Aug 23, 2024
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Lori Lovato MA, FAAA, Audiologist
Effective Earwax Removal Techniques: A Guide by Highline Hearing
Managing your earwax, or cerumen, is an important part of keeping your ears and your hearing healthy. However, it’s often mishandled or overlooked entirely, which can lead to hearing loss challenges, dizziness, tinnitus, and more.
At Highline Audiology and Hearing Aids, we know that cerumen management is crucial to keeping your hearing in top shape, and we can offer some advice on the best and safest earwax removal methods that you can utilize at home.
Understanding Earwax and Its Removal
The Dos and Don’ts of Earwax Removal:
Avoid Cotton Swabs: It’s common practice to reach for a cotton swab when we feel earwax buildup in our ears, but we know we’re not the first people to tell you that can prove more dangerous than it’s worth. Cotton swabs can push earwax farther into your ear canal, causing impaction, or potentially cause damage to the eardrum.
Utilize Over-the-Counter Eardrops: Plenty of drugstores carry mineral oil-based eardrops that can safely clean your ears out without risk of damage.
Simply tilt your head to allow the solution to reach the ear canal, allowing the solution to trickle down into your ear. (It feels ticklish for some, but it’s worth it!)
After letting the solution work for a few minutes, tilt your head to the opposite side and let the softened wax and solution drain out. Always remember to follow the instructions!
External Ear Cleaning: Use a warm, damp cloth to clean the outer ear gently, removing any residual wax. Avoid inserting the cloth directly into the ear canal.
When to Seek Professional Ear Cleaning Help
If you’re experiencing dizziness, discomfort, or hearing loss challenges and suspect that a buildup of earwax might be the culprit, it’s time to consult a professional. Audiologists and healthcare providers can help you remove the earwax safely and effectively, leading to a more successful and harmless removal of the blockage.
At Highline, our earwax removal services start with a conversation about you; we’re looking to know you past your ears and see if excessive earwax production could be the cause of your blockage. There’s no shame in producing too much earwax; cerumen protects the inner machinations of your ear and ear canal from debris and obstructions, so it’s good to have!
We clean your ears by flushing out the wax with warm water, softening and loosening the wax so that it comes out of your ear as naturally and painlessly as possible. For more stubborn blockages, we will use a curette, which will help pull the more compacted spots free without any pain.
Cerumen management is vital for maintaining the health of your ears and your hearing.
To get answers to your questions about earwax removal, or to talk with a professional about your unique situation, please feel free to request a callback or call us at (206) 246-8677.
Lori Lovato MA, FAAA, Audiologist
Lori is a lifelong resident of the Tri-Cities. She and her husband Anthony are proud to be raising their family here. She attended Washington State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing sciences and her master’s degree in audiology. Lori began practicing audiology in the Tri-Cities in 1993. During this time, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including private practice and ear, nose, and throat physicians’ offices. She has spent her career focused on assisting those with hearing difficulties through the use of hearing aids, listening strategies, assistive devices, and counseling. She is experienced in working with both adult and pediatric patients. It is important to Lori to develop close relationships with each and every patient, as she helps them develop better communication strategies to live a fuller life.
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