How to Cure Plugged Ears
Ears can become plugged due to a number of reasons. You may experience plugged ears if you have a cold or allergies, if you're on an airplane or due to an overabundance of ear wax. Whatever the case, there are many ways to unplug your ears. You can try these techniques at home but it's always safest to have them done by a professional health provider.
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Things You'll Need
- Ear wax softening solution Cotton ball Lukewarm water Rubber ear syringe Sink Eyedropper Rubbing alcohol
Instructions
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Try popping your ears open. Close your mouth, plug your nose and breathe out.
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Soften your ear wax with a homemade or store-bought solution. Excessive ear wax builds up in the ear canal, hardens and prevents you from hearing. Once wax hardens, your ear has a hard time naturally removing it.
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Warm a small amount of baby oil and place it in your ear. You can also mix a solution of half hydrogen peroxide, half water. Dip a cotton ball in the solution and squeeze the liquid in your ear. Repeat on the other ear.
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Irrigate your ears. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and squeeze this into a rubber ear syringe. Stand over a sink with your head tilted down and slowly squeeze the water in your ear. Ear wax and water will fall into the sink.
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Repeat on the other side until you don't see any more wax coming out.
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Dry your ears when you're finished. Fill an eyedropper with rubbing alcohol or a solution of half alcohol, half vinegar and squeeze a small amount into your ears. The alcohol will evaporate any excess moisture and dry the ears.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have issues with excessive ear wax, you can avoid having blocked ears by doing regular maintenance. Put an ear wax softening solution in your ears a few times a week. This little bit of softening will encourage your ears to naturally clean out excessive wax. Irrigate once or twice a month. A doctor can take wax out of your ears, either via irrigation or by pulling wax out with a small tool.
Never stick Q-tips or your fingers into your ears. This can damage your ear canal and further impact ear wax. Always check with your health provider before attempting to clean your ears. People with damaged or perforated ear drums should not try these remedies.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sudarshan Vijayaraghavan
