Your ears are some of the lowest-maintenance parts of your body. They usually don’t require any special extra treatment or care. Your hearing may diminish somewhat as you age, but this is normal, and most people can function perfectly well on their hearing ability throughout their lives without any special care or maintenance.
Earwax is also known as cerumen and is a by-product of the sebaceous and apocrine glands. This secretion’s function is to lubricate, moisturize, and repel water from the ear canal. Jaw movement helps move the earwax to the outer ear, where it can fall or drain out and remove harmful dirt, dead skin, and cells.
However, sometimes a buildup of earwax occurs on the outside of your ear canals. This is the visible part in front of the eardrum. We’ll provide a guide to suggest a few of the best and safest ways to clean your ears and remove the excess earwax from your ear canals.
How Often Should You Clean Your Ears?
You may only need to clean your ears when you begin to experience one or more of the symptoms of cerumen impaction. This is the medical term for an excess buildup of earwax.
If you wear hearing aids, you may be more likely to experience cerumen impaction. Doctors generally recommend that you remove the hearing aids for approximately eight hours every day, preferably while you sleep. Excess earwax and the drainage that sometimes occurs because of it can also damage hearing aids.
The symptoms of cerumen impaction include:
- Partial and steadily worsening loss of hearing over time
- Pain or fullness in your ears
- A plugged-up feeling in your ears
- Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears
- A smell, discharge, or itching in your ears
- Coughing due to interaction with the vagus nerve in the ear canal
If you experience any of these symptoms, there are several safe and non-invasive ways to attempt to remove earwax. However, if none of the methods work, you should refrain from inserting anything into your ear canal but immediately seek medical intervention. Self-treating excess earwax with a cotton swab or other implement inserted into your ear may only push the earwax even deeper into the canal and pack it tighter against the eardrum.
Best Ways to Clean Your Ears
Here are a few safe and effective methods of removing excess earwax.
Self-Care Treatment with Water
You can add warm water to your ear canals with a cotton ball to gently loosen the earwax. Simply tilt your head to one side and let the water fill up your ear canal. Wait for a few minutes as the water loosens the earwax. Then, turn your ear towards the ground to remove the water and loosened earwax.
Cerumenolytic Ear Drops
Over-the-counter ear drops containing a liquid called a cerumenolytic agent are available. The drops can be water- or oil-based. These liquid solutions help thin and dissolve earwax.
Natural Oil-based Cerumenolytics
Many of the oil-based cerumenolytics use natural oils such as olive oil, peanut oil, or almond oil.
Water-based Solutions with Added Ingredients
Several water-based OTC ear drops contain ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide, docusate sodium, acetic acid, and sodium bicarbonate. These ingredients can also be effective at loosening earwax.
Ear Candling
Ear candling is another procedure that may help remove earwax. However, ear candling is not recommended for those who have suffered ear damage, or have sensitive skin or ear conditions.
Visit Vangvela Spa and Sleep Salon
Vangvela Spa and Sleep Salon provides ear cleaning along with relaxing head massages, soothing and revitalizing scalp treatments and tension-releasing upper body massages. We specialize in authentic Vietnamese techniques that leave you refreshed and ready to face the world again.
We provide a relaxing sanctuary where our Vietnamese massage techniques allow you to unwind, improve blood circulation, reduce stress and alleviate headaches and mental fatigue. Our ear-cleaning spa is conveniently located along the Bangkok BTS System’s Sukhumvit Line, close to the Saphan Khwai Station. Please visit us to learn more about our soothing and gentle wellness-focused sessions.
Escape to our relaxing sanctuary and rediscover your vitality through our traditional Vietnamese massage techniques. You will walk away feeling rejuvenated and replenished.
References:
- How to Clean Your Ears – retrieved on July 8, 2025, from https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/how-to-clean-your-ear
- 6 things you need to know about earwax removal – retrieved on July 8, 2025, from https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/6-things-you-need-know-about-earwax-removal#:~:text=You%20can%20remove%20earwax%20safely,Healthy%20Lifestyle