How to clean earwax from your ears yourself at home? How and with what to clean your ears from wax at home? Clean your ears at home.

Often people, in an attempt to thoroughly clean their ears, exert so much zeal that they sometimes tear (injure) their delicate eardrums. The eardrums are subsequently restored, but this will take considerable time.

How often should you clean your ears?

Some people think it’s good to clean their ears every day (after bathing), others - once a week, and still others - no more than 3 times a month.
The wax present in the ears is not dirt at all! There is no need to clean it too carefully. Paradoxically, the more often (and deeper) you clean your ears, the worse it gets. Remember, healthy ears clean themselves perfectly (even without your help).
The process of self-cleaning the ears occurs as follows. The skin of the ear canal grows regularly, moving outward as quickly as (approximately) fingernails grow. Consecutive movement of the skin of the ear canal occurs from the eardrum. The active process of self-cleaning of the human ear canals occurs when people chew, cough, and talk. This whole process is most facilitated by the powerful movement of the temporomandibular joint, located almost next to the outer wall of the external human auditory canal.

What is earwax?

Human earwax is usually a certain mixture of secretions of the sebaceous and sulfur glands with the addition of skin epithelium. Sulfur itself is designed to cleanse your ear canal of foreign particles and dead cells, moisturize, and also protect from harmful environmental influences. Earwax is practically insoluble in water, is a natural lubricant, and reliably prevents the epithelium of the human ear canal, including the eardrum, from drying out.

How to clean your ears?

Earwax can be light, dry, or dark. Only dark wax can form brown rings in the human ear canal. Only this accumulation of sulfur can be removed, being careful not to penetrate deep into the passage. When using a cotton swab, people push deep wax, which accumulates inside in the form of dangerous wax plugs.
Chinese doctors long ago described a striking case from their medical practice. One man tried to clean his ears with a sharp bamboo sliver and inadvertently punctured his eardrum. The cod opened up and it was impossible to remove it because it threatened to rupture the eardrum. The doctors decided to observe the situation for some time. Surprisingly, the cod itself gradually began to move to the edge of the human eardrum, leaving no disturbances in it. After 4 months, the cod came out of his ear canal without causing any injury. So, a foreign body (and cerumen) that gets into the ear canal will fall out of the ear (when talking, tilting the head, during the process of moving the skin of the human ear canal). This will take no more than 3-4 months.

How to clean your ears correctly and safely

How to properly clean your ears? Cleaning your ears yourself is dangerous for the eardrum. You should not go deeper than 1.5 cm. When cleaning the ears, the cerumen glands are greatly irritated and their work is disrupted. Do not use matches or hairpins for cleaning. Remove earwax only at the entrance to the ear canal, otherwise the wax will be driven deep and a plug will form (difficult to remove with chewing movements). When water gets into the ear, the wax plug swells. Then hearing decreases sharply, a feeling of congestion, noise, and pain in the ears appears. The safest way to remove a cork is to gradually dissolve the cork with sea water, peroxide, olive or sesame oil.

Wax constantly accumulates in the ears - a special secretion. When the temporomandibular joint moves, the secretion is pushed out of the ear canal. Thus, the body cleanses itself. However, it needs help to clean it completely.

How to properly clean your ears: basic rules for regular cleaning

Even a person who constantly follows the rules of hygiene often makes mistakes when cleaning the ear canal. For example, it is believed that it is necessary to penetrate the passage as deeply as possible, almost to the eardrum, with a cotton swab during the procedure.

In fact, sulfur is produced to protect the passage from inflammatory processes and minor damage. Trying to carry out “high-quality” cleaning, a person irritates the skin of the passage and reduces its protection.

Therefore, the release of sulfur may become more intense or, on the contrary, decrease. If an increase in the volume of secretion produced daily leads to the need to treat the ears more often, its deficiency causes discomfort - itching and dryness.

The auditory canal has a fairly narrow isthmus. A cotton swab easily pushes sulfur masses into it, resulting in the formation of a plug. Compressed sulfur significantly reduces hearing. In addition, there is a high risk of damage to the eardrum or auditory ossicles during deep cleaning.

If a person has a tendency to periodically accumulate secretions and become compressed, it is necessary to visit an otolaryngologist every six months to remove the plug. Neglecting the procedure leads to deterioration of health: decreased hearing function, otitis media, bedsores of the external auditory canal.

Another common mistake is the habit of carrying out the procedure using hydrogen peroxide. This solution is recommended for use only as a prophylactic agent to prevent the appearance of traffic jams or in treatment, for example, for suppuration.

In this case, the solution is instilled into the ear canal area. Peroxide should not be used often, as it irritates the delicate mucous membranes.

How to clean ear wax from an adult's ears

For the procedure to be effective and not lead to unpleasant consequences in the future, it is enough to clean only the auricle and the beginning of the external auditory canal.

It is advisable to do this while washing your face or showering in the morning:

  • You need to lather your finger and run it along the outer parts of the ear;
  • After washing the finger, repeat the procedure, removing the soap solution from the skin;
  • Another way to remove soap is to pour some water into your ear and shake your head slightly, tilting it to the side so that the water pours out;
  • If it is difficult to get rid of the habit of picking in your ear with a cotton swab, you need to remember: you can clean the passage by inserting the stick no deeper than 0.5 cm from the beginning of the passage.

Unlike an adult, a child needs help with hygiene procedures. Therefore, you should know how to perform them correctly.

How to clean a newborn's ears: step-by-step instructions

Cotton swabs, which are usual for an adult, cannot be used when cleaning a baby’s ears. If a mother does not know how to clean her baby’s ears, she should not experiment using recipes intended for medical procedures. All you need: warm boiled water and cotton wool.

The newborn's eardrum has not yet formed completely. Therefore, it is very easy to damage it with a cotton swab.

Of course, a baby’s ears need to be cleaned systematically, doing this with extreme caution:

  1. Cleaning is carried out approximately once a week. This is quite enough to keep the passage and ear clean. During the procedure, the concha itself and the beginning of the ear canal are treated;
  2. You can use special sticks with limiters when the child grows up a little. Such sticks are considered safe because they penetrate shallowly;
  3. Usually the procedure is performed after bathing the baby. This is much more convenient, since the water that has entered the ears has already softened the sulfur masses;
  4. Using a flagellum, carefully clean the outer part of the shell and the beginning of the passage. If the procedure is performed after a bath, you can use a dry flagellum. If the baby has not been bathed, it is recommended to soak sterile cotton wool in boiled water;
  5. A newborn, like an adult, should not deeply clean the ears, since sulfur secretion is a kind of barrier that protects the auditory system from the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms;
  6. If the baby is worried and there is a build-up of sulfur, you should contact an ENT specialist. The doctor will examine the baby and tell you how to clean the child’s ears during inflammatory processes. Before visiting an ENT specialist, you cannot use medications on your own.

The doctor will also tell you how to clean the ears of an older child with hydrogen peroxide if they have a tendency to form plugs after removing the accumulated wax. As a rule, in this case it is recommended to instill up to 5 drops of a 3% solution into the passage no more than 3 times a month.

If your hearing has decreased, discomfort has appeared in your ears, and sometimes you experience headaches and dizziness, then most likely you have a wax plug. If you get rid of it, the above symptoms are eliminated and relief comes.

Earwax occurs due to a pathological accumulation of sulfur, which is secreted by the inner part of the ear, as well as impurities in it of dust and sebum. Earwax is necessary as a protective function against the penetration of bacteria and microorganisms: it removes dead particles of the epithelium. In most cases, accumulated sulfur, together with impurities, is eliminated during swallowing and chewing movements. You can clean off excess wax with cotton swabs, penetrating shallowly into the ear canal. Proper ear canal hygiene will help preserve your ears without exposing them to disease. Sometimes it is necessary to rinse your ears with water to get rid of dirt and dust.

You can remove wax at home if you do not have the following precautions:

  • diabetes;
  • eardrum injuries;
  • inflammation in the ear.

In addition, you must be sure that the problem that is bothering you is the presence of wax.

Steps to remove wax yourself at home

  • Soften accumulated wax in the ears. It is better to perform the procedure at night so that the wax in the inflamed ear is thoroughly soaked and removed faster. You will need a pipette, a cotton ball and hydrogen peroxide or vegetable oil warmed to body temperature. In the amount of five drops, pipette one of the products. Then sit or lie down so that the ear to remove the plug is on top. Next, drop the medicine into the middle of the ear canal and cover with a cotton swab.
  • In the morning, you need to rinse it with hydrogen peroxide, which you need to draw into a 20 ml syringe. Pour the solution into the ear and lie down for 15 minutes.
  • You can get rid of softened sulfur with warm water. To begin, direct the stream at a distance, and then rinse the ear thoroughly with water. The plug should come out quickly and you will immediately feel comfort and relief. You can also rinse with a large medical syringe.


If the plug does not completely come out of the ear, then the procedure can be repeated after a few days. When relief does not occur even after repeated rinsing, it is necessary to contact an otolaryngologist and remove the plug in a hospital setting. Remember that self-medication can lead to serious complications, such as damage to the integrity of the eardrum or cause severe inflammation in the ears.

This pathology is fraught with hearing loss. Only a highly qualified specialist should perform medical procedures. Removing wax at home is an evil that can lead a healthy person to disability.

It is prohibited to remove the plug using sharp objects; there is a risk of injury to the auricle.

There are several ways to remove a traffic jam in a medical facility:

The most reliable way to remove a cork is by washing. Thanks to it, the ears will become clean and the wax plug will come out.

Preparing to remove wax plug

There are several stages of preparation that will help clear the ear canal of wax:

Stages of the procedure

  • You need to take a Janet syringe and pour warm water into it. This type of syringe is used to rinse cavities. It will be able to smoothly supply water to the ears, and there will be no risk of injuring the patient. You can also rinse with another syringe with a volume of at least 100 ml, which can be purchased at the pharmacy.
  • The water stream should be directed up and back along the wall of the ear canal. The patient's head tilts in the other direction from the affected ear.
  • When applying water, you need to change the position of your head so that the plug comes out. You can wash it with water with the addition of an antibacterial agent. This will reduce the risk of inflammation, and the ears will be healthy.
  • Remaining water in the ear should be removed with a cotton swab or turunda.
  • After completing the procedure, it is recommended to place a swab soaked in boric alcohol in the middle of the ear canal. This effect will help you warm up and your ear will become comfortable and pleasant.

Many modern ENT doctor's offices are equipped with special irrigators for removing wax from the ears. This is one of the effective and safe methods that will help clean the ear canal without the risk of injuring the eardrum. The latest irrigators allow you to set the pressure parameters necessary for a specific patient and clean the ear canal without complications.

You can rinse with an irrigator in a private office where an otolaryngologist sees you.

Dry cork removal

This method, which will help clear the ear canal of wax, is carried out only by a doctor in a hospital setting. There are two methods for dry cleaning your ears:

  1. curettage

Curettage is performed only under general anesthesia. A special probe with a hook at the end is inserted into the patient's ear canal. It helps clear ear plugs quickly and without complications. If necessary, you need to pierce the plug and then carefully remove it. The technique is performed under microscope control to eliminate the risk of injury to the eardrum in the ear. At the end of the procedure, you need to check that there is no wax left in the ear, and put a swab with an antibiotic solution into the ear canal. Only a week after removing the plug, it is recommended to clean your ears with cotton swabs.

Which of the listed methods is suitable for removing wax plugs from a patient’s ears can only be decided by a doctor. You can rinse it at home, but this increases the risk of injury to the ear canal. Therefore, it is better to entrust your health to a specialist. Before performing the session, you need to undergo special training and soften the sulfur plug with drops for several days.

This way the wax will come out of the ear much faster. You can clean ear plugs in various ways, which depend on the individual characteristics of the patient’s body and the list of contraindications. The ears are a very important organ in humans, thanks to which we hear and perceive sounds. A small accumulation of wax in the ear canal is necessary to protect against damage and penetration of pathogenic microorganisms. It is mostly eliminated naturally, leaving the ears clean and healthy.

According to statistics, every second person on the planet suffers from the appearance of wax in the ears. But the problem is different: most of these sufferers are in no hurry to see an otolaryngologist, but rather cope with the unpleasant illness at home. And, indeed, there are many ways to remove earwax yourself. But before you begin to study the question of how to effectively clean your ears from excess wax, you need to make sure that the person actually has a plug of wax.

In the human body, all organs, without exception, are interconnected, and each substance plays a role inherent in nature. Earwax also serves its purpose: it lubricates and protects the ear canals from contamination. Its absence can open the ear canal for the penetration of various infections, but when dry wax swells and thickens, it causes serious physical troubles: lumbago, pain and tinnitus; congestion, gradually turning into partial or complete hearing loss. If a person experiences such symptoms, this indicates that it is time for him to think about how to remove the accumulation of wax from the ear. In this case, affordable ingredients will come to the rescue; to purchase them you won’t have to worry too much about the family budget.

Olive oil

Although vegetable oil from the fruits of the olive tree is recognized by the Sanitary Inspectorate as absolutely safe for human health, the high content of oleic acid in the oil can negatively affect the following diseases:

  • inflammation of the structure of the mastoid process behind the ear, medically called mastoiditis;
  • perforation (violation of integrity) of the eardrum;
  • frequently recurring ear infections: auricular mycosis, polyps, otitis externa, otalgia, inflammation of the middle ear.

If the listed diseases are absent, you can begin to remove wax plugs at home. To remove you will need: 3 tbsp. l. olive oil and 5 drops of any essential oil (lavender, eucalyptus, garlic, oregano or St. John's wort).

Important! Before removing excess sulfur with oils, make sure that you do not have an allergic reaction to different types of oils. To do this, drop a couple of drops on the inside of your wrist in the evening. If no irritation is detected in the morning, feel free to proceed with the home operation.

Step 1. Softening the wax plug.

  1. In a water bath, heat the olive oil to 36.6C (human body temperature).
  2. Now you need to add the selected essential oil and mix thoroughly with a sterile spoon.
  3. Fill a new pipette with the mixture.
  4. Place homemade drops in the ear (5-6 drops). In this case, you need to tilt your head so that the affected ear “looks” at the ceiling, and wait in this position for 15 minutes. After straightening up, use a pre-prepared napkin to collect the leaking liquid.
  5. You cannot clean or wash your ears for the next 3-4 hours, as the next step is the washing process.

Do not despair if the first procedure does not bring relief. Firstly, you can repeat cleansing up to 3 times a day for 5 days. Secondly, it is quite possible that relief will come if you rinse your ear after the oil has softened its waxy contents.

Step 2. Rinse.

  1. Fill a rubber syringe with warm water (36.6 C).
  2. With your head tilted over your pelvis (the sore ear is “looking” down), grab your fingers at the upper area of ​​the auricle and pull it back and up in one motion. This simple action will help straighten the ear canal.
  3. Without changing position, slowly pour water into the sore ear. The tip of the bulb should not be inserted too deeply (5-6 mm inside is enough) to avoid pressure on the eardrum. The pressure should initially be weak, followed by an increase in the infused stream of water to medium pressure intensity.

Although the earwax will already be softened by olive oil, it is not a fact that it will come out the first time. If time is lost and the sulfur mass has become very dense, several washes may be necessary.

If there is no result, you should turn to another, more productive method: cleaning the ears using one of the representatives of peroxides, which, for sure, can be found in any home medicine cabinet.

Hydrogen peroxide

This medical product has long been famous for its high antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Hydrogen peroxide is often used not only to treat purulent wounds and cuts, but also to treat ear diseases. Bacteria, getting into the ear along with dust and dirt, can easily enter the body, moving along the common channel that connects the ear to the nasopharynx. Therefore, it is important to promptly clean your ears of excess wax that absorbs germs.

Removing ear wax with hydrogen peroxide:

  1. Many people injure their ears using a pure peroxide product. This is absolutely impossible to do. To remove sulfur, you need to dilute 3% hydrogen peroxide with warm boiled water (1x1).
  2. Using a pipette, drop the cleaning solution into the damaged ear (5-10 drops) and, holding it in the “horizontal upward” position, wait exactly 5 minutes. During this time, the peroxide will come into contact with the sulfuric substance and cause the plug to soften. In this case, crackling and hissing will be felt in the ear, and visually the auricle will be filled with foamy bubbles.
  3. After 5 minutes, tilt your head with the affected ear down so that the lump of wax comes out along with the hydrogen peroxide.
  4. Then rinse the ear canal as described in step 2 above.

To completely restore hearing and clear the ear canal of wax, this procedure can be repeated 2 times a day for one week.

But if negative sensations arise, the home procedure with hydrogen peroxide should be stopped immediately. If you wish, you can try a very ancient but effective method, with the help of which our great-great-grandmothers got rid of sulfur plugs and deafness.

White candle

The high effectiveness of this ancient method has been tested and proven for thousands of years. But such removal of sulfur requires extreme caution. It is advisable that someone from the household be present with the patient during the procedure. To “expel” wax from the ear, you will need an ordinary white candle, cotton cloth, ordinary pencils and matches.

Removing excess sulfur with wax:


Don't panic when you hear a crackling sound in your ear. This sulfur mass rises upward due to the draft that is created during combustion. Removing earwax with wax is a physically unpleasant process, but not fatal. Subsequently, after completing the procedure, you can unfold the tube to see the amount of sulfur extracted.

Pharmacy products for “expelling” sulfur plugs

Of course, there are people who doubt the safety of home methods and continue to look for ways to remove wax from their ears. For those who prefer to use medications, you can purchase cerumenolytic drops: “Remo-vax” and “A – Cerumen”. It is not for nothing that these drops are very popular in the pharmaceutical market, since they are able to quickly dissolve even an old, very hard sulfur plug in a short time.

Pharmaceutical phytocandles made from beeswax will also help to clean your ears, which will not only eliminate excess sulfur mass, but will also relieve inflammation, preventing the reappearance of the plug.

What not to do when cleaning your ears

Whenever cleaning the ear canal, safety precautions must be observed. The wax plug is located too close to the eardrum, so it is strictly forbidden to:

  • remove sulfur plug with matches, hairpins and other sharp objects;
  • Fanatically get involved in cleaning your ear with cotton swabs, as there is a risk of even more compaction of wax deposits.

If the above methods are ineffective, do not waste precious time - you need to urgently consult a doctor. Medicine is still equipped with special tools with which an otolaryngologist can clean out the ears without leaving a trace of wax. To prevent a relapse, you can use homemade hydrogen peroxide ear drops 2 times a month as a preventive measure, and also constantly monitor ear hygiene.

When dealing with personal hygiene, many people neglect their ears, cleaning them on the run with the first objects that come to hand (hairpins, pins, etc.), without even thinking about the fact that incorrectly performing such a procedure can not only damage the skin of the hearing organ , but also provoke the development of hearing loss.

The human hearing organ includes 3 sections: , and . We clean the outer part, consisting of the concha and the external auditory canal. Fortunately, other components of the hearing system are inaccessible to humans.

The auditory canal is lined with skin, which, in addition to fat, produces a special substance -

Sulfur is not a useless secret that pollutes a person's ears. It performs the protective function of the entire hearing analyzer from the penetration of pathogenic agents that cause inflammatory processes, and also cleanses the ear of dead epithelial cells.

In addition, it protects the delicate skin of the ear from drying out, dust, and small particles.

If the glands function normally, then sulfur is removed independently when performing chewing movements or when talking. In such a situation, ordinary hygiene measures (shower, bath) are sufficient, since earwax in this case comes out on its own and is washed off.

Earwax is a kind of barrier against the penetration of various microbes into the ear.

If the functioning of the glands is impaired or hygiene standards are not observed, excessive accumulation of earwax occurs. It blocks the ear canal, promoting the formation of hearing loss and creating favorable conditions for the development of pathogens.

In order to prevent such phenomena, you need to systematically clean your ears at home.

Reference. Cleaning the ear at home should be carried out in compliance with the “golden mean”, that is, excessively active cleaning can lead to disruption of the glands, and as a result, a sharp increase or decrease in the secretion of sulfur is possible.

Excessive accumulation of wax leads to the formation of ear plugs, but the lack of this secret also causes certain deviations. Due to the lack of enzyme, the skin dries out, so the ear itches all the time.

Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, you need to adhere to the correct hygiene procedures for the hearing organ.

How to clean a person's ears

In order for a person to be able to clean their ears from wax at home, pharmacies offer a fairly large assortment of various products in the form of drops and sprays.

The following drugs are especially popular:

Hydrogen peroxide effectively dissolves sulfur formations

Important! Oil solutions have one very significant drawback - they create a comfortable environment for the growth and development of various microbes and infections.

Despite the fact that these drugs are available in any pharmacy chain, it is better to use them only after consultation with a specialist. Since these substances, like any other drug, may have their own characteristics of use and a list of contraindications.

How to properly clean your ears

The best time to clean your ears is after swimming.

If wax production is abundant, then ear cleaning should be done more often as it accumulates.

As noted earlier, ears are capable of self-cleaning, therefore, the more often you clean them, the more “lazy” they become and the more dirty they become.

So, how to clean your ears well without harming your auditory system?

To do this, you need to know several rules for performing such an event:

  1. It is best to clean your ears after swimming, when the skin is as steamed and softened as possible.
  2. Take a cotton swab and gently rub it over the shell of your ear. It is also possible to clean the ear canal, but only from the outside. You should not go deep inside the ear canal with such a stick!
  3. If there is excessive production of wax, it can clog the ear canal. Then you need to regularly clean your ears, but not with cotton swabs, but with flagella. To do this, you need to form a small flagellum from cotton wool, moisten it with a special liquid for cleaning the ears and carefully clean the ear canal with circular movements.

There is nothing else you need to do to clean your ears at home. If a sulfur plug is discovered, then it is better to entrust the removal of it to an ENT specialist.

Since many ear compounds are not able to completely eliminate the problem, since they only dissolve the surface of the wax plug.

Reference. Many people, out of habit, begin to clean their ears with cotton swabs, which should not be done. Because they are not designed for high-quality cleaning of the ear canals. Moreover, such sticks only compact the sulfur, pushing it deeper.

How to clean your child's ears at home

Infants' ears need to be cleaned weekly with special sticks with limiters.

Every parent should know how to properly clean their baby's ears.

To correctly perform such a delicate procedure, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

  • Cleaning should be done a couple of times a month (for infants - every week). It is possible to increase the frequency of procedures only in a situation where the child has excessive discharge from the ears;
  • It is better to clean small ears after bathing with a special swab with a restrictor (can be found in any pharmacy or children's store) or a homemade flagellum made of cotton wool or gauze. From time to time cleaning can be done with a peroxide solution (3%). To do this, you need to moisten a swab in the substance and wipe the auricle with it and clean the ear canal with circular movements;
  • It is necessary to rinse the auricle with warm water every day.

Important! You should not remove wax plug from a child yourself. It is better to entrust the procedure to a professional.

Many parents note frequent otitis in their children, and they do not even suspect that in many cases this involves cleaning the ears. Moms and dads don’t believe that the less often you clean your baby’s ears, the healthier they will be.

But this does not mean that you should stop cleaning them altogether. Don't go to extremes. This hygienic procedure should be carried out as needed.

– this is a very important event that must be approached with all responsibility, since this is the key to healthy ears and good hearing.

It is always necessary to remember that the human hearing organ is one of the five senses, and without its normal functioning it will be extremely difficult for a person to navigate the world around him.