[gremlin]

Some doctors really hate Q-tips, but I've been using them for decades. I asked my doctor about it, he sees no wax build-up in my ears. THIS WORKS FOR ME, IT'S NOT AND ENDORSIMENT. He does not recommend Q-tips to any of his patients. He merely says that I am doing no harm.

My situation is fairly different, I think, from the standard head-fier. I work on refineries in very dusty/noisy enviornments. I wear ear plugs probably 10 hours per day. When I pull my ear plugs out they often have wax hanging off the tips. I can never get away with wearing foam plugs for more than a day. When I Q-tip my ears I often get visible dirt.

 

[LFF]

I clean mine right after I get out of the shower but use Q-tips once every 1 - 2 days. I have been doing this for years as has my father and we have had no problems whatsoever.

 

[Superpredator]

Actually this post was kind of a joke, but anyhow. Carbamide peroxide (Debrox and Murine, etc) is typically what is used to loosen ear wax, and is a milder cousin to hydrogen peroxide, which also "bubbles," softening and breaking up ear wax (cerumen), the excess of which can then be pushed out naturally or flushed with warm water. Usually, carbamide peroxide is administered for several nights in a row for 3 to 10 days before flushing. This is a very uncomplicated proceedure, certainly nothing that an ENT needs to perform; if the worst LPN can do it, so can I.

Hydrogen peroxide and, to a lesser degree, carbamide peroxide have antiinfective properties and aren't dangerous to use in the ear, though depending on exactly what is causing the build-up, an oil-based preparation may be more effective.

I use Q-tips only to remove moisture from the outer ear canal after I shower. They're really not much good for anything else, and if you're seeing a lot of wax on them with a daily cleaning you've probably got a seriously nasty blockade.

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gremlin Some doctors really hate Q-tips, but I've been using them for decades. I asked my doctor about it, he sees no wax build-up in my ears. THIS WORKS FOR ME, IT'S NOT AND ENDORSIMENT. He does not recommend Q-tips to any of his patients. He merely says that I am doing no harm.

Been using q-tips everyday for about 15 years... not a single problem. Doctor also comments about how clean my ears are.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbloudg20 Doctor also comments about how clean my ears are.

Yeah - I get this too.

 

[slwiser]

Lots of inventions have come by way of an accident. This creative Headphone modification also comes by way of a joke....or an accident. Call it what you may...it is still funny and in some ways actually real.

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbloudg20 Doctor also comments about how clean my ears are.

How come we don't brag about what our proctologists say about our cleanliness?

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser Lots of inventions have come by way of an accident. This creative Headphone modification also comes by way of a joke....or an accident. Call it what you may...it is still funny and in some ways actually real.

Well, I do notice a very slight difference. But I didn't actually review that difference. Actually, my hearing is a tad worse in my right ear. Was hoping maybe I had some wax lodged in there, but I don't think that's it. When did my hearing change?

I only started listening through headphones recently, so it's not damage from that.

 

[princelycharmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmilhan Oh man, I can see it now. Some PT Barnum-like businessman will come along and see this thread and start marketing ear cleaning solutions for audiophiles and headphone enthusiasts. It will cost 20 dollars per bottle (but in reality, it is the same ingredients as you would find in a low cost ear cleaning solution - about 5 cents worth of ingredients). Then people would buy into it, and it will make a lot of money for PT. Then a bunch of other manufacturers will jump on the band wagon. Before you know it, there will be entire threads here at Head-Fi where people will argue that their audiophile ear cleaning solution is better than brand X's ear cleaning solution. Customer A: "My brand 'Y' ear cleaning solution improves bass response, and really brings the mids alive". Customer B: "Well I think brand 'Y' ear cleaning solution sucks because it makes the music sound veiled, I prefer brand 'X' ear cleaning solution. It makes it feel like you are sitting there, right on stage with the musicians!". Customer A: "Yeah but brand 'X' ear cleaning solution is shrill, and it causes severe listening fatigue. Also, brand 'X' is VERY uncomfortable to apply when compared to brand 'Y's' application process." Customer C: "Neither of you guys know what you are talking about, ear cleaning solution is just 'snake oil', it doesn't do a damn thing to improve any aspect of how your music sounds". Customer A: "..." Customer B: "..." Customer A and B at the same time: "Get lost you idiot! I bet you never even tried an audiophile ear cleaning solution. How could you possibly have the cahones to come in here and say something like that without ever even trying the solution?" And then the thread continues on with the dabate for 126 pages...

Nice one Imilhan. I can't stop laughing.
Yea, cleaning wax from your ear regularly is bad for it to be sure.

 

[grandenigma1]

I get my ears cleaned every 3 months or so... and in between use a drop or two or vegtable oil once a month before bed... works really well.

 

[jbloudg20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superpredator How come we don't brag about what our proctologists say about our cleanliness?

I would, but I hae not yet had to go there!

 

[VR6ofpain]

I don't understand the whole olive and/or vegatable oil in the ear...sounds horrid.

I use a q-tip everytime I get out of the shower...I have my whole life. Whenever doctors have looked in my ear they have never commented on ear wax build up. Plus my hearing seems better than my family members, friends, and co-workers, in that I can hear minute sounds and conversations from a far, that they cannot.

Maybe it is more about how you use the q-tip. If you run it from the outside in, I could see people 'pushing' the wax back into the ear. I run them around the inside of the ear in a circular pattern, pulling it out. Since I do it daily, there is little to no wax present at all...which is the way I like it. I remember my brother cleaning his ear with a q-tip once, and it had yellow/brown crap all over it...friggin nasty.

 

[Emon]

I too use q-tips when I get out of the shower. I am very careful and have never had a problem my whole life. I mainly use them to remove water from the inner ear, which tends to cause itching until it dries, for me at least.

Any headphone, and sometimes canalphones, sometimes stimulate my inner ear, perhaps the hair or the wax, in such a way that it creates a tremendous itch. Q-tips are the perfect fix. Oh, I'm referring to the sound being pumped into my ear canals, by the way.