Waxy ears.. how to clean? Sorry - not sure if this is the right place to post!

[loveyouradvice]

I've just discovered my teen daughter doesn't use her iPod buds because she has waxy/gunky ears and is terrified to clean them....

I've always used moistened cotton buds and been gentle and careful but she's been scared off these by her school nurse.

What do you recommend?

Otex ear drops

I can’t imagine she’d love this if she’s not into cotton buds but…DH bought this for his waxy ears and it was so effective, big lumps came out! I fair enjoyed it

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B083ZL56JQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Yes. Warm a little olive oil (a small vial like one that eye drops come in is perfect) in your hand. Lie on your side and squeeze a few drops in to your ear. Massage the front of your ear and the back of your ear and pull your ear lobe down. (The purpose is to work the olive oil further into the ear canal.)

After doing this, lie on your side for a few minutes. Then, put some cotton wool in your ear to absorb the oil and repeat on the other side.

You may have to do this several days in a row but it works.

I use cotton buds too. I know you're not meant to but I don't know how else you're meant to keep your ears clean! Just don't insert the bud too far and it'll be fine.

whereweare I'm with you on this.... she's not!

Going to look at the other options, especially Otex ear drops - any else any experience of these? .... intrigued alfonso huge thanks... and any other ideas welcome.

Warm wash cloth

Otex ear drops are absolutely brilliant. Would highly recommend! I use them about once a month since I discovered them and that seems to keep wax at bay.

I saw some spiral type ear cleaners that were mean to be better than cotton buds (apparently cotton buds compact the wax but I still use them )

Useful info here

and it says:- For more of a preventative maintenance, a simple and convenient way to irrigate the ear is when you are in the shower. Tilt your head toward warm water, allowing the ear to fill up. Once filled, tip your head over and let the water and earwax drain out. Please note, using a wax-softening agent prior to irrigation may yield the best results. Caution: avoid irrigation if you have a perforated eardrum or a tube in the eardrum

The curved/bent end of a hairgrip, possibly?

@Antsinyourpanta

I saw some spiral type ear cleaners that were mean to be better than cotton buds (apparently cotton buds compact the wax but I still use them )

My DH got some, absolutely useless waste of money

I've been known to use a paperclip in an emergency 😳

Same method as the olive oil, but using hydrogen peroxide. Works a treat but a very odd sensation.

Can I just say that my ghast is flabbered by all the people who have posted their 'output' on the reviews of that Amazon product. I mean, I am all for a bit of sporn in my own home but there are limits

@ChicChaos

The curved/bent end of a hairgrip, possibly?

Yes, my mother's ear cleaner of choice was a kirby grip (or curby?).

Is there anywhere local you can take her to get them cleaned properly? My ears got blocked up due to having very narrow ear canals so I pay to get them cleaned via microsuction removal. It's basically a little hoover that sucks the wax out. It's much safer than syringing/irrigation and not painful. It's tempting to use cotten earbuds but you risk pushing the wax further and damaging the ear canal. Using otex can help soften the wax but i would personally get someone to clean them properly.

@loveyouradvice DO NOT USE COTTON BUDS! It's really bad advice (same with using a hair clip!). Cotton buds will just mostly push the wax further down the ear canal and impact it. Plus the eardrum is so thin and fragile that a cotton bud is a bit like scouring it with a brillo pad and can lead to damaging it.

Get some olive oil drops or sodium bicarb eardrops from the pharmacy and that will soften the wax. If it continues to remain blocked then your local audiologist will be able to perform microsuction.

It’s ent that does ear cleaning- audiology does hearing aids etc in St Thomas hospital (our local hospital for ds with hearing loss) If you can afford it op then I’d just go private - plenty of places can do it. I’d try the ear drops and if not get a doctor to check there is underlying infection first. If not you can see if they will refer but it maybe quicker just to pay. It’s around £40.

I clean my ears twice a day with cotton buds and I’ve never had a problem.

Sporner Corner is the best topic for ear wax advice.

Don't stick hairpins in your ears unless you want a burst eardrum.

Specsavers clean ears by appointment for £60 by micro suction. It’s ouch for expense! But if the doctor’s surgery doesn’t do it any more and ours doesn’t then it’s an option. Also Earole is a good way to use olive oil. When I was young years ago I too used a hair grip on a regular basis as my wax was soft and easy to extract. This has changed as I have got older and my ear canals are not very wide.

Honestly just get one of those warm water kits from Amazon or chemist. They work!
You can use drops first for maximum wow.

When I did my ear syringing course many years ago we were told not advise Otex as it has hydrogen peroxide in, and that’s what they bleach hair with. We we told to only advise olive oil.

I wear hearing aids so produce quite a lot of ear wax. I use the spiral thing once or twice a week (after washing my hair) and it keeps them beautifully clear.