# 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:** 3
**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 9, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/41 "2013-01-09T03:20:06Z")
It’s just that I hate the feeling of soggy earholes after a shower, and the terrycloth towel isn’t much use there. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/42 "2013-01-09T03:27:52Z")
I am a doctor. I’ve examined countless people with ear complaints. I’ve seen at least a couple hundred people who have caused significant damage to their ear canals or eardrums by sticking cotton swabs in there. Including perforated eardrums. Having said that, I’ve cleaned my ears with cotton swabs for a half century and have never injured myself. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/43 "2013-01-09T03:36:27Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > So far five people claim to have hurt themselves while cleaning their ears with cotton swabs. I’m curious to hear their stories. Not exciting. Cheap swab, thin cotton, scratched my ear a bit. I use them to dry my outer ear and a very little bit in the ear canal. I hate wet ears! ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/44 "2013-01-09T03:56:13Z")
I stick to the brand Q as well, and have made it over 40 years without incident so far. I’ve been known to utilize a pen cap when a swab was unavailable, my ears get itchy or tickley if there’s much more than an inkling of wax in there. I do try to be careful, and don’t do it if other people or distractions are around. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/45 "2013-01-09T04:00:16Z")
How else am I supposed to get my morning eargasm? ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/46 "2013-01-09T04:56:07Z")
I’m not usually fancy enough to bother with a cotton swab. I just use a key or handle of a pen cap, but I don’t insert far enough to hurt my eardrum. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/47 "2013-01-09T05:25:11Z")
Do you guys flood your ears every shower? How are your ears so wet? The inside of my ears stays dry even when I swim (except freestyle). ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/48 "2013-01-09T05:38:05Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > I use a Q-tip every night after my shower and basically have an eargasm every time. Absolutely! I feel sorry for people who don’t experience it daily. As with the other-gasm, if it hurts, you’re doing it wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/49 "2013-01-09T11:57:34Z")
I use both bobby pins and cotton swabs. Cotton swabs after a shower, and the rounded end of a bobby pin if the ear wax has built up too much. My daughter has to clean out her cats’ ears every now and then, with a cotton swab. And with the vet’s approval. The cats do NOT approve. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/50 "2013-01-09T12:04:36Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Do you guys flood your ears every shower? How are your ears so wet? The inside of my ears stays dry even when I swim (except freestyle). I was wondering the same thing. I’ll occasionally get an ear full of water when rinsing out shampoo in the shower, but it’s pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/51 "2013-01-09T12:22:49Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > I was wondering the same thing. I’ll occasionally get an ear full of water when rinsing out shampoo in the shower, but it’s pretty rare. For me it’s not a full ear canal, but the outer ear and just a smidge into the canal. Qtips are the perfect size and shape for a quick run around the ear and bit into the ear canal. ---
**Author:** ![andrewbub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/52 "2013-01-09T12:30:09Z")
if you’re dumb enough to somehow injure your ears with a qtip, you probably shouldn’t have any sharp objects in the house either. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/53 "2013-01-09T12:49:35Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > 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. [Mr. Blonde] "Hello? Hey what’s goin’ on? Can you hear that?” [/Mr. Blonde] ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/54 "2013-01-09T13:29:21Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Do you guys flood your ears every shower? How are your ears so wet? The inside of my ears stays dry even when I swim (except freestyle). Not flooded, but damp and coated with droplets in such a way as to cause unpleasant sensations when scratching my ear with my finger or when laying my head on a pillow with one ear facing downwards. In each case the water helps form a perfect seal that can result in temporarily blocked hearing and/or uncomfortable pressure fluctuations. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/55 "2013-01-11T06:50:04Z")
The only way to hurt yourself is if you fall on it or bump it, which I’ve done after foolishly leaving it in my ear. Heck, I’ve done it under doctor’s orders (to remove a bug). Honestly, it’s things like this, where people do it safely all the time, that make people not take doctor’s warnings to heart. The only people who need to worry about it are those who produce so much wax that a Q-tip might cause it to get impacted. Heck, my sister has a friend who is 90% deaf in one ear because of falling on one when he was young, and even he still uses Q-tips. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/56 "2013-01-11T07:34:53Z")
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen with lacerations of the ear canal from Q-tips. I’ve also removed the cotton from many ears after it came off, along with various other things (like the little caps things on the end of bic pens). Of course your doctor would NEVER laugh at you behind your back when you suffer an ear-cleaning-related injury because that would be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/57 "2013-01-11T07:36:18Z")
Qtips? Y’alls _soft_. [Ear](http://lifes-indulgences.blogspot.sg/2008/04/10-cent-ear-diggers-and-antique-shoes.html) [diggers](http://www.aliexpress.com/item/free-shipping-Ear-Care12CM-length-bamboo-ear-pick-cleaning-earwax-spoon-1bag-100pcs-new/546462420.html). ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/58 "2013-01-11T07:46:32Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Qtips? Y’alls _soft_. > [Ear](http://lifes-indulgences.blogspot.sg/2008/04/10-cent-ear-diggers-and-antique-shoes.html) [diggers](http://www.aliexpress.com/item/free-shipping-Ear-Care12CM-length-bamboo-ear-pick-cleaning-earwax-spoon-1bag-100pcs-new/546462420.html). I’ve seen lighted ones. What are they for? For safety, I firmly grip the bud near the tip, so my fingers are against my ear when the bud is inside. I’ve seen some people hold the middle of the bud with 2 fingers. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/59 "2013-01-11T08:56:25Z")
Missing a “Used to, but no longer do after I thought that I could hurt myself” option. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488/60 "2013-01-11T08:57:34Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The only way to hurt yourself is if you fall on it or bump it, which I’ve done after foolishly leaving it in my ear. Heck, I’ve done it under doctor’s orders (to remove a bug). Honestly, it’s things like this, where people do it safely all the time, that make people not take doctor’s warnings to heart. > > The only people who need to worry about it are those who produce so much wax that a Q-tip might cause it to get impacted. > > Heck, my sister has a friend who is 90% deaf in one ear because of falling on one when he was young, and even he still uses Q-tips. There’s also the issue of cotton coming off and remaining in the ear canal, meaning a trip to the doctor is required to remove it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-clean-your-ears-with-cotton-swabs-have-you-hurt-yourself-doing-this/646488.md?page=4)