You’ve probably been cleaning your ears with Q-tips for many years and unfortunately, you’ve been doing it wrong! Cleaning your ears with Q-tips seems practical, but they do more harm than good. Getting earwax in your ears is perfectly normal because it actually helps things like dust and debris from getting inside your ear, which help fight infection. Fortunately, there ways to get rid of earwax and about time you get rid of Q-tips, which are doing you no favors.
Ears are designed to clean themselves by pushing the ear wax out of the canal on its own. When you clean your ears with a Q-tip you push the earwax inside your ear canal, which can actually cause you to make more wax. After years of cleaning your ears with Q-tips, you can create a blockage that can cause you to have hearing problems and ear pain, which will eventually have to be removed professionally by your doctor.
There are different ways that you can clean your ears and with products you probably already have at home.
Hydrogen peroxide: This is one of the most common methods for cleaning your ears. Simply put a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide in your ear a couple of minutes before showering. It will help soften and loosen earwax as you shower. Do this once a week because if you use hydrogen peroxide too often it can irritate your ears.
Ear irrigation: You can make an at-home ear flush with equal parts white vinegar, warm water, and rubbing alcohol. Pour a couple drops into each ear and let it sit for a couple of minutes until the wax softens. Tilt your head and allow the liquid to drain away on a cotton ball or do it while you’re showering.
Oto-Tip: This is similar to a Q-tip, but has a spiral tip that removes earwax without pushing the earwax deep inside the ear canal. There are other cleaning devices that you can buy that already come with pre-mixed solutions that you can use to clean your ears.
If you have any worries or concerns, such as ear pain, make sure you visit your doctor. You might have an ear infection or have too much earwax build-up that needs to be removed professionally.