How to Practice Safe Ear Cleaning

If you speak to any experienced audiologist, one thing they will tell you is that a lot of people are not cleaning their ears properly. If you take a look online, you will see conflicting information regarding how to clean your ears in a safe and effective manner. A lot of the methods out there that people suggest can actually cause more harm to your ears than good. So, with that being said, let’s take a look at how to practice safe ear cleaning.

Best practices for safe cleaning

Of course, the safest way to get your ears cleaned is to visit an audiologist. He or she will be able to use special instruments to clear the blockage, for example, a suction device, forceps, or a cerumen spoon. However, if you do want to remove wax from your ears while at home, there are some approaches that are a lot safer, so let’s take a look at these.

Here is a quick overview of the steps you can follow:

• See your audiologist
• Use a damp cloth to clean the outside of your ear
• Do not insert cotton swabs into your ear
• Soften the earwax using earwax softener for easier removal
• Irrigate your ears using a syringe

Using a damp cloth

One thing that you should not use to clean your ears is a cotton swab. A cotton swab can push the wax deeper into your ear canal. They should only be used if you are cleaning the outer of your ear. Instead, you should use a warm, damp washcloth and try to wipe the area with this to remove the wax.

Earwax softener

You may also want to consider over-the-counter eardrops that are sold at pharmacies, which have the purpose of softening the wax to remove it. These drops tend to be a solution and they can contain:

• Saline
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Peroxide
• Glycerin
• Baby oil
• Mineral oil

Follow the instructions regarding the number of times the drops should be placed in your ear. You will then be instructed to wait a specific amount of time before you drain or rinse your ear.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the safe way to clean your ears from the comfort of your own home. Nevertheless, please note that you should never try to irrigate your ears if you have tubes in the affected ear, you have a hole in your eardrum, you have a compromised immune system, or you have diabetes. If any of these apply or if you are simply unsure about cleaning wax from your ears yourself, you should definitely book an appointment with an audiologist.