Ear cleaning
Nature has designed your ears to be self-clean. Therefore, they produce enough earwax to prevent major ear problems.
But this earwax may be present in excess. People commonly try to clean it with cotton buds, which may lead to earwax blockage and further complications. Basically, cotton bud pushes the earwax further to cause impacted earwax.
Therefore, you should visit a professional for an effective ear cleaning service. But in some cases, you can also clean your ears at home. You can ask any pharmacist, chemist, or hearcare professional to suggest ear cleaning drops to clean your ears.
Best way to clean earwax
You may know about different ear cleaners. But all of them are not efficient and safe for ear cleaning. We always recommend you get professional ear cleaning services:
Professional ear cleaning
A professional ear cleaning service is the best way to clean your ears. It does the safe and deep cleaning of your ears to draw the excess or impacted earwax. We also offer professional ear cleaning services at Squeaky Ears.
Our professional will first examine your ears to identify the safest way to clean your ear. Then they will use any one of the following methods to remove excess earwax:
- Manual removal
- Use of any special ear cleaning tools
- Microsuction earwax removal (it uses a vacuum to draw out the ear wax gently)
Interested in getting ear cleaning services?
Book an appointment with our hearcare professional now and learn more about our professional ear cleaning services.
Cleaning earwax at home
We would never suggest you do ear cleaning at home because it may put your ears at risk. For instance, the risk of ear damage and the development of infection will increase. The removal of impacted earwax may also cause permanent damage to your ears.
However, you can clean your ears from the outside. For this purpose, you can wipe your outer ears with a warm flannel. It will remove any excess debris or wax. You can also use an ear cleaning drop to clean your earwax at home. But we will always advise you to visit a professional first.
The best way to clean your ears is to let them do their natural action. Typically, ears produce enough earwax to protect your ears. However, the production of excessive earwax leads to impacted earwax.
Before you visit a healthcare professional, you can do some remedies at home to keep your ears in good condition.
Ear cleaning drops dissolve the earwax and prevent it from drying out. Dry wax becomes hard and drop out of the ear with difficulty. Audiology professionals, GP, or your pharmacist suggest using ear cleaning drops only in mild cases of earwax build-up.
The earwax in your ears will drop naturally after you use the ear cleaning drops for a few days.
Here’re the precautions that you must take before you use ear cleaning drops
- Speak to an audiology professional, GP, or pharmacist
- Read the manual for ear cleaning drops carefully.
Instructions on cleaning your ears at home
Is it safe to use cotton buds?
No, they’re not ear cleaners and can put your ears at many risks. They don’t remove the wax. Instead, cotton buds push the wax further into the ear canal, and potentially damaging your ear drum. So, we advise you to avoid using cotton buds.
Is it safe to use earwax removal kits?
You should seek advice from a pharmacist or audiologist before you use at-home earwax removal kits. They will advise what the safest way to clean your ears is.
How can I clean my ears without cotton swabs?
You can use ear cleaning drops only if an Ear Care Professional recommends them. These drops and solutions will soften the earwax and encourage its natural fallout. You can also use your finger and damp cloth to remove the debris and earwax around your ears. First, dampen your cloth with warm water. Then wrap this damp cloth around your finger and rotate it along the curves of your ears.
Does olive oil dissolve the wax?
No, olive oil is neither an ear cleaner nor dissolves the earwax. However, it can soften the wax. But before you put olive oil in your ears, it’s better to get advice from a professional. It can damage your eardrum if you have a history of ear infections.
Audiologists may sometimes ask you to put olive oil in your ears before an earwax removal appointment. However, you should follow their guidelines and put olive oil in your ears when they want you to do so.
Can impacted earwax be removed at home?
No, it can’t. You should never try to remove impacted earwax at home because it may cause permanent damage to your ears.
What should you do if your ear still feels blocked?
You should contact a pharmacist or audiologist. They can offer you the best solution for this problem.
How often should you clean your ears?
Your ears undergo a self-cleaning process. So, they don’t need regular cleaning. We recommend you to leave your ears to do what they’re doing.
Earwax is antibacterial and protects your skin health from infections. However, if earwax is causing a problem, you should remove it.
You must clean your ears if the excessive earwax is causing hearing problems. Some other indicators that you need ear cleaning services are:
- A feeling of fullness in the ear
- Itchy ears
- Hearing loss
- Tinnitus
- Earache
- Dizziness
What if you produce a lot of earwax? In such a scenario, you should ask a professional how often you should clean your ears to avoid build-up.
Risks associated with ear cleaning
Putting anything in your ears without professionals’ recommendations can put your ears at risk. You may end up damaging your eardrum or ear canal’s sensitive skin. Moreover, there are also chances for moving the ear wax deep inside the ear canal. Ultimately, earwax build-up will become even worse.
According to Ear Care Experts, you should never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ears. For instance, you can’t use hairpins or cotton buds to clean your ears. It could damage the eardrum and may perforate it. So, you should rely on healthcare professionals because they know what’s best for your ears.
Ear irrigation is a technique for earwax cleaning. But you shouldn’t do it yourself because it can cause ear infections. Some evidence claims that ear irrigation could cause infection even if a professional is doing it.
What is the best advice for people who use hearing aids?
Earwax affects the efficiency of hearing aid. So, if you wear a hearing aid, you must clean your ears regularly. The best advice is to go for a yearly ear checkup. However, if you feel hearing issues or any other symptom of impacted earwax, you should visit an audiologist as soon as possible.
Ear candling: Should you try it?
Ear candling is also a technique to remove ear wax. One end of the hollow candle in this method is used to create negative pressure. This pressure developed will pull the wax out of the ear canal. However, very little evidence suggests it is a reliable way to remove wax. In fact, it’s a challenge to avoid a face injury due to hot wax or an open flame.
We firmly recommend not to undergo ear candling and seek advice from Ear Care professional.
FAQ's
Professional ear cleaning costs depend on where you get the services. At Squeaky Ears, we charge £65. You can get cleaned either one or both ears in this amount. In other instances, if we don’t find earwax, you would have to pay £35 for the complete ear health check.
It is not essential to deep clean your ears because your ears are already doing it. However, you will have to clean your ears from deep inside if you’ve earwax build-up. Never try to clean your ear canals by yourself. Instead, you should visit a professional to get your earwax removed.