How to Clean Wax Out of Ears

The primary purpose of earwax is to protect your eardrums and ear canal from any foreign material. Earwax is therefore important for us. When there is excess wax, however, it poses a problem and therefore it is necessary to remove wax from the ears from time to time. If this is not done, it could lead to problems like hearing loss, cough, ear infections and pain. That is why earwax removal is important.

Using a Cotton Swab

Cleaning earwax should be done regularly. One can use a good quality cotton swab for the same. Use the swab for gentle ear candling. Introduce the swab into the ear but be very careful so as not to take it in too deep. This is because, too much pressure into the ear canal is detrimental. The best way to clean wax out of ears is to run the swab gently on all sides. Regular cleaning will not allow the wax to harden and thus a swab will be enough to keep the ear clean. However if cleaning wax out of ears is not done regularly then there is a chance that the earwax will turn hard (leading to other ear problems as well) and then a cotton swab won't suffice. Some doctors recommend however, that cotton swabs are potentially dangerous and should not be used at all. In such a scenario, other methods will need to be used for cleaning the wax. These are mentioned in the following sections.

Cleaning Wax at Home

If the earwax has hardened then there are ways on how to clean the wax at home. This process will take about a week. One has to be very careful when administering this technique.

1. Buy a bottle of olive or baby oil and a dropper.
2. Take a towel and place it over your shoulders.
3. Stand with your ear over a sink or basin.
4. Then with one ear towards the ceiling take the dropper and add 2-3 drops of baby oil in the ear. Let the oil go in. Since the wax has hardened, it might be difficult for the oil to percolate in immediately wait for it to go in completely.
5. Once the oil goes in, put in 2-3 drops of peroxide.
6. Alternately ear drops can also be used in place of oil or peroxide.
7. Repeat the same thing on the other ear.
8. This process will have to done for over 4-5 days so that the wax is sufficiently softened.
9. After the wax has been softened it is time to introduce the water.
10. The water temperature should be as close to your body temperature as possible. Anything hotter or colder will make it difficult for the wax to come out.
11. Stand with your ear over a basin and place the towel over the shoulder.
12. Turn the ear towards the ceiling.
13. Then pull on the lobe so that the ear 'opens out'.
14. Take the dropper and fill it with water, then start squirting it into the ear canal.
15. Let the water fill up.
16. Once the water fills up, let the ear point towards the basin so that the excess water falls out.
17. Wait for the wax to flow out as well.
18. Look out for clumps of wax in the basin.
19. If the wax does not come out the first time, repeat the process again.
20. Do the same for the other ear.
21. Once cleaning the wax out of ears is done then dry them.
22. Towel dry the ear, using a soft cotton towel or use a hair dryer to gently blow air.
23. Then put in a few drops of rubbing alcohol and let dry.

Cleaning Wax Medically

An ENT will use certain specialized means of cleaning wax out of ears. These are -

Irrigation - Irrigation is carried out by squirting water(warm) to wash out all the hard wax.

Using a Curette - A curette is a small circular metal ring that is attached to the end of a metal handle. The curette technique involves introducing the metal stick into the ear and then scooping out the earwax. This has to be done by a skilled professional or else it can prove to be very painful.

Now that you know the different methods of cleaning wax from the ears, do so regularly. Do not let the situation aggravate into an infection at any point of time.