Most of the time, the ear canal tends to clean itself. There is a slow and systematic movement of ear canal skin from the eardrum to the outer opening of the ear. There is thus a perpetual transport of old earwax from the inside of the ear canal to the opening, where it generally dries and comes out. The inside of the ear is well protected by earwax, which acts as a filter and traps things like dust, bacteria, other microorganisms, and prevents them from coming in and harming the ear. The earwax also protects the fragile skin of the ear canal from irritation when water enters the canal. However, for some people, the glands produce too much wax, and it could become difficult to clean this easily. The extra wax could harden and block the ear canal, causing discomfort or temporarily impaired hearing. This could also happen when you try to clean the ear canal and accidentally push the wax deeper into the canal. This too could sometimes result in temporary hearing loss due to the wax blockage.
There are several ways in which one can clean the ear canal at home; one of them is by using a rubber bulb ear syringe. Take a rubber bulb ear syringe and fill it with room temperature water; you can do this even while taking a shower. Gently squeeze the water by holding the point up just till it starts to come out. Suck in a bit more water while still squeezing. Smoothly squirt water into the canal letting the water run out of the canal and into the shower or sink. Water should flush out the excess earwax as well. Repeat this process for the other ear canal as well. Once you have done this, dry the ears methodically, fill an eyedropper with rubbing alcohol and drip the alcohol into each ear canal. This will help in drying the ears by absorbing the moisture. If the earwax is very hard and stubborn you can use peroxide in the ear to soften the earwax. If the wax still does not flush out easily, you can use a few drops of warm baby oil twice a day for a week before trying to clean the ears with water. Never use candle to clean the ear, this is a dangerous procedure and does not generally work. Do not try doing this if there are any signs of blood, pus, earache, or any other ear problem – instead, consult your physician immediately to understand the cause and obtain the most suitable treatment.