How to Properly Clean Your Ears

There’s no escaping the fact that popping a Q-tip in your ears feels pretty good – it feels as if you’re giving your ears an amazing deep cleaning treatment – but the fact is it’s not good for you. The problem is that if you were to ask any ear specialist about whether you should be sticking a Q-tip into your ears they would forbid it, because of how dangerous it can be.

Despite what you might have heard, sticking a cotton bud into your ear does not remove ear wax, it tends to push it further in. It might remove a small amount of wax build up, but overall it tends to push the wax further in, rather than getting it out, which obviously is not what you want to do as this can lead to an infection or compacted ear wax.

So, if you can’t use a Q-tip how can you keep your ears clean? What can you do to keep ear wax build up at bay?

Did you know that your ears naturally clean themselves?

Ear wax is a natural bodily fluid which is designed to protect your ears from any harm, being a natural substance it is also designed to clean itself. Ear wax builds up and then begins to break down and is expelled out of the ear naturally over time. However, in some instances ear wax can build up and not be removed by the body, in which case ear cleaning may be necessary.

Know what is and isn’t safe

When it comes to cleaning your ears it’s crucial that you understand what methods are safe and which methods aren’t safe. Far too many people still use Q-tips to clean their ears and fact is that these aren’t safe, but they’re not the only ear cleaning mistakes people are making.

Ear candles are another popular way in which people try to remove ear wax from their ears, however, the issue with ear candles is that studies have shown that they don’t actually remove ear wax and could even be dangerous. For instance, if wax from the candle was to drop inside your ear, it could damage your ear canal or eardrum, or it could lead to a build-up of ear wax that becomes compacted.

As a rule of thumb, never stick anything in your ears to try and clean them, as it’s not safe to do so. If you’re struggling with ear cleaning and can’t seem to deal with the problem yourself, the best thing to do is make an appointment to see a doctor.

Be safe when going DIY

If you decide to go DIY with your ear cleaning and care, make sure to do so in a safe way. One of the best options for removing ear wax yourself at home is by buying ear wax softening oil that you place into your ears for a period of two weeks. After this time, the ear wax will have softened and will begin to be naturally expelled by the body over a period of a few days.

There you have it, everything that you need to know about properly cleaning your ears in a safe and doctor-approved way.