Most people clean their ears by wiping bits of earwax from the opening of the ear using a damp tissue or soft cloth. However, in certain cases, stubborn earwax accumulates in the ear canal, building up into a hardened lump that can affect your hearing. It can also cause other symptoms, such as ear pain and buzzing or tinnitus. Although your doctor can remove stubborn earwax--and may need to, depending upon your medical history and potential risk factors--Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia notes that you can take care of most instances of stubborn wax with a home remedy, such as wax-softening drops.
Step 1
Fill a small bowl with 2 to 3 tbsp. of a water-based wax softener, such as plain water, saline solution or hydrogen peroxide, as recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Make sure the wax softener--also called a cerumenolytic--is body temperature to minimize the chances of possible side effects, such as dizziness, when you put the liquid into the affected ear canal.
Step 2
Depress a rubber bulb syringe and fill it with the room-temperature cerumenolytic.
Step 3
Fold a towel widthwise to create a cushion for your head. Place the folded towel flat on a table. Rest your head on the folded towel, positioning it so that the affected ear is completely exposed for treatment.
Step 4
Pull slightly down on the lobe of your ear to help straighten the ear canal. Squeeze the bulb syringe to release the water-based cerumenolytic directly into your ear canal. Slowly squeeze enough liquid into the ear canal to completely fill it; as a general rule of thumb, five to 10 drops of the liquid should be adequate. Allow the liquid to remain in your ear canal for up to 30 minutes.
Step 5
Sit upright. Tilt your head down slightly to allow the water-based cerumenolytic and the loosened pieces of earwax to drain from your ear canal. Repeat this process twice daily for up to three or four days, if necessary, to completely remove the stubborn wax. Contact your primary care provider if you fail to notice an improvement in the symptoms during that time frame.
Tips and Warnings
- Irrigation with body-temperature water approximately 20 minutes following a treatment session may help further loosen particularly stubborn wax chunks. If you choose to flush the ear, Medline Plus recommends that you aim the flow of water at the ear canal next to the wax piece to keep from forcing the wax further back into the ear.
- Do not attempt to remove built-up earwax at home if you have certain risk factors that might increase your chances of suffering complications arising from the wax removal. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, your doctor should manually remove stubborn earwax if you have ear tubes, a possible perforated eardrum, diabetes or another immune-compromising health condition.
Things You'll Need
- Small bowl
- Water-based wax softener
- Rubber bulb syringe
- Towel
