If you clean your ears regularly, you may be surprised to find out that it can be dangerous to clean them, especially with cotton swabs or Q-tips™. While many people think that using a cotton swab is perfect for removing excess earwax and debris from their ears, it can actually do more harm than good.

The Danger of Using Q-Tips to Clean Your Ears

Medical professionals will warn their patients not to use cotton swabs to clean their ears, but many people don’t realize that it can actually damage your hearing. Hearing care specialists have witnessed ear injuries due to using cotton swabs—everything from severely impacted wax to punctured eardrums—and this is why they warn people not to self-clean their ears.

People have even put other strange objects, besides cotton swabs, in their ears to help clean them:

• Hair (bobby) pins

• Tweezers

• Writing utensils, such as pens or pencils

• Straws

• Paper clips

• Small toys

Yikes! These objects all are hazardous and you shouldn’t ever put anything in your ears. Placing any object in your ear to remove dirt and debris can damage the ear canal, eardrum, and cause hearing loss.

Earwax, medically known as cerumen, helps protect the eardrum and ear canal from dirt and debris. Removing the earwax will prevent it from doing its job. Some people develop earwax much faster than others; the earwax begins to bother them, and they decide to remove it themselves instead of seeing a medical professional to have it removed.

Be Cautious with Fragile Ear Drums

The eardrum is very delicate and can rupture easily even with the slightest pressure while using a cotton swab. If you apply too much pressure, you can rupture your eardrum, which causes severe pain and can leak clear fluid and can possibly even lead to hearing loss. Most ruptured eardrums will heal, but you should see a medical professional if you ever have sharp pain or your ear leaks fluid after cleaning your ears.

The Proper Way to Clean Your Ears

You can easily clean the outer ear, known as the pinna, with a little soap, water, and a washcloth during your shower or bath. Make sure to be gentle, because even the outer ear is delicate.

The inner ear does not need to be cleaned. During showers and baths, enough water gets into the ear canal and helps loosen the wax so it falls out during sleep.

If you find that you have a lot of wax build-up in your ear, you should see your doctor to have it removed by a professional that knows how to handle the delicate parts of the ear.

Do you remember the last time you had your hearing evaluated? If you don’t, then us at 864-881-1663 for an appointment. Sound Hearing Care has four convenient locations in Simpsonville, Greer, Travelers Rest, and Greenville.

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