Doctors and parents always tell us, “Stop shoving those damn Q-Tips into your ears! They can permanently ruin your ear drums.” I usually say, “Okay, okay I’ll stop using them – promise.” But, really I’m thinking about how much I love cleaning my ears with them. It feels so good to run one deep inside and twist it all around.
(Before I go any further, I just want to put forth the very important lawsuit avoiding disclaimer: I am using Q-Tip in the general sense to cover all “cotton-tipped applicators” and am not targeting the makers of any Q-Tip as the culprits, but users who have been trained by their parents and parents’ parents to use Q-Tips incorrectly.
Now that that’s finished… Q-Tips, if used to dig wax build-up out of your inner ear, can cause several vulnerabilities. Wax works as a protective coating in your ear to ward off bacteria and infection. And if you go probing around in there too much, you could end up rupturing your eardrum or just packing soft wax even deeper into your ear. This “wax dam” impedes normal movement of your eardrum, actually causing hearing trouble. At that point all you can do is stream warm water into your ear until the wax softens again and hopefully takes its natural position inside your ear. If not then it’s time to see the doctor, which will definitely end in a long waiting-room wait, another lecture about how Q-Tips are only for external ear use, and a possibly painful treatment.
Let’s avoid this! Who wants hearing loss? A ruptured ear drum? An expensive medical bill?
And everybody knows to avoid ear candling, so… Use hydrogen peroxide instead!
Hydrogen peroxide has the oxidizing properties capable of actually cleaning your ear without causing the damage Q-Tips do. You can buy it for $0.99 at CVS and it can last for months.
How it works:
- It kills bacteria in your ear, helping you to avoid ear infections.
- A half cap-full to full cap-full (per ear) massages your inner ear gently while cleaning it.
- Since hydrogen peroxide is such a powerful cleaner, you need only use it once a week (or as needed).
How to use hydrogen peroxide to clean your ears:
1. Obtain an ear syringe, cotton ball, or you can choose to just use the bottle cap, and hydrogen peroxide (duh). We’ll be using the example of the cotton ball.
2. Fill your cap halvsies and absorb the hydrogen peroxide (make sure it’s room temperature) with your cotton ball.
3. Tilt your head to the side until your ear is facing the ceiling .
4. Carefully squeeze the hydrogen peroxide into your ear. You should feel the delightful fizzing of the hydrogen peroxide with your ear wax.
5. After thirty seconds, or until the fizzing has stopped, place a dry cotton ball in your ear. Then tilt your head so that the hydrogen peroxide can drain into it.
6. Repeat the process for your other ear.
Here’s a video to illustrate the process:
Untitled from Natalie Camou on Vimeo.
Remember the wax in our ears works to keep out dirt and other bacteria from causing hearing problems, but that it’s good to clean your ears every now and then. If you realize that you have frequent buildups of wax you may want to speak with your doctor or see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.