Cleaning Ears With Hydrogen Peroxide

Normally, people would be bothered by ear wax as it tends to impair their hearing abilities and want to clean them up. However, there’s a reason why wax builds up in our ear canals and that is to protect us from bacteria and infection.

The thing is that wax is not the problem, the real problem is the immense buildup of wax in the ear canal. So unless you have ears that overproduce wax, this is not the guide for you. If you’re serious about removing ear wax, then we must advise against using Q-tips and cotton swabs as they will only push the wax further inside the ear and cause damage. A better solution to clean the wax out of your ears would be to use hydrogen peroxide, as long as you use the directions provided below for safe and effective results:

1. Buy an Earwax Removal Kit

 Go to reliable pharmacies or drug stores where you can get ready-made earwax removal kits that you can use at home. Debrox and Murine are two of the most renowned ear drop brands that you can count on. You will find that these kits often consist of earwax-softeners, bulb syringes or other tools that aid in wax removal.

2. Gather Necessary Supplies

 The earwax cleaning process is going to take about 30-45 minutes, so be sure you have all the necessary materials required with you before you begin. You will need:

• Oil, which helps soften the earwax. You can use baby oil, mineral oil, olive oil or even glycerin.
• Hydrogen peroxide. Be advised that the solution must be diluted, which is 3% or lower in strength.
• An eyedropper
• Two medium-sized bowls.
• A clean towel
• A rubber bulb syringe

3. Warm the Oil and Hydrogen Peroxide

 Adding oil and hydrogen peroxide when they’re cool will make you feel uncomfortable, so it is better to warm them up. Heat up two bowls of water, add oil in one bowl and hydrogen peroxide in the other. Ensure that both the oil and peroxide are warm to your skin and not hot.

4. Tilt Your Head

 When you have all of the materials ready for the cleaning procedure, position your head to the side so that the ear you want to clean is facing the ceiling. Place the clean towel you have under your head or the ear that you want to clean in order to catch the drips.

5. Use Oil to Soften the Earwax

 Take an eyedropper and draw up some oil with it. Then gently insert two drops from the dropper into your ear. Ensure that you let the oil sit in your ear in the tilted head position for about 3 minutes. Make sure you do not insert the dropper deep into your ear canal and that drops only till it reaches the ear drum.

6. Add Hydrogen Peroxide

 Now comes the part where you use the ear dropper to gently insert hydrogen peroxide in ear and then let it sit for about 10 minutes. As the solution settles in your ear, you will feel tickling, bubbling, or irritation. You may even experience feelings of cracking as well.

7. Flush Out Wax With Warm Water

 Once the bubbling has stopped, use a bulb syringe to draw up some warm water. Lean the ear you’re cleaning over the sink, hold the bulb syringe at a 45-degree angle near your ear canal and then gently squeeze the warm water into it.

8. Drain Ear Completely

 Now let all of the water, oil and peroxide in your ear drain out into the sink or on a hand towel. Pull your outer ear up and back to allow better drainage and wait for all of the now liquified earwax contents to come out.

9. Gently Dry Your Ear

 As soon as you have dried your outer ear with a hand towel, take a hair dryer, set it on the lowest settings and use it to dry your ear canal.

10. Now Clean the Other Ear

 Repeat all of the previous steps with your previous ear if it has piled up on earwax. If hydrogen peroxide and water have cooled down, then heat them up again.

11. Use the Shower If Short on Time

 If you don’t have time to spare, then simply place a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in ear for 10 minutes and then get in the shower. For this method, there’s no need to lie down or tilt your head, as the peroxide will soften the earwax in your ear and drain out on its own. Use a clean towel to dry the other part of your ear after coming out of the shower.

12. Perform This More Times If You Like

 You may need to perform this method a number of times to eliminate most or all of the earwax. Try again after several days. If the symptoms don’t change after several attempts, then go see your doctor.