Ear cleaning is one of the most important aspects when it comes to hearing health, something any audiologist would tell you. However, like nearly all aspects of health, there are plenty of old wives’ tales and major misconceptions that float around it. So, here are four of the most common misconceptions that are floating around about ear cleaning and what the truth is behind each one!
Cotton Swabs are One of the Best Ways to Clean Your Ears
You’ve probably seen people using cotton swabs to clean their ears. There’s a very high chance that your bathroom is filled with them right now, right? While it may seem harmless enough, audiologist would strongly caution against this practice because it can do more harm than good. Cotton swabs are great for touching up eyeshadow, removing excess mascara or nail polish and cleaning all the nooks and crannies on your keyboard but are not meant for digging out your earwax.
Using cotton swabs to remove earwax can cause a variety of problems, including pushing it deeper into the ear canal and causing impaction that leads to ear infections and problems with your hearing. If you need to have your ears cleaned, then you need to instead make an appointment with an audiologist.
Ear Candling is a Safe Way to Remove Earwax
Just as cotton swabs are known and praised for cleaning out ears, you have the same for this more unconventional method for cleaning ears. Also known as ear coning, it involves placing a hollow candle soaked in beeswax or paraffin in your ears and then lighting it. The heat from the candle supposedly creates suction that pulls wax out of your ear.
A similar method is a bulb syringe where it’s hot water rather than wax. Inserting foreign objects in your ear is already unsafe, but it’s even worse if they’re hot. You’re going to run a huge risk of damaging your hearing if you opt for this method, plus imagine the amount of pain you’ll be in.
Earwax is Bad
To this day, this has been a major misconception that so many people make. Unfortunately, there’s even fake news online being spread about it. Earwax is a healthy and natural substance that helps protect the ear canal from infections. This protective substance is meant to keep any bacteria or dirt out, so you won’t run the risk of bugs, germs, fungus or awful infections spreading. When it comes to earwax, it doesn’t even stop there, as it also helps prevent hearing loss by ensuring that your eardrum stays protected.
So, when it comes to earwax, you need to keep in mind that it’s meant to help. But that doesn’t mean that too much of a good thing is all that good, either. Earwax can build up and block your ear canal, leading to earaches and other symptoms. It can even interfere with your hearing and cause tinnitus. While earwax is good, too much is bad, which is why you need to see an audiologist to properly and safely remove it.
Ears are Not Self Cleaning
Last but certainly not least, there’s the popular misconception that you have to clean your ears because the wax is “dirty” or problematic. Your earwax is actually the body’s mechanism for keeping debris out of the canal! While too much earwax can cause impactions, the regular amount produced is enough to keep your ear canals protected and healthy.
