How to clean your ears – without using cotton buds

Cotton buds could soon be banned to cut plastic pollution. They’re small, but are actually one of the most serious sources of marine pollution because so many people flush them down the toilet. They’re small enough to be eaten by birds and sea life, too, so they’re pretty harmful. Recently, a whale died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, with rescuers failing to nurse the mammal back to health.

The convenience of using a white bud in your ears to remove wax and other debris has worked well. They’re bad for the environment though, so it’s probably a good time to learn how to live without them. Cotton buds aren’t really that good for cleaning out your ears as in fact they may even push wax in further. You don’t actually need to remove earwax, as it serves an important purpose, trapping dirt and dust, and preventing it from traveling further into the ear. You only need to remove wax if it’s blocking your ears. Simply drop two or three drops of olive oil into your ears twice a day for a few days. This will loosen your earwax and help it ease itself out. Earwax softener uses much the same technique as olive oil, and you can buy special earwax softening solution from most pharmacies. Again, you’ll apply a few drops in your ears and notice earwax fall out over the course of a few days.

Use a warm, damp cloth for the outer parts of your ears, which you really should keep clean. Run it around the curves of your ear without trying to poke around inside. The outer bits of the ear are all other people can see, so those are the areas that need cleaning. Also beware, as tweezers, needles, and any other small, pointed things you have should not go in the ear, as they may cause damage.