Earwax (also called cerumen) is your ear’s natural protectant. But it can be tricky. Earwax can interfere with hearing, cause infections and be downright uncomfortable. Many people think it’s dirty and can’t fight the urge to clean it out, especially if they feel or see it.
But removing or dislodging earwax when there isn’t a medical issue can cause problems deep within your ear. To help you navigate the do’s and don’ts of earwax and ear cleaning, we’ve put together six facts you should know:
1. Earwax is important
Your ear canal has tiny hair and glands that naturally secrete waxy oil. Earwax protects the canal and inner ear as a moisturizer, lubricant and water repellant.
When you use your jaw to talk or chew, the motion helps move the wax toward your ear’s outer opening, where it can drain out. Along the way, the wax gathers and removes harmful dirt, cells and dead skin that can lead to infection.
2. Most people don’t need to clean their ears
Unless the wax in your ears forms a blockage, you shouldn’t have to go out of your way to clean them. Once earwax naturally moves toward the opening of the ear canal, it typically falls out or washes away.
Washing your hair is usually enough to remove the wax on your ear’s surface. During a shower, a small amount of warm water enters the ear canal and loosens any wax accumulated there. Use a damp washcloth to wipe away any wax outside your ear canal.
3. Impacted earwax can be painful
About 5% of adults have excessive or impacted earwax. Some people naturally produce more earwax than others. And earwax that doesn’t move quickly or gathers too much dirt along the way can get hard and dry. Other people produce an average amount of wax, but it can get impacted when earbuds, earplugs or hearing aids interrupt the natural flow.
No matter why it builds up, impacted earwax can affect your hearing and cause discomfort. If you have impacted earwax, you may experience symptoms including:
- Ear aching
- Ringing in the ear
- Impaired hearing
- Odor
- Dizziness
- Coughing
4. Cotton swabs can be bad for your ears
You may be tempted to grab a cotton swab and go to work removing wax as soon as you see or feel it. But you are likely doing more harm than good. Using cotton swabs can:
- Disrupt the tiny hairs that protect the ear canal
- Push wax deeper into the ear canal
- Traumatize the fragile ear canal skin and lead to infection or bleeding
Cotton swabs can help clean the outside of the ear. Just be sure not to insert them into the ear canal.
5. Health care providers can safely remove impacted earwax
Earwax removal is the most common otolaryngologic (ear and throat) procedure performed by primary care physicians (PCPs) in the United States. Your physician knows how to soften and safely remove earwax using special instruments such as a wax spoon, suction device or ear forceps — a long thin tool used to grab earwax.
6. There are safe ways to remove earwax at home
If earwax build-up is common for you, your health care provider may recommend removing it regularly at home before it becomes impacted. You can remove earwax safely at home with:
Softening drops
Over-the-counter ear drops — which often contain hydrogen peroxide as the main ingredient — can help soften hardened wax. Your physician can tell you how many drops to use each day and how many days to use them.
Your PCP may advise against using ear drops if you have:
- A history of recurrent ear infections
- Holes in your eardrums
- Prior ear surgery
Ear irrigation
Irrigating (gently rinsing) your ear canal can reduce the risk of earwax impaction. It involves using a rubber bulb syringe to squirt water or a saline solution into the ear canal. When the water or solution drains out of the ear, it also flushes out loose ear wax.
Use wax-softening ear drops before rinsing out your ear for the best results. And be sure to warm the solution to your body temperature. Cold water can stimulate the vestibular nerve (related to motion and position) and cause dizziness. If you still have symptoms of earwax impaction after flushing your ear, contact your PCP.
Earwax Removal : The Best (and Safest) Ways to Clear Clogged Ears
And two remedies to avoid at all costs
Trouble hearing? Or did you push that cotton swab a little too deep this time? A clogged ear from earwax buildup is at best annoying and at worst a prelude to hearing loss.
But earwax, also known as cerumen, is not only normal, it’s necessary.
“People think that earwax is dirty and needs to be cleaned, but earwax has both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties,” says ear, nose and throat specialist Anh Nguyen-Huynh, MD. “It also protects ears from things that could hurt the eardrum, such as dust, hair or small insects.”
Factors that can affect your amount of earwax include previous ear surgery or trauma, recurrent ear infections, or wearing hearing aids or deep earplugs.
How to remove earwax safely
So how can you best handle earwax woes?
“Sometimes, trying to clean them causes more problems than it’s worth,” says Dr. Nguyen-Huynh. “Ears are like self-cleaning ovens. When the outer layer of skin in the ear canal sheds, the wax will fall out with it.”
If earwax is becoming a nuisance, Dr. Nguyen-Huynh recommends several easy ear cleaning methods:
Over-the-counter ear cleaning drops
If you have a small amount of wax, over-the-counter ear cleaners work well. Look for drops that contain hydrogen peroxide or other kinds of peroxide. The peroxide does a good job of breaking up earwax.
Here’s how to use ear cleaning drops:
- Lay sideways: Make sure the ear you’re cleaning faces up and add the drops as directed.
- Let it sit: Allow the cleaning solution to sit in your ear for around five minutes. This lets the liquid soak in and soften things up.
- Grab a tissue: When you sit up, the liquid should come out along with the earwax that broke loose. Have a tissue ready to catch it all.
Ear cleaning drops may not work if you have too much earwax or a condition called impacted cerumen (when there’s a firm wax plug blocking your ear canal).
“When it’s a plug, putting peroxide in your ear may make things worse because you’re softening the plug but not dissolving or removing it,” Dr. Nguyen-Huynh says. “Then the softened plug becomes like a wall of mud that can plug your ear even more.”
A bulb syringe
If ear cleaning drops don’t work, the ears might need flushing with a bulb syringe, which are available at drug stores or grocery stores. You’ll want to fill the syringe with warm water, place it near your ear opening, and carefully squeeze the bulb. The warm water will flood your ear and break up the wax. Turn your head to the side over a sink or bathtub to let the water (and, ideally, wax) flow out.
However, there are a few caveats:
- Be gentle: Flush your ear gently to avoid harming your eardrum.
- Watch the temperature: The water should not be too cold or too hot. If it is either, the temperature difference could make you dizzy.
- Avoid if necessary: Don’t use the flushing method if you have a hole in your eardrum or if you’ve ever had eardrum surgery. Flushing may damage your eardrum repair.
If you are not comfortable flushing your own ears, says Dr. Nguyen-Huynh, you might want to check with your primary care provider’s office to see if there is a nurse who can do it for you.
Mineral or olive oil
Anecdotally, Dr. Nguyen-Huynh says people who put olive oil in an ear before getting a cleaning seem to get wax out more easily. “It lubricates the ear canal,” he explains. “But I’m not sure it’s any better than what we usually recommend, which is mineral oil.”
Earwax removal methods to avoid
All earwax removal hacks are not created equal. Dr. Nguyen-Huynh recommends steering clear of these two remedies:
Cotton swabs
A manufacturer’s warning on the package says it all: Do not insert swab into the ear canal. Dr. Nguyen-Huynh explains: “A cotton swab acts like a ramrod in an old-style cannon. The tip pushes the earwax in deeper, so the more you use it, the more earwax you push in. Plus, you may rupture your eardrum if you push too far. Or if you scratch your ear canal, it can get infected because now dirt and bacteria can penetrate under your skin.”
Earwax removal candles
Dr. Nguyen-Huynh says you should doubly stay away from this method: These candles don’t work, and they may burn you.
Why and when you should clean out earwax
While earwax is generally more annoying than dangerous, sometimes you need a doctor to clear it. Dr. Nguyen-Huynh says it’s smart to seek medical evaluation if home remedies don’t work, your ear hurts or you have trouble hearing.
“Someone needs to look in and see if the ear canal is open or if the wax is plugging it up,” he says.
Symptoms of a clogged ear include:
- Pain
- Your hearing becomes muffled
- A feeling like your ear has something blocking it
- Dizziness
- Tinnitus
If the situation is minor, you may be able to get your ears unblocked right then and there. If not, a doctor can use operating microscopes to magnify inside the ear canal, loosen the wax and vacuum it out.
And a clogged ear may have other causes. “It could be a middle ear infection with fluid filling up the space behind the eardrum,” Dr. Nguyen-Huynh cautions. “Or you could have a viral infection that affects the inner ear. In those cases, a doctor can diagnose and treat you to prevent permanent hearing loss.”
But like most things in life, it’s all about balance — too much wax can block your ears and cause temporary hearing loss or infections. “A small number of people will need cleaning if they produce too much wax that jams up the ear, especially if they have a smaller-than-average ear canal,” Dr. Nguyen-Huynh explains.
