Earwax is a natural and healthy substance that is vital to our ear’s defences. It is not advised that you clean your ears unless you have an ear wax blockage. Here is a guide on the best way to clean your ears, and what you should and should not do.
If you do feel like you have an earwax blockage it is advised that you visit your GP. However, in some mild cases of wax blockage, there are some things you can do at home to get some relief.
Never attempt to swab out excessive or hardened ear wax with hard pointy objects such as a cotton swab or a hairpin as this can damage your eardrums and lead to serious infections.
Why do we produce earwax?
Our ears create earwax to protect and lubricate our ears. If we did not produce it our ears would feel itchy and dry. Sometimes we feel obliged to clean our ears, but as our ears have antibacterial properties, they clean themselves. Ear wax is an essential filter for your ears and stops harmful entities like dust and dirt from going inside our ears.
The reason you may have an earwax blockage is if you have tried to clean your ears with a cotton swab and pushed the wax in deeper.
A recent study showed that 68 per cent of responders used cotton swabs to clean their ears. However using swabs or pointy objects can be detrimental to your eardrum and cause infections, hearing loss or the rupture of the eardrum.
When should you clean your ears?
Since our ears clean themselves, you should not clean your ear canals. However, if there is a big build-up of earwax and it starts to feel painful, or you start to feel symptoms such as:
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Plugged or fullness in the affected ear
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Itching
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Earache
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Ringing or noises in the ear (tinnitus)
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Loss of hearing
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Dizziness
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Cough
It is recommended that you see your GP for an ear exam. If you feel any of these symptoms you may have something called cerumen impaction. This kind of earwax build-up is uncommon but can happen.
The best way to clean your ears at home
If you feel like your ear canal is blocked, you should not attempt to clear out the wax on your own. Visit your GP or a specialist to get a check-up. However, if the case is mild you may be able to treat the block-up at home. Here is a safe guide on how to get some relief.
Step 1 : Check for infections
Before proceeding make sure you have no infections or tears in your eardrum.
Step 2: Use warm water to soften the wax
Firstly, run warm water or a saline solution through your ear canal. After a couple of minutes, the water will soften up the earwax so that it can drain out.
Tip: You also can try putting a few drops of baby oil, hydrogen peroxide, mineral oil, or glycerine in your ear to soften the wax.
Step 3: Dry your ear canal
Another method of doing this is tilting your head in the shower and allowing some water to go into the ear canal. To make this easier, you can also use an ear irrigation kit.
Next dab the opening of your ear with a clean cloth. This should collect the liquid from your ear.
Tip: A natural and effective way to help old ear wax leave your ear canal is by moving your jaw in a chewing motion. When the wax comes up to the ear opening, it will dry up and fall out.
If you believe you have an infection or blockage then a wax removal is most safely done by a doctor.
Your eardrum is delicate and can easily be damaged so do not stick anything in your ear to get the wax out yourself especially if you have had ear surgery, have a hole in your eardrum, or are having ear pain or drainage.
Here is a video demonstrating how Dr Jennifer Caudle properly removes earwax at home without inserting a cotton swab in the ear.
For more help and advice see Specsavers guide to ear health and conditions or the NHS page on earwax build up.