Do's and Do Not's of Ear Care

Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t put anything smaller then your elbow in your ear”? It sounds like advice like you grandmother yells at you when she catches you sticking something in your ear. If you are anything like me, you replied “ok”, walked out of her view and continued what you were doing. If you’re not supposed to stick things in your ears, then why does it feel so good sometimes? Like right when you get out of the shower or when there’s a really bad itch. Well as it turns out like many things grandmothers say, this statement is true. For the sake of your ears, nothing smaller than your elbow should go in you ear. Here are some helpful Do’s and Don’ts of ear care brought to you by someone other than your grandmother.

Do Not...

· Stick random things in your ears. This includes bobby pins, matches, pen tips, pencils and keys

· Use Q-Tips too deep. Q-Tips are great for cleaning the outside of your ear and right inside the canal. It is just not safe to aggressively dig a stick with cotton on the tip into your ear. I know it feels good (yes I am talking to you Mom) but it is NOT SAFE to go too deep. If you actually look at the Q-Tip box, ears aren’t even a suggested use.

· Let very hot or very cold water run into your ear canals when you are in the shower. You can let water run in your ears but make sure the water is warm.

Do...
· Let wax come out of your naturally. Wax is secreted by the body to keep dust, dirt, hair and other things AWAY from the eardrum. If you go sticking things into your ear, you could push the wax back too far.

· Use drops to soften hard plugged wax. You can use over-the-counter drops like Debrox or something found at home like olive oil.

· Use an easy flush of you want to keep your ears clean. You can use a solution of one part warm water and one part vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Using a bulb syringe (the kind you use on infants) suck up the solution and flush your ears. You want to tilt your head down on the side you are flushing so the solution shoots up and falls back out of the ear.

· Go to a professional for wax removal if the wax becomes impacted (plugged).

There you have it. Some simple Do’s and Do Not’s about ear care. Told to you by a professional, and not your grandmother.