# ear wax **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 12, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822 "2003-11-12T15:31:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paul\_smars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3be4f8/32.png) [@paul\_smars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paul_smars)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/1 "2003-11-12T15:31:09Z")
I get a lot and need to have Dr. remove it yearly or I get hard of hearing, and pressure and sometimes an infection. I used to use hydro-peroxide. Maybe 10 Years ago a Dr. told me to put either baby oil or mineral oil in one ear before going to sleep and sleeping that ear up. Once a month and the other ear the next night. This will keep it from building up. Well, 3 years ago my wife asked her Dr. to clean her ears. He told her to do it herself with mix 50% vinegar and 50% rubbing alcohol. Well last trip to my Dr. for my yearly ck-up and ear cleaning, she could not remove it all. Last week I was getting a tooth ache that suggests an ear wax problem. All I had was rubbing alcohol that expired 3/03. I used it and my tooth ache is gone. Before it comes back I want to do some more ear maintenance. What should I use to clean my ears?? ---
**Author:** ![Toddly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@Toddly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toddly)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/2 "2003-11-12T16:03:48Z")
I have a similar problem although it doesn’t seem to happen quite as often these past years. I used a bulb syringe with warm water and tried to flush it out after I softened it up with the ear wax medications bought in a drug store. It never worked as well as the method used in the MDs office though. ---
**Author:** ![hroeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@hroeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hroeder)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/3 "2003-11-12T16:10:52Z")
When I was younger I asked my doctor the same question. He handed me the bulb syringe and said “hot water”. The bulb syringe works fine if you do it frequently enough. And the water needs to be a bit more than warm. It shouldn’t hurt, but you should definitely feel the heat. Do this every other month, or however your schedule works. Need to keep rinsing each ear drum until the melted wax stops coming out. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/4 "2003-11-12T16:58:41Z")
The drugstore kit works just fine. A little mineral oil left in to soften, then flush with warm water. I get dizzy spells and infection if I don’t do this periodically. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/5 "2003-11-12T18:39:15Z")
The baby oil/mineral oil should soften the wax, so it can be a good first step. I wonder about the sleep thing though – not that it would hurt anything, but everyone turns in their sleep, so that same side isn’t going to be facing up the whole time. And I was surprised to **not** see that followed with “…and clean the ear the next morning.” I wonder if applying the oil and not cleaning afterward would/did cause a problem? Anyway, apply oil to one ear, lie on sofa for 30 minutes with that side up. Then, clean with repeated application of hot soapy water with syringe. Hot as in, as hot as you can stand (but not painful). Soapy as in, with some dishwashing detergent added. Switch to plain hot water to rinse when you’re satisfied it’s clean. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/6 "2003-11-12T18:42:08Z")
Oh yeah – how the heck does rubbing alcohol expire? (I know many drugs will change over time, but alcohol?) ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/7 "2003-11-12T18:48:53Z")
On a related note: [Why do we have wax in our ears? Do roaches ever crawl in there?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_111.html) ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/8 "2003-11-12T19:08:31Z")
On a related note: [Why do we have wax in our ears? Do roaches ever crawl in there?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_111.html) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/9 "2003-11-12T19:18:08Z")
Rubbiing alcohol is 70% isopropanol (by volume) in water. As alcohol is volatile, it evaporates, leaving the water behind. Most packagers will not guarantee the contents to remain unchanged for more than three years. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-wax/212822/10 "2003-11-12T19:57:05Z")
Thanks, **Nametag** , that does make sense.