Cleaning your ears.

[Vanyel]

Okay, just because I'm nosy I want to know who here sticks the q-tip into their ear canal, or at least the length of the cotton end of the q-tip into their ear canal. I know we're told it's not to be done, but most people do it anyway.

So who here does it and why?

I do because my ears don't feel clean unless I do.

 

[wamdue]

I do it from time to time

 

[Daneel]

But of course... every day. Like yourself, my ears don't feel clean unless I've done so.

And no one ever told me it's not to be done. I'm always careful not to jam it in too far, so I'm pretty sure I'm not risking any ear damage by doing it.

 

[Geckothan]

I've never cleaned my ears and I've never needed to except for wiping away wax that gets outside. Unless you've got so much wax built up that it affects your hearing, it's not worth the risk. If you must do it, get somebody who knows what they're doing to irrigate it. Poking objects into your ears will just push most of the wax even further in.

 

[backstept]

I picked no, but I do . . . my ears make a slight bend before you get to the canal . . . not sure how to describe it
I only do it as far as I can stick my pinky, but I'm sure I've probably packed a good amount of wax deeper in as a result of sticking things in there . . . need to get some clean and warm water in there to loosen it up and get it out

 

[RoJoHen]

I don't do it as often as I'd like.

 

[Brent]

I use to stick that thing in there all the time when I was a kid

 

[Tim]

I've used the Q-tip, but it isn't as effective as one of those peroxide-based irrigation treatments you can buy at the drugstore.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Unfortunately yes I do and like Daneel stated my ears don't feel clean unless I do so as well. I should point out that through most of my life I've had this weird feeling in my ears like they're clogged with ear wax all the time. They're itchy, and irritated. I've had them checked out on a number of occasions and the doctor has never found anything wrong with them and now I find myself asking people to repeat themselves quite a bit. I'm actually worried a tad.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Sure I do. That's what you're supposed to do. They only say you shouldn't to protect themselves from lawsuits.

 

[Laren]

Yes, I do insert them, but only in the entrance area.

My mother uses hair pins to clean her ears. Naturally I'm very careful not to touch any hair pins in that house!

So, is anyone concerned about insects creeping into your ears once you removed that repellent wax?

 

[Holdfast]

I don't do it as often as I'd like.

Are we still talking about ear wax...?

I do because my ears don't feel clean unless I do.

I don't really need to clean my ears with q-tips often; maybe once in 6 months or so. They seem to stay naturally pretty clear. They did get blocked up with wax once though, about 5 years ago, and I needed syringing. Otherwise, they seem to do fine, with just the occasional archaelogical excavation with my little finger...

My mother uses hair pins to clean her ears. Naturally I'm very careful not to touch any hair pins in that house!

Your mother is a genius. I used to do the same thing with my mum's hairpins while I was growing up. The loop at the end is perfectly sized. Sadly, I lack hairpins in the house these days. You can try bending a paper clip, but it's not wide enough. So I make do with the occasional q-tip.

And they claim the world is making progress...

 

[Jadzia]

I know someone who used a knitting needle. Then an unfortunate collision with an opening door has left them deaf in that ear.

 

[Trekker4747]

Sure I do. That's what you're supposed to do. They only say you shouldn't to protect themselves from lawsuits.

Exactly.

I used Q-Tips all of the time to clean my ears. You just have to do it with some smarts and not jam the thing all the way in there unti you're beating on your own ear-drum with it.

 

[Holdfast]

I know someone who used a knitting needle. Then an unfortunate collision with an opening door has left them deaf in that ear.

There's a "you could hear a pin drop" joke in here somewhere...

Sure I do. That's what you're supposed to do. They only say you shouldn't to protect themselves from lawsuits.

Exactly.

I used Q-Tips all of the time to clean my ears. You just have to do it with some smarts and not jam the thing all the way in there unti you're beating on your own ear-drum with it.

"You're meant to stop when there's resistance!"

 

[Laren]

My mother uses hair pins to clean her ears. Naturally I'm very careful not to touch any hair pins in that house!

Your mother is a genius. I used to do the same thing with my mum's hairpins while I was growing up. The loop at the end is perfectly sized. Sadly, I lack hairpins in the house these days. You can try bending a paper clip, but it's not wide enough. So I make do with the occasional q-tip.

And they claim the world is making progress...

You know, they do sell hair pins to guys as well!
I convinced my mom at one point to buy an ear wax scratcher, which is basically a metal stick with a handle that has also a little loop at the end, but my mother still swears by her hair pins.

 

[Mr Light]

I never did this before until I started living with the missus and she made me do it I hardly remember to do it though, maybe once a week.

 

[Angry Angel]

Every now and then. I'm not that waxy.

 

[FrontLine]

Nope. I flush my ears about once a month or so with hydrogyen peroxide and a syringe. I get a lot of wax and it does affect my hearing

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I clean my ears as much as I can, yes. Making sure my ear canals are dry after washing is the main priority for me, though. That, and keeping my hair short.

Before starting University I went to get my ears syringed by the practice nurse. It required two visits, but the difference was staggering... although not nearly as staggering as the amount of stuff extracted in those sessions following 18 years of existence...

I know someone who used a knitting needle. Then an unfortunate collision with an opening door has left them deaf in that ear.

There's a "you could hear a pin drop" joke in here somewhere...

If they got the angle wrong they could have ended up threading their eye with a needle...