# Ear Wax XXXX !!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 24, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971 "2014-07-24T22:07:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/21 "2014-07-25T18:25:32Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > \*\*Ear Wax XXXX !!! \*\* > > Wow, has it been that long? I still remember Ear Wax XXIV like it was yesterday! Yeah, I thought this was going to be about some sort of ear wax fetish. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/22 "2014-07-25T19:16:25Z")
I’ve been having no end of problems with my ears for a couple years now. Been doing the hydrogen peroxide thing, been to doctors, etc etc. The thing that I’m doing now that seems to work better than peroxide or anything else I’ve tried is a 1/1 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. A nurse practitioner who’d previously worked with an ENT for many years told me that a lot of ear issues are caused because your ears get overly moist, and keeping them dry makes the problem go away. That’s what the alcohol does - it dries out your ear. The vinegar adjusts the acidity level and helps prevent fungus or other critters. I rinse my ears with this about twice a week, and so far, my ears have stopped producing massive amounts of ear wax and/or become infected. Works WAY better than the hydrogen peroxide, which simple removes the wax, doesn’t prevent it from being produced to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/23 "2014-07-25T20:06:21Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I’ve been having no end of problems with my ears for a couple years now. Been doing the hydrogen peroxide thing, been to doctors, etc etc. > > The thing that I’m doing now that seems to work better than peroxide or anything else I’ve tried is a 1/1 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. A nurse practitioner who’d previously worked with an ENT for many years told me that a lot of ear issues are caused because your ears get overly moist, and keeping them dry makes the problem go away. That’s what the alcohol does - it dries out your ear. The vinegar adjusts the acidity level and helps prevent fungus or other critters. > > I rinse my ears with this about twice a week, and so far, my ears have stopped producing massive amounts of ear wax and/or become infected. Works WAY better than the hydrogen peroxide, which simple removes the wax, doesn’t prevent it from being produced to begin with. In the post I linked to, I began using a 1:1:2 mix of water, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. I have a bottle mixed up, take some of it, warm it to body temperature, leave it in an ear until I hear it stop bubbling then rinse it out with warm water using a squeeze bulb. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/24 "2014-07-25T23:33:49Z")
I use something called cerumol, putting a drop in the ear for several days as I go to sleep, then use a bulb in the shower. Once it was very thick and I was in Barbados without my cerumol, but after floating in the ocean for a half hour with my ears under water, it started dripping spontaneously. I finished the job with a Q-tip. ---
**Author:** ![Drummond\_Bays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@Drummond\_Bays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drummond_Bays)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/25 "2014-07-26T01:12:10Z")
/hijack (that very well prove useful to many people) Water in your ear? Turn the offending ear towards the ground, lift the opposite foot and hop. If that doesn’t work, jump, and slam your foot down HARD. Works like a charm. Thank me later. Source: guy with super-sensitive, tinnitus afflicted, supposed-to-get-tubes-when-young-but-mom-said-no, waxy, infection-prone ears. /end hijack ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/26 "2014-07-26T03:43:59Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > Ototek Loop Ear Wax Removal Tool. OMFG your shift key is cured. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/27 "2014-07-26T03:51:15Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > I had mine cleaned out at the ENT once. Man, it was like being reborn! I swear even my vision improved. > > Well worth the expense if you ask me. Oh yeah. Best. Ever. Except the time I was the first patient on a chilly day. I got a squirt of cold water in the ear. Bluuurrrrghhh. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971/28 "2014-07-26T04:30:50Z")
Many types of whales have a build-up of [earwax](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwax) which increases with time; the size of the deposit is sometimes the only way to determine the age of whales that do not have teeth. So if you don’t have any teeth… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax-xxxx/693971.md?page=1)