{"id":71605,"date":"2026-03-12T16:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T22:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=71605"},"modified":"2026-03-12T16:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T22:32:27","slug":"ear-wax-is-normal-keep-ears-healthy-by-leaving-them-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/ear-wax-is-normal-keep-ears-healthy-by-leaving-them-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"Earwax is normal. Keep ears healthy by leaving them alone."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Earwax
Earwax is essential to keeping your ears healthy. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ear wax plays an important role as a barrier to stop debris, dust and bacteria from going deep into your ear canal and eardrum. It also prevents inflammation and infection.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people believe in the common misconception that earwax is dirty when actually, it is a really important part of keeping your ears healthy,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Zachary Sneshkoff,<\/a> a board-certified otolaryngologist at UCHealth Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic<\/a> in Steamboat Springs.\u00a0\u201cWax is normal. Wax is a healthy thing. Wax is supposed to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earwax is a natural barrier<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While earwax is the body\u2019s perfect gatekeeper for germs entering the ear, some people make it their mission to remove it. The old adage, \u201cDon\u2019t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear,\u201d is actually a correct one when it comes to keeping your ears healthy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people get so addicted to cotton swabs and trying to keep their ears squeaky clean when, really, they\u2019re doing more harm than good,\u201d Sneshkoff said. \u201cUsing cotton swabs can actually push the wax further down into the ear canal toward the eardrum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people may have an overproduction of earwax, which can be a nuisance, whereas for others, it can cause more serious issues. Typically, a muffled sound in the ear or decreased hearing are tell-tale signs that your ear needs some triage.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the people we see with impacted earwax are older adults, but we do see some younger patients who are just genetically prone to it,” Sneshkoff said. “Hearing aids complicate matters because they can push wax deeper into the canal.”<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s caused by narrow ear canals, an injury or an overproduction of wax, relief is usually easy to obtain.<\/p>\n

Remedies for the overproduction of earwax<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you or someone in your care happens to have excess earwax, Sneshkoff recommends the occasional use of the following safe, over-the-counter remedies:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Ear flushing kits.<\/li>\n
  • A 50\/50 mixed solution of water and hydrogen peroxide dropped in the ears once a week.<\/li>\n
  • Seniors may benefit from a few drops of mineral oil one or two times a week to help lubricate dry and\/or flaky wax.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    If these actions do not help, Sneshkoff suggests seeing a primary care physician who can flush the ear. If patients require further help or need more frequent or scheduled treatments, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist can perform a specialized ear cleaning using a microscopic cleaning procedure.<\/p>\n

    One device Sneshkoff does not recommend is an \u201cear candle,\u201d which involves placing a lit and hollow candle in the ear to remove earwax.<\/p>\n

    \u201cYou really shouldn\u2019t be putting anything in your ear, as the ear canal is very sensitive,\u201d he said. \u201cThousands of years of evolution have perfected our body\u2019s ability to keep ears clean, and for most people, the best way to take care of them is to leave them alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

    This story first appeared in the Steamboat Pilot.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Ear wax plays an important role as a barrier to stop debris, dust and bacteria from going deep into your ear canal and eardrum. It also prevents inflammation and infection. \u201cA lot of people believe in the common misconception that earwax is dirty when actually, it is a really important part of keeping your ears […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2357,"featured_media":71612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9138],"class_list":["post-71605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-ear-nose-and-throat-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEarwax is normal. 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