Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

Things You Need to Know About Earwax

Most of us think that earwax is a little gross, but it’s extremely important for the health of your ears. Earwax actually cleans your ears! It traps any dirt, dust, or bacteria that ends up in the ear. Then the earwax dries out. As you chew or move your jaw, the dried earwax will naturally work its way out of your ear canal. Excessive earwax can also be washed away in the shower.

Are Your Ears Blocked?

Lots of people don’t need to clean their ears and the body naturally takes care of excessive earwax. However, if your ears feel blocked you may have too much earwax in the ear. This can happen when your body produces too much earwax, or it doesn’t work its way out of the ear.

Cleaning your ears with a cotton swab can also block your ears! Rather than getting wax out of your ears, the cotton swab can sometimes push the dried earwax further into the ear and block the ear canal.

The symptoms of blocked earwax include:

Muffled sounds
Feeling like the ear is full
An earache
Hearing tinnitus in the ear
Dizziness

If you wear hearing aids you may also notice a build up of earwax from time to time. This is because the hearing device can block the dried earwax from working out of the ear canal.

Things to Avoid When Cleaning Your Ears

When it comes to cleaning your ears, there are a few things to avoid.

Cotton swabs: Remember that you shouldn’t be using cotton swabs or any other small objects to clean your ear canals. Cotton swabs can push earwax further into the ear and cause an earwax blockage. Cotton swabs should only be used to clean your outer ear.
Small objects: Some people may use bobby pins, cotton swabs, paper clips or other small objects to clean their ears. These small objects can scratch the ear canal, damage the ear, or even puncture the eardrum. Doctors recommend that you never clean your ears with anything smaller than your elbow.
Ear candles: You may have heard that ear candles can remove earwax. These candles are put in the ear canal, and the heat draws the earwax up out of the ear. However, you should never use ear candles! The heat can injure your ear canal, and you risk getting candle wax in your ear canal.

How to Safely Clean Your Ears at Home

There are a few ways you can clean your ears at home. You can safely clean your ears by:

Wiping your ears with a damp cloth
Using an ear wax softener. Your pharmacy will sell ear drops that can soften the earwax. Follow the directions on the package and place several drops in your ear, leaving them in for a few minutes. You can use this treatment for a few days until the excess earwax softens and falls out of the ear.
Use a syringe to gently rinse out your ear canal with warm water.

Visit Your Doctor for Irrigation

The best way to clean your ears is to visit your doctor. They’ll examine your ears to see if there’s any build up of earwax in the ear canal or against the eardrum. Your doctor can then use irrigation to remove the earwax. They’ll use warm water to clean the ear canal and flush out the dried-up ear wax.

Worried About Hearing Loss?

If you’ve had your ears cleaned but you’re still not hearing clearly, you may have a hearing loss. Visit us for a hearing test. If sounds have seemed faint or you’re having a harder time following conversations, then a hearing test will show you if you have a hearing loss. We’ll make sure your ears are healthy, and recommend the best treatment options for your lifestyle and your hearing needs.