4 Ear Cleaning Dos and Don’ts

A lot of people have no idea how to clean their ears. If you think that your ear is filled with wax or clogged up, you might think about reaching for something to get rid of the issue. This could be a small piece of tissue, a pen lid or anything pointy to shovel it out. It’s not the most attractive idea, and it’s also not the best way to resolve the issue. As well as this, approaching ear cleaning the wrong way could actually damage your ears and be harmful in the long and short-term.

That’s why you need to know the do’s and the don’ts of cleaning your ears.

Do Figure Out When Your Ears Need Cleaning

It’s worth pointing out that all ears aren’t in need of clean. It’s certainly not universal, and the ear will actually naturally clean itself. It will push wax to the surface. You can then remove it in the shower or even with a damp cloth.

That said, there are a few reasons why your ears might need cleaning regularly. You might wear earbuds frequently. This could be to listen to music or perhaps to muffle the sound of someone snoring next to you at night. If so, you can stop the natural cleaning process of your ear and cause the canal to remain filled with a waxy build up.

If this is an issue, then there are signs. For instance, you might have a difficult hearing if there’s too much wax. You might also find that your ears are itchy quite frequently as well.

Do Not Use Unprofessional Treatments

If you do need your ears cleaned and the issue has become quite serious, there are a number of steps that you can take. There are also different services online that you can consider. However, you want to be careful because things like ear candling may be popular, but that doesn’t mean that they are beneficial. Ear candling sounds cool, and it is. You put a hollow candle in the ear, and it sucks out all the wax. Except, this isn’t what happens, and it’s a fairly useless procedure. Instead, you should speak to an audiologist for a real professional treatment.

Don’t Use Cotton Swabs

Cotton swabs might seem like a smart thing to use to clear out ear wax, but they actually have the opposite effect. Using cotton buds, you’ll push the ear wax further into the ear canal. This can actually make more problems than it solves. If you do use cotton buds, they are best for simply wiping away excess wax around the outer areas of your ear.

Do Be Gentle When You Clean Your Ears

Lastly, you do need to make sure that you are cleaning your ears gently. You have to remember that ears are very sensitive and this is what makes them such good listening devices. If you aren’t careful, you could cause damage your ears without even full realizing it.

We hope this helps you handle cleaning your ears the right way in future.