# Excessive Ear Wax? (Okayed by Colibri) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858 "2010-04-12T17:41:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/21 "2010-04-15T17:51:30Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > I had mine vacuumed once, and afterward I thought there was something wrong with me. I could hear everything - papers rubbing together, people breathing, my clothes when I walked. I almost got into a car accident because outside noises kept distracting me. I’d had no idea my hearing was that compromised. Yeah, I remember thinking: “What’s that strange rushing noise I keep hearing? Oh, that’s probably called ‘wind’.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/22 "2010-04-15T17:51:48Z")
20 posts, and no one’s mentioned the [Buddy Hackett method](http://mpwilson.com/2008/05/page/2/)? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/23 "2010-04-15T20:47:31Z")
My pediatrician uses stool softener in my son’s ears. Then rinses it out with the ear irrigator. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/24 "2010-04-15T21:11:48Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > My pediatrician uses stool softener in my son’s ears. Then rinses it out with the ear irrigator. I can’t decide if that’s disgusting, or genius. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/25 "2010-04-15T22:56:01Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The best ear wax cleaning I ever had was a vacuuming from an ENT specialist. I was having my nose looked at and they offered to clear out my ear wax as well. The doctor was surprised that I managed to block the hose with chunks of ear wax, twice! Ewwwww. I must have that done. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/26 "2010-04-16T01:45:15Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I can’t decide if that’s disgusting, or genius. Well, sometimes it’s the only way to get that crap out! _d&r_ ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/27 "2010-04-16T02:15:04Z")
> [@3waygeek](#): > > 20 posts, and no one’s mentioned the [Buddy Hackett method](http://mpwilson.com/2008/05/page/2/)? My wife and I laughed our butts off, but no wax shot out of my ears! 😉 Thank you, **3waygeek** for the laugh!!! 😃 BTW, I _loved_ Buddy’s humor! Q ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/28 "2010-04-16T02:19:37Z")
Sometimes, when us old guys think we’re getting hard of hearing, it may just be wax in there. I cannot _begin_ to describe to y’all how wonderful it was to hear the right side speaker of my car in true stereo as I listened to Debussy’s _Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Fawn_! I suppose we take our senses for granted sometimes, don’t we? Thanks Quasi ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/29 "2010-04-16T02:24:31Z")
The Dr. Oz show? talking about earwax, he had a demonstration on his own ears, woman from the audience put 3 drops of baby oil into his ear with an eyedropper while he was lying down. Lie there for a minute, do the other side, and when done just wipe out the oil/melted earwax with a cloth. He said do this 2-3 times a week. I paid careful attention because one or the other of my ears is very waxy and gets plugged up in the morning just from the pressure of sleeping on a pillow. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/30 "2010-04-16T02:40:05Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > The Dr. Oz show? talking about earwax, he had a demonstration on his own ears, woman from the audience put 3 drops of baby oil into his ear with an eyedropper while he was lying down. Lie there for a minute, do the other side, and when done just wipe out the oil/melted earwax with a cloth. He said do this 2-3 times a week. I paid careful attention because one or the other of my ears is very waxy and gets plugged up in the morning just from the pressure of sleeping on a pillow. If your ear is getting plugged from resting on a pillow then you need to pay close attention to this thread and not Dr. Oz. Go ahead and try the Dr. Oz method, but ultimately you should get them cleaned out by a nurse just to see how much better your hearing will be. Your ears are already plugged, you just don’t know it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/31 "2010-04-16T04:50:21Z")
I think I’m gonna go and get mine flushed out again. (Warning – for those who have their doctors do this, wear a raincoat, or at least bring a towel – you’ll get soaked) ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/32 "2010-04-16T13:24:06Z")
I’m going to try the hydrogen peroxide this afternoon. I need to get mine cleaned out and I don’t have insurance anymore to go to the doc and have them flush it out. ---
**Author:** ![halfliquid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e57/32.png) [@halfliquid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/halfliquid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/33 "2010-04-16T13:26:01Z")
I use hydrogen peroxide occasionally. Although, I should let it build up so I won’t have to listen to my noisy neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/34 "2010-04-16T16:42:08Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > If your ear is getting plugged from resting on a pillow then you need to pay close attention to this thread and not Dr. Oz. Go ahead and try the Dr. Oz method, but ultimately you should get them cleaned out by a nurse just to see how much better your hearing will be. > > Your ears are already plugged, you just don’t know it. Seconding this. The issue I was having with my right ear was that it always got “stuffed up” when I was lying down, enough that my hearing was noticeably fuzzy until it “popped” open again. When I asked my doc about it, he took one look and said it was earwax – and so much of it that he “[couldn’t] even see the eardrum.” It took me an entire afternoon working on it to clear it out (see my method above), but I finally got the gunk dislodged – and he was right, the plug was huuuuge. TMI, maybe, but while it came out in two or three pieces, all together the thing was about the size of a decent-sized peanut. No wonder it was messing up my ear. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/35 "2010-04-17T14:56:05Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I can’t decide if that’s disgusting, or genius. Genius. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858/36 "2010-04-17T19:37:30Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I can’t decide if that’s disgusting, or genius. Why can’t it be both, like the late Earl Warren? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-ear-wax-okayed-by-colibri/535858.md?page=1)