Keeping ears clean

 

Qtips of course!

Lie down on your side with your ear facing the ceiling and pour a capfull of hydrogen peroxide directly in the ear canal. Let it bubble for a while, then use a paper towel and water to rinse. Do the same for the other ear. Shower afterwards of course.

 

Q tips work, but you must be careful with them.

Edited by EYEdROP - 9/16/10 at 6:29pm

Q tips can push wax in deeper, plus you can damage your tympanic membrane if you go in too deeply.



I like this much better:



http://www.ototekloop.com/



It is thin so it can get to the side of or behind the wax, plus it has a protective block to prevent you from inflicting serious injury to yourself.

Coupla bucks at most drug stores. Check the ear section where you also find ear plugs/protectors.
Edited by jvlgato - 9/16/10 at 8:12pm

Yeah, Q-tips can end up pushing the wax further =P.
 

From what i know, Peroxide is not recommended because it can get behind the wax and fizz up without much free room.  This could be dangerous, especially if the wax is close to the eardrum.  Could cause unwanted pressure.

 

Try a couple of drops of almond oil.  That should soften up the wax.  Follow this up by flushing out the ear with warm water (maybe a little peroxide) a couple of times.  Should get most of the wax out.

 

Just a heads-up, make sure you're not allergic to the oil first.

Try putting some on your arm or something a night before and see if you have any reactions the next day.

 

If that doesn't work, go to a physician.  The safest way to get wax out without damaging ears =P.

2nd this... I use peroxide about once a month.. followed by some distilled water with just a bit of alcohol in it to rinse out.. got this info from a well respected, licensed and practicing M.D.  You can buy "ear wax removal kits" at the drug store if you want to spend more $$ - but if you look at the ingredients on the bottle in the kit - you will see it has peroxide in it.  Only diff is that it is dispersed in an oily base about the viscosity of baby oil.  I have used these kits before - but they take longer - you have to leave the stuff in your ear longer if you really have a wax build up problem.  I've had no issues using just plain ole Hyd. Peroxide. 
 

A Qtip  with training wheels...
 

Not exactly convenient for everyday use either.  A hot shower will soften it and a Qtip will sweep it right out.  Then use peroxide every month or two to clean up the rest of it.

 

People freak out about the tiniest things these days.  Cleaning your ears with Qtips is no more dangerous to your hearing than putting in contacts is dangerous to your sight.

 

 

 

I have respect for my ears and do not put anything in them.

 

If your ears need cleaning then see a medical practitioner.

 

I have respect for my mouth and do not put anything in it.  Whenever I feel hungry, I go to the hospital and get an IV hookup.
 

Well I respect my entire body so I never leave home without my bubble.

I still think it's Moops.

I'm very compulsive about cleaning my ears.  I use two or three q-tips every day.

 

q-tips work well and won't cause any problems if you know how to use them.  

Edited by vulc4n - 9/16/10 at 10:33pm

Qtips won't push a wax plug deeper if you don't have a wax plug to begin with. If your ears are seriously gunked up, have them professionally cleaned. After they're clear, you can carefully use Qtips every day to keep them clean.

I rinse my ears every day in the shower, which loosens the wax. After I get out, Qtips take out whatever is in there.

I get the dry, flaky kind of wax, so I occasionally use a Japanese mimikaki tool to gently remove anything rattling around. But the daily use of Qtips after a shower keeps this to a minimum.

You won't hurt yourself if you're careful. It's not any more delicate than knowing not to poke yourself in the eye if you're putting in a contact or sawing into your gums with floss.

I use this:

 

 

It's cheap and easy - like any good date!

Friends:

 

Chandler to Joey: Ok, you have to stop the Q-tip when there's resistance!