How often do you clean your ears?

[whatonearthisthatabout]

I'll tell you mine and my dps frequency after some replies. To be quite frank I'm a bit disgusted!

I only ever wash the outsides of my ears, as I shampoo.

Ears are self-cleansing, unless you have wax problems, then you should take the advice of your doctor.

Otherwise, one of the few pieces of helpful advice my mother ever gave me was "never put anything smaller than your elbow into your ear"

Outside everyday in the shower.

Inside everyday after the shower with a q-tip. It's the best feeling.

My parents never taught me proper hygiene growing up ( I was severely neglected) and I still remember being in grade 7 when a friend pointed out how much wax I had in my ears. It was so embarrassing.

Started everyday after that. I've never had any problems cleaning the inside. No compacted wax or anything like that. It just feels clean.

Never. Ears are fine!

This NHS leaflet contains a useful summary: "How do I clean my ears? You DON'T!"
https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/leaflets/files/5280Pears.pdf

That's exactly how I clean inside my ears.

I clean my outer ears using a facecloth when I'm in the shower to remove any visible dirt, but I've never felt any need to rummage about cleaning inside my ear canals any more than I have my sinuses, windpipe, oesophagus, colon or urethra, thank you very much.

The idea that some posters are inserting cotton buds into their unwilling children's orifices against medical guidance, and not only openly stating it publicly but actually being critical of others who don't do similarly is a bit surprising, really.

I shower daily but you not meant to clean the inside of your ears so never inside.

Inside of ears - never. Ears are self cleaning and easily damaged.

I also have an ear camera. I love it.

With DC I use mostly drops on one (who has hard dry ear wax), and wipe the excess wax (dark, thick and wet) off the other's ear with an earbud. Am a little paranoid about pushing the bud too far down in their case, but have been cleaning my own quite aggressively for 35 years and have come to no harm. And I have better hearing than almost all other adults I know.

Outer ears a couple of times a week with a cotton bud. Never put it inside as that’s how you get impacted wax. If you have itchy ears try Ear Kalm instead.

It's so odd that people think digging inside your ears with a foreign object is good hygiene. It even says not to insert cotton buds on the box.

Never, I wash around the external parts, but never touch inside them.

The tiny hairs in your ears brush any debris forward that the wax has collected.
Sticking buds in damages the hairs and the wax and shit builds up to cause problems.

I’ve got an ear camera, I probably have a go once a month or so. I used to have to get my ears syringed, this is much better because I can remove it before it becomes a problem. No more blocked ears

Yeah, you're not meant to do that, you're damaging your ear.

i have waxy ears, i can't ever clean "inside" with a cotton bud, it compacts it in. i generally have my ears syringed every 3-4 months at the Drs and keep on top between with a home syringe as per Dr's orders.
I clean the outside every shower.

Every day - with fingers in shower then quick wiggle with cotton buds afterwards. DH is the same - we both love the feeling of a cotton bud swiping round our ears

I'm just leaving this here; https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax-build-up/

Relevant bit: Important: Do not use your fingers or any objects like cotton buds to remove earwax. This will push it in and make it worse.

So have you admitted to your DP that he's right @whatonearthisthatabout??

Yes my dp and I have sat and read all of the replies and laughed about how I'm wrong and he's right
I will still be using my cotton buds though!!

Why?

Can someone share the link for the ear camera, please?

This made me laugh 😂And made me feel better about the fact that the most exciting part of mine and DP's Easter Weekend was when I found a massive white head on his back which he let me squeeze 😂

Ditto.

Sorry, is this why I will continue to use cotton buds?

Just when I thought I had seen everything on here. 'How often do you clean your EARS?' WTAF? 😆 Also, I can barely believe that in this day and age, people still shove Q-tips/cotton buds into their ears. FFS, it's common knowledge that it's extremely dangerous!

I know you shouldn't but I use cotton buds everyday after my shower. It's to clean and dry them, I hate wet ears.