and prevent bacteria, dust, and other germs from entering the ear.

What is the Purpose of Earwax?

People often think of earwax as dirty and gross and as something that needs to be removed immediately. However, without earwax, your ears would perpetually feel very dry and itchy. The ears are actually self-cleaning, and the production of earwax is one way that is achieved. Earwax has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties to help protect against infection. It also acts as a filter, preventing unwanted particles from entering the ear and causing damage.

How to Safely Remove Earwax

Since the ears are self-cleaning, they generally clean themselves without extra care. However, this is not always the case. Some people just naturally produce more earwax than others; earwax accumulation can also occur due to existing health conditions or a contact stimulus.

Some techniques to expel excess earwax from the ears include:

Warm water and a washcloth
Saline solution
Baby or mineral oil
Hydrogen peroxide
Bulb syringe

Warm Water & Wash Cloth

One of the safest ways to remove excess earwax is to use a facecloth with warm water. This can be done in the shower for added convenience by tilting your head to the side and allowing a bit of water into the ear canal. Then tilt your head to the other side to let the water run out. Do not spray the showerhead directly into your ear, and a washcloth can be used on the outer ear to help coax the wax out.

Saline Solution

Saline can help loosen earwax, and making your own saline solution is quick and easy. Simply dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a half cup of warm water. Soak a cotton ball in the solution and then use it to drip the mixture into your ear. After a few minutes, tilt your head to drain the water, then repeat the process for the other ear.

Baby or Mineral Oil

An oil softener can help lubricate the ear and soften earwax for easier removal. The oil is best delivered with an ear dropper, and you can warm it a bit first by placing the dropper in warm water. Place three or four drops in the ear and wait a few minutes before doing the other ear. Any excess oil can be removed from the outer ear with a washcloth or cotton ball.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Another solution for removing earwax is hydrogen peroxide. It is recommended to use the brown bottle 3% variety. This can also be mixed 50-50 with warm water if you want to weaken it a bit first. The same technique applies using an ear dropper or cotton ball.

Bulb Syringe

If the recommended solutions alone are not getting the job done, flushing the ear with a bulb syringe can sometimes do the trick. Fill the syringe with warm water and carefully squeeze the bulb while holding the syringe over the ear canal. This should be done gently and can help break up the wax.

Earwax Removal Techniques to Avoid

As a general rule, it is recommended not to insert pointed objects into the ear at any time to avoid injury. For this reason, cotton swabs and ear candles are among the earwax removal methods to avoid.

Cotton Swabs

Using a cotton swab will typically only push the wax deeper into the ear canal, making the problem worse, not better. It can also result in more severe blockages and can even rupture the eardrum if pushed too far.

Earwax Candles

These hollow candles are meant to be placed inside the ear and then lit at the other end to draw the wax out. Studies show this method is not effective and even dangerous, and should never be used to remove earwax. These candles can cause burns and may even pierce the inner ear.