Why should I Clean my Ears?
Ear wax can build up in your ears over time and can cause a blockage. You can get an ear infection if the wax isn't cleared and may have increasing difficulty hearing due to the blockage. In this post we tell you how to clean your ears, what tools we have that will help and how ear wax impacts on using hearing aids.
What is earwax?
Earwax secretion is the natural protection mechanism of the ear. It protects from dust, insects, fungi and external particles that enter the ear canal and may damage it. Having earwax is completely normal, but ears do require very careful cleaning, mostly in the outer ear. Some people suffer naturally from excessive earwax build-up. This can lead to compaction in your ear and increased hearing loss as well as clog a hearing aid.
How to clean your Ears
The most important thing to remember when cleaning your ears is to be extremely careful. Never insert any objects, such as cotton buds, bobby pins, napkin corners, into your ear canal. They are highly likely to push the earwax further in the ear canal and cause compaction or perforate your eardrum. In case the earwax has hardened
and feels uncomfortable, you can try specialised products such as the following:
ACU-Life Ear Wax Removal Syringe - Excess earwax can be alleviated at home. The ACU-Life syringe directs fluid into the ear canal using a tri-direction stream to effectively remove earwax without damaging the eardrum.
Audiclean Total Ear Care System - The Audiclean Total Ear Care System Dual Pack is a combination of the Audiclean Ear Wax Remover which delivers ear drops that will quickly soften and remove wax buildup, and the Audiclean cleansing Ear Wash designed to ensure that your ear canal is kept free of troublesome wax.
Adult AudiSpray- This is a hypertonic seawater solution, which has been sterilized and carefully filtered. The spray works by gradually thinning and dissolving ear wax. For more details read our blog post “
How to Combat Excess Ear Wax using AudiSpray”.
Eargene Skin Relief - Those who suffer from excessive ear wax are more likely to experience an ear infection. Ear infections are common and typically clear up on their own after a few days. To relieve pain and itching, you could try Eargene. It softens stress cracks and helps rebuild the keratin coating of the skin in the ear canal. If however, symptoms do persist then you should always consult a medical professional.
Earol Olive Oil Spray - Many doctors and nurses advise patients to use olive oil prior to syringing; this is to soften and remove earwax. By doing this, the syringing process is more effective. Using olive oil is pain-free and is an effective preventive measure. Should these methods not prove effective and there is still an obstruction, irritation or you suspect hearing loss due to earwax compaction, you should consult with a specialist to remove the earwax from your inner ear.
Earwax and hearing aids
While earwax is natural and healthy for the ear, it can be damaging for hearing aids. It can compromise the quality and the power of the sound and even damage the delicate hearing aid parts and clog the tubing, domes, leave debris on the microphone, etc. That is why it is very important to know how to clean your ears and your hearing aid thoroughly and regularly. Our blog post on
Hearing Aid Cleaning is worth a read. At Hearing Direct we sell various tools to help you clean hearing aids such as
Hearing Aid Cleaning Kits,
air puffers,
brushes,
cleaning wipes. To clean your hearing aid, you need to remove the plastic body with the electronic parts from the tubing and domes. If your hearing aid has a filter or wax guard, check for accumulated wax and whether you need to replace the filter. Use wax loops and brushes gently to remove debris. You can insert a flexible wire into the tubing to push out any dirt or wax, use an air puffer if it is dry or soak them in a cleaning solution and leave them to dry before reassembling them again.
About Hearing Direct
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