I'm mortified

It is very easy to damage your ears poking them with anything. Corner of a flannel is all that is needed. A certain amount of wax is there to protect our ears . When I first had hearing aids the filters (supposed to last 3 months) were blocked up within days. I was told by my audiologist that it was my ears reaction to having something in them....they made more wax. It settled down as my ears got used to the aids.

I had a problem with my ears after using cotton buds and had to have them 'hoovered out' at the hospital. The hoovering wasn't painful but the problem caused by the buds was. I now only use buds to clean my eyelids/eyemargins as I have a permanent eye problem. I would never ever stick another in my ear!

After having a tip come off in my ear, I now buy my cotton buds in France. They have a very short tip the same width as English ones, then they get much wider, too wide to allow the bud to enter the ear canal by more than a couple of millimetres. They remove any wax deposited on the edge and clean around the outer ear. However they aren't so good for getting water out of my ears after showering- any suggestions for that? Tipping my head doesn't work and I hate the gurgling sounds I have to endure.

Sorry im with Poppyred. Used after hair washing for 60 years without incident or injury. I sit still and am very careful and when ears get examined they always exclaim at how clean they are. Would never use on babies, children, or anyone else.

Never put anything in your ears that's smaller than your elbow!! This is what doctors used to say to try and stop people cleaning their ears out with cotton buds and other objects. A friend of mine had a nasty experience when using a cotton bud to clean her ears and the bud came off and lodged too far into her ear for her to remove it. A visit to A & E was needed and she never did it again. A small amount of wax is normal, but if you have trouble hearing because of hardened wax you used to be able to have them syringed by the practice nurse at your surgery.

Many years ago my sil managed to clog up the drains by flushing cotton buds down the loo. There was a backflow of er......sewage from the outside drain but where was sil? Working in the Far East! Over to dh who had the lovely job of unblocking the drain only to discover an interlocked mesh of discarded cotton buds blocking the flow. Not something that sil ever did again after dh had a friendly (!) word with him!

Have known that is a bad idea - ie, potentially harmful - as long as I can remember. Have to say, I’m amazed that anyone thinks sound medical advice, based on evidence, is ‘PC’ or ‘lefty’.

The advice not to put small objects into the ears stems from the numerous cases of damaged ear drums resulting from said practise,I've been told!

Occasionally I get eczema in my ears, and my husband gets psoriasis in his. The creams used to treat it have to be put there with a cotton bud, but very gently! My mother used to clean my ears with a hairgrip when I was little. I dreaded it .

You're right Teetime, my friend who worked for the RNID (now Action for Hearing or somesuch) always says that you shouldn't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear!

I managed to block one ear by trying to clean it and had to do the ear drops thing before they would syringe it (with a modern vacuum machine) to clear it!

I use cotton buds very gently most days and it hasn't done me any harm so far. I clean my hearing aids at the same time.

Musicelf, I remember the dreaded hair grip too. In fact, when I think of some of the things I was subjected to, I'm surprised I still have the ability of sight, hearing, etc. Must be where my Ma was so right wing and non pc

Doctors call it CBA. - cotton bud abuse!!

Our doctors won't do ear syringing any more, they just prescribe eardrops which were no good at all to poor DH. I found a private clinic which used micro-suction, DH said it was one of the best £50 we'd ever spent!

caro12 please do not put olive oil in your ears !

If you have concerns the GP is best and a Pharmacist the next best bet and so easily consulted.

So many people are obsessed with the idea that their ears are dirty! I use face wipes to remove mascara (from my eyelashes not my ears!) and occasionally give my ears a rub around with a finger wrapped in a corner of one of those. That's enough for me.

My Great-Granny always said you should put nothing smaller than your elbow in your ear! (She was still profoundly deaf, tho’)

Poppyred

Safe ways to remove earwax

Ask your doctor to remove the wax in their office.
Clean the outside of your ear with a damp cloth.
If you choose to use cotton swabs, don’t insert them into the ear canal.
You can use earwax softener to soften earwax for easier removal.
You can use a syringe to irrigate your ears.

Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D, MSN, RN, CRNA on July 5, 2016 — Written by Ashley Marcin

Political inclinations not given (possibly only you can see the relevance?)

Turquoise123 I was surprised to read your advice not to put olive iol in ears - both my GP and the pharmacist recommended it to soften the ear wax. Reason for not doing it?

I’m under a ENT specialist and his advice was use olive oil once a week to stop a build up of wax
No cotton buds

My understanding exactly..

The hairgrip was wonderful in stopping the itching..... no punctured eardrum or hearing aid yet at nearly 80

You are storing up trouble by cleaning your ears with cotton buds. Ears are naturally self cleansing , wax has a purpose and poking in your ears compacts the wax, preventing it from coming to the outside where it can then easily be cleaned away. If you want trouble later in life, then carry on. You’ll regret it for sure. Aside from the wax you could very easily damage the eardrum and/or introduce infection.

Widgeon
Really happy you have good hearing at 80
But you have been lucky
Itching is caused by infection
Infection is caused by poking object into ears

Bit like the lifelong smoker who reached 90
Just very lucky
Not that smoking is a way to longevity

I've had my ears checked Mary59nana as they itch continually but no sign of infection here. It has been going on for years and drives me mad. My mother had a similar condition and we both wondered if it was a form of eczema which I suffer with in other places.