How To Remove Earwax Buildup Anywhere

Earwax, or cerumen as your medical professional may call it, will normally cause a concern a few times in your life but for some earwax is an ongoing problem that may need to be treated once a year or more frequently.

I am not a medical professional and I can not offer medical advise but these are some things that I believe have helped me remove wax after over 20 years of visiting the doctor a few times a year for wax removal.  I now have relieved of problems with earwax and do not need a medical professional’s help for most of my ear concerns.

Caution When Using H2O2

An audiologist friend of mine warns anyone of using H2O2 in your ear because it can eat away at healthy tissue.  She suggests garlic and olive oil during the night and a flush of bulb water in the morning.  This technique has never worked for me to date but it may work for you.  I believe H2O2 should be a last resort after using filtered water in a bulb first and other methods of earwax removal.  I also believe H2O2 will hurt human tissues.

Caution When Using Ear Picks

I do not suggest using ear picks because it is too easy to scrape skin or hurt your ear drum.  Japanese bamboo ear picks, down tipped ear picks, and even the softest brush has irritated my ears in the past.

Symptoms Of Earwax Buildup

The first signs of earwax buildup are normally that you have slight hearing loss in your ear, that you notice pressure, or a “slushy” feeling when your ear moves.  Do not mistake earwax buildup for water in your ear.  I have written more about getting water out of your ear on this site here:

http://www.gregoryhillman.org/2009/08/13/how-to-get-water-out-of-your-ear/

Just because you have some earwax buildup does not mean that you need to treat your buildup.  Earwax will normally dry up and fall out with out any additional help.  One thing I have found that will hurt the process of natural removal is pushing the wax further in your ear with a q-tip or your finger.  This just moves the wax in your ear further but it can still normally be removed with this treatment.

Treatments of Earwax Buildup

If your wax is causing a problem and does not fall out normally, you could have buildup in just one ear or in both ears.  I have found that only treating the ear that has the earwax buildup is necessary.

First, use water with your syringe or bulb.  Water may be all that is needed with some light pressure to remove the wax.  I use water with a very low TDS that has been put through a Reverse Osmosis membrane so it contains less extra materials.

Earwax Removal Syringe Bulb

If the purified water with some pressure from the bulb does not work, I normally use about 1/2 a cap full of H2O2.

Lay down on your side with a white towel under your head so the light bleaching agent does not bleach any materials under your head.  H2O2 (Hydrogen peroxide) will make spots in dark clothing, towels, and rugs.

Pour about 1/2 to 1 cap full in the effected ear while laying on your side.  You should be able to hear the bubbles easily with wax in your ear and fresh H2O2.  You may also see bubbled up wax coming out of your ear during this process.  After about 3-10 minutes the bubbles will stop and you can pour the wax and excess H2O2 in your sink or shower.

Then take your earwax removal bulb and spray warm (98.4±0.7 °F or slightly warmer) water in your ear with some light pressure.  This should help remove any extra wax.

Be sure to put the cap back on your H2O2 right away otherwise it will loose the ability to work correctly.  Also, be sure to replace your H2O2 if it is old or does not work any longer.  I do not use H2O2 unless it is completely necessary because there may be other side effects from this weak base.  I use about 3% H2O2 and additional purified water to make it more diluted.

If you have a more significant buildup you may need to repeat the H2O2 process with the bulb a few times or once a day for a few days.

H2O2 For Earwax Buildup

If the wax is not gone and your hearing is back to normal with no evidence of wax you may need to visit a medical professional for a much stronger syringe.  Some professionals have much larger devices that will spray at a higher level but not so height it will rupture your ear drum.  Be careful though because a doctor or nurse could rupture the drum with this high pressure device.