pus from ear piercing

[Polyethyl]

I have not worn earrings much since baby started to grab them. Yesterday, not wanting the holes to heal over I got out my plain gold studs, cleaned and boiled them and put them in. This morning there is a slight crust of pus. Google tells me that I should soak my ear in a salt solution. But I'm a bit baffled about how you do that. How do you stick the side of your head in a bowl of warm salt water without making a complete mess of spillages?

Just press soaked cotton wool pads onto your piercings.

I make up a mug full and pour it slowly over my ear

Hold a cup or bowl of warm salty water under the ear. Soak a cotton ball in the solution & squeeze over the hole. If the earring is still in try & gently turn it. Do the front & back of the hole. The cup or bowl will catch the drops of water.

Alternatively try hydrogen peroxide on cotton wool. That can be very effective in situations like this.