Earwax is an important way that your body naturally protects your hearing from outside irritants. But occasionally, that earwax can become hardened and create a blockage in the ear canal. While typical ear cleaning by cotton swab may not be as effective with hard wax, you can soften the wax using household products that make it easier for the wax to be removed. Once the wax is successfully softened, you can irrigate or swab it for cleaner ears.
Warm Oil
You can use oils traditionally found in your bathroom cabinet to soften the earwax to get ready for removal. Douglas Hoffman, M.D., Ph.D recommends that baby, mineral and olive oils all work well for this application. Bring the oils to room temperature, and fill a small eyedropper full. Drop into the ear and leave there. You may need to insert a piece of cotton ball so that you can move your head upright. Complete this process every day for 5 days, without draining the ear, and the wax should be removed easily by swab.
Warm Water
If the thought of putting oil in your ear doesn't sound like the method for you, you can do the same trick with warm water. Warm water may take a few more days to work than oil, as it doesn't coat the earwax for a long period of time. Just use an eyedropper filled with water, and gently drop into the ear. After 7 days, irrigate the ear with a blast of warm water, or gently swab the wax away.
Peroxide, Vinegar and Water
It may sound like more of a cleaning solution than an earwax-softening remedy, but placing water, vinegar and peroxide into the ear is completely safe, and won't cause any adverse effects, says Jerome C. Goldstein, M.D., executive vice president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery in Alexandria, Virginia. The peroxide and vinegar will break down the earwax by bubbling in the ear. Mix a ratio of one part water to one part vinegar to two parts peroxide. Fill an eyedropper full with the mixture.
You'll notice a tingling or stinging, but after 5 minutes, drain the ear and you'll notice that much of the earwax drains out as well. You can then gently swab the ear to remove any remaining softened wax.
Liquid Stool Softener
Stephen P. Cass, M.D., assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Eye and Ear Institute of Pittsburgh, actually recommends using an over-the-counter stool softener like Colace to soften earwax. Fill an eyedropper full of the liquid, and drop in the ear, and then leave for as long as the wax needs. Harder wax may take up to an hour to soften. Irrigate well with water to remove the wax.
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