# Do you clean your ears with cotton swabs? Have you hurt yourself doing this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 8, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488 "2013-01-08T15:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/21 "2013-01-08T17:47:30Z")
One time I ended up pushing wax further into my ear. It was blocking my hearing and I had to see a doctor to flush it out with this water jet thing. I voted no pain because that didn’t hurt. But it was a bother having to see a doctor. About once every three months I dip a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and clean my ear canal. Feels good getting that oil out of there. I was warned not to do it too often because it can mess up the tiny hairs in the ear. 4 times a years seems safe enough. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/22 "2013-01-08T17:53:21Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Yes, I use them but only on the exterior now. I think I did feel a tiny pinge of pain once before by going too deep, but it was nothing like the guy on the commercial for the vacuum device that screams out like someone went into his ear with a screwdriver. OMG, that commercial is _hilarious_. No matter how many times I see it, I die every time. It’s yet another example of “informercial over-gesticulation”, as I like to call it. As far as the OP, I only ever use tissue paper to clean my ears. For the most part, it’s to get the water out after a shower but it also cleans the wax out as well. Not only do I feel this is obviously safer than poking into my head with a stick, it also seems to do a much better job at the cleaning. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/23 "2013-01-08T18:13:21Z")
Ok - I am not a doctor and all that… [QUOTE=wiki] There are two distinct genetically determined types of earwax: the wet type, which is dominant, and the dry type, which is recessive. [/QUOTE] I have the wet type, and I use a Q-tip to clean my ears. (Mostly to get water out after a shower, but wax can tickle.) I have occasionally gone too deep and hit my eardrum, which hurts a bit. My 88 year old Dad has the dry type. I routinely take him to the doctor to remove wax from his ears. Using a Q-tip on dry wax can cause you to push it deeper into the ear canal and plug up your ears, causing hearing loss. So be careful out there! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/24 "2013-01-08T19:05:29Z")
Years ago, I used a Q-tip too vigorously and hurt my ear canal. It was so extremely painful that I had to go to the ER because I was afraid that something more vital was damaged. They packed the ear canal with a long strand of cotton and then saturated the cotton with some sort of antibiotic or antiseptic. I was given a prescription for more of the same and was told to keep the packing in and saturated for a week or so. After three days I could no longer tolerate the packing in there for one more minute. For one thing, it was itching like crazy. I pulled it out and threw it out of the car window. It healed fine anyway. But about a week later, something felt funny in my ear. I _very_ cautiously introduced a clean Q-tip to see what it was, and pulled out an ear canal-shaped tube of dead skin, not unlike a cast-off snake skin. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/25 "2013-01-08T19:25:08Z")
Hello again, lunch! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/26 "2013-01-08T21:33:13Z")
Not just no, but \*fuck \*no! Do people use Q-tips because their little fingers are too fat or something? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/27 "2013-01-08T21:49:41Z")
I use the rounded end of a paperclip to clean my ears out on a daily basis. Also a thin allen wrench. I have twisted ear canals, so my ears do not rid themselves of wax like they’re supposed to. It’s either this or go to a doctor to have it done every 6 months. I’ve had mixed results when medical professionals attempt to irrigate my ears. On one particularly memorable instance, the incompetent nurse sent me home with ears full of both wax AND water (the bitch). I, frankly, can do it better and cheaper. I know exactly how far in my ear drum is, and I’ve never suffered a perforation or any severe pain from inserting things into my ear. On occasion, I’ve scraped a little too hard and get some minor pain. No big deal. I would never use a cotton swab because I have goopy wet wax, and swabs can potentially leave behind flecks or strands of material. ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/28 "2013-01-08T21:59:39Z")
I’ve been using Q-tips to clean my ears several times a week for years, and I have yet to hurt myself (knock on wood). Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially devil-may-care (i.e. when I run out of Q-tips) I’ll use the round end of a toothpick. > [@TriPolar](#): > > So are they. _golf clap_ ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/29 "2013-01-08T22:00:09Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > So are they. _golf clap_ ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/30 "2013-01-08T22:26:46Z")
DAMMlT. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ghost\_of\_6\_80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@Ghost\_of\_6\_80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghost_of_6_80)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/31 "2013-01-08T22:29:56Z")
I clean mine out with water in the shower. ---
**Author:** ![Ghost\_of\_6\_80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@Ghost\_of\_6\_80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghost_of_6_80)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/32 "2013-01-08T22:31:40Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Not just no, but \*fuck \*no! Do people use Q-tips because their little fingers are too fat or something? Whose fingers are small enough to fit into the inside of their ears? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/33 "2013-01-08T22:42:30Z")
Like the OP said, the only time I use them is to dry my ears after a shower. Any excess cerumen gets removed that way. Though I never seem to have an excess of it. Probably all that showering and swabbing. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/34 "2013-01-08T23:02:00Z")
Never. I went to speech therapy grad school where we had to take several audiology classes and work with audiologists and it was drummed into us that you do NOT put Q-tips or anything else in your ears. You can scratch your ear canal, poke through your eardrum if your arm gets jostled, pack the wax in worse, etc. Ear wax has its own purpose and the body usually knows how to deal with it. Q-tips and similar devices (bobby pins, etc.) were one of the leading causes of injury the audiologists saw. One had a story about a guy who was cleaning his ears, bumped his elbow, jabbed the Q-tip through his eardrum, and pulled it out with his malleus, incus, and stapes on the swab. Permanent conductive hearing loss. Maybe they were over-dramatizing to scare us, but it worked. Rinsing in the shower is the audiologist-approved method and the only one I use. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/35 "2013-01-09T01:06:27Z")
I haven’t hurt myself more than a twinge, but I have to be careful that I don’t cause myself to launch into a coughing spasm. I spoke to an audiologist about this once, and while I can’t remember her exact explanation, the upshot of it was, yes, you _can_ make yourself cough by cleaning your ears (Something about the proximity of certain nerves, maybe?) Anyway, one time I cleaned my ears while I happened to have bronchitis, caused a little tickle that turned into a full-blown bronchial spasm, and for the first time ever, really truly believed I was going to die. Now I’m very, very careful…but I still clean my ears. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/36 "2013-01-09T01:25:22Z")
What did you say? My ears used to get routinely stopped up and I would have to go to the doctor to have the excess wax removed. When I started dating my husband in my mid-twenties, he suggested cleaning them out with a Q-tip after showers. It’s been two decades since then and I haven’t had to make another doctor visit for that in all this time. So, as long as I’m uber careful, I see no harm. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/37 "2013-01-09T01:25:26Z")
I use a Q-tip every night after my shower and basically have an eargasm every time. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/38 "2013-01-09T01:45:07Z")
Yep, sure do. And caps off of pens, and bobby pins. Also keys, in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/39 "2013-01-09T01:57:40Z")
Another problem with cotton swabs I’ve seen mentioned regularly: Some of the cotton may come off and get stuck in your ear, which causes problems. My take on that: Probably more likely with cheap-ass “Brand X” cotton swabs. Probably not so likely with a major well-known brand (let’s just call it “Brand Q”) that is probably of much better quality manufacture. So for certain kinds of products, I like to stick with major name brands, and this is one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/40 "2013-01-09T02:05:51Z")
I was taught that ears are self- cleaning and there is no benefit to sticking anything inside of them. Over 42 years, this has been proven to be true. Don’t stick anything in your ears, people. Just don’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488.md?page=3)