Why You Should Stop Cleaning Your Ears With Cotton Swabs And What to Do Instead

1. How to clean your ears safely

Why You Should Stop Cleaning Your Ears With Cotton Swabs And What to Do Instead

These two methods have been shown to work best and be safest to use at home:

  • Use ear drops: You can carefully drop baby oil, mineral oil, or glycerin into your ear. All of them will be able to soften the wax. Two days later, you can use a syringe to put warm water in your ear, then tilt your head to let the water drain out. Then, you’ll need to clean the outside of your ear with a clean towel.
  • Use a clean paper towel: You get rid of ear wax every time you take a shower, but you can get the last bits out of your ears this way. You can clean the outside of the ear with dry tissue that has been dipped in water.

However, you should avoid the following over-the-counter cleaning methods:

Ear candling: This method is very popular online and is also called “ear coning.” However, doctors say it doesn’t work at all. On the other hand, it can be dangerous, and it can even burn your hair.

Various objects: As was already said, many people clean their ears with things like pen caps, keys, and bobby pins. But all of these things can get stuck in your ears and cause serious damage, such as a hole in your eardrum.