How to Remove and Avoid Buildup of Earwax

Ear blocked up by excessive wax? Here are some ways to clean them out at home, without an expensive trip to the doctor. Once they're unblocked, a small amount of regular cleaning can help keep them cleared.

The Water Squirt Method

A common method often practiced by doctors is to shoot warm water into the ear canal at high speed and volume. They have enormous blunt-nosed syringes for this purpose. After two or three shots, the wax slug will pop out of the ear with a sudden loud gurgle.

You can remove earwax at home with high-volume water guns, which do the same thing at much lower cost. Smaller water guns, rubber bulbs, etc. may also do the trick if you're patient enough to stay in the shower squirting for a while. Use some soap to help the earwax along. Make sure the water is not too warm or too cold before you shoot it into your ear - which is probably more sensitive than your outside skin.

You may also want to try softening the wax with some mineral oil or hydrogen peroxide before you start.

Ear Candling

Ear candling is a traditional, non-intrusive way to clean the ears of excessive wax. The candle is a hollow tube of beeswax. One end is inserted into the ear, with no gaps between the end of the candle and the inside of the ear. The other end is lit like a candle. The flame creates smoke and gentle warmth inside the ear, melting the earwax. There might be a crackling sound. The melted wax is drawn upward, out of the ear and into the base of the candle, where it cools, reforming into solid wax along the inside walls. After the candling, you can dissect the base of the candle to find out how much was removed. The earwax can be easily distinguished from the candle's wax by its dark brown color.

When done correctly, ear candling works well. Massage therapists are sometimes taught the proper use of beeswax ear candles as part of their professional training. The recommendation is to candle the ears once or twice a year.

However, beware of ear candling scams. Done improperly with bad candles, it can cause more harm than good. Find someone who knows what they're doing to candle your ears.
   

Commercial Chemical Ear Drops You can also dissolve earwax with chemicals. Commercial ear drops like Debrox will turn the wax into a dark brown ooze, giving your ears the appearance of having the runs. Depending on how much wax was in there at the time, it could go on for days. If you buy a package of ear drops, just follow the directions they provide. For Debrox, you add 6 drops into the ear and keep your head tilted for 10-15 minutes. You'll hear a lot of fizzing, and it may tickle. Then let the drops run out of the ear into a tissue, and tilt your head the other way for the other ear.

Earwax Buildup Prevention

Once you've cleared earwax from your ears via any of the above methods, rinse your ears regularly with soap and water. This will help keep the wax from building up to the point of blockage. Also, soap makes the wax crumbly so that it falls out easier (like it should, naturally) - instead of turning into the kind of hard resinous mass (earwax impaction) that eventually requires outside intervention.

Don't be worried about flushing your ears with water. The skin inside the ear canal is the same kind of skin as everywhere else, and can (and should) be cleaned the same way. Also, a healthy eardrum can stand up just fine to quite a bit of water pressure.

Final Caution

Don't put solid objects into your ears. Cotton swabs in particular used to be a popular way to clean out the ear canals. However, all that does is push most of the earwax to the back and pack it in tighter, not get rid of it. That never ends well. Leave the cotton swabs in the hands of medical professionals with bright lights.