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The human ear is an extraordinary organ, allowing us to hear and maintain balance. It also serves as the home for ear wax — the orange-brown, chunky, often unpleasant secretion our bodies naturally produce.
So, what’s the right way to clean our ears? And is it really as bad to use a cotton swab (or the brand name Q-Tip) as we’ve been warned?
This is exactly what Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost’s Am I Doing It Wrong? podcast, wanted to know when they recently sat down with Dr. Craig Kasper, founder and managing director of New York Hearing Doctors, who came to their studio to discuss the best ways to protect our hearing.
"Never use a Q-Tip," Kasper warned. "If you read the box of cotton swabs, there’s no mention of using them for ear cleaning — they’re intended for cleaning electronics, removing makeup, and other purposes."
In fact, many cotton swab boxes clearly warn against inserting them into your ear, stating that "entering the ear canal could cause injury."
"If you look at the size of the cotton swab, it’s about the same diameter as your ear canal," Kasper, who has worked as an audiologist for over 25 years, explained. "By inserting it into your ear, you’re just pushing the wax deeper into the ear canal. You might feel some satisfaction from seeing a bit of wax on the swab, but you're not actually removing any of it."
And, not only does this method push the wax further in, but it can also be dangerous.
"I’ve witnessed some terrible incidents where people use Q-Tips and then start brushing their teeth," Kasper shared. "The Q-Tip remains stuck in their ear, and something happens, causing the Q-Tip to puncture the ear drum. This leads to conductive hearing loss due to the punctured ear drum — and it’s painful as well."
While it's safe to use a swab on the outer ear canal, there are better ways to clean inside the ear.
"The ear canal itself is simply skin tissue, and the wax comes from sebaceous glands — small glands in the ear canal," Kasper explained. "The ear canal skin works like a conveyor belt, where as it sheds, it moves outward, carrying the wax with it. So, if you just let water run into your ear while showering, it should naturally wash the wax out."
Michelson agreed. "A doctor once told me that when you’re in the shower, just use a soapy finger in your ear, and that should be sufficient," he said.
However, some people produce excess ear wax or have "really hairy ear canals," Kasper noted, and for them, extra help may be necessary to keep the ears clean.
"In those cases, don’t try to clean it yourself. Visit a professional and let them check your ears," he advised. "There are simple, safe methods to remove it. I’d even caution against over-the-counter ear washes and definitely avoid sticking things like bobby pins or pen caps into your ear."
A few drops of hydrogen peroxide or similar solutions can be effective in softening the wax, making it easier to flush out.
"That’s fine ... but don’t overdo it, because the last thing you want is to over-clean your ear."
For more from Dr. Craig Kasper, head here.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
