It's been too long

I have been a very busy girl these days, so I have a lot of catching up to do. First order of business is to answer the question I asked last week. There may only be 2 of you awaiting an answer, but gal darn it you're going to get one!

Truth be told, there are a couple of acceptable ways to clean your ears. Many people have no need to do more than wipe off the outer portion of their ears with a towel or cloth. Wax naturally works its way out of the ear. Some wax is actually a good thing, as it helps protect your ears from bacteria and foreign particles. Many others, though, find it necessary to do more.

One way to clean out your ears is to use a baking soda and water solution. Mix about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with 2 ounces of warm water. For convenience, put the solution in a dropper bottle and put several drops into your ear. This will help soften the wax if it is hard in order to help it work it's way out of the ear better.

Another way is to drop hydrogen peroxide in your ears. Only drip a few drops at a time. It will tickle and bubble for a little while, and then tip your head to get the peroxide back out of your ear.

You can also purchase over the counter ear drops used to soften the ear wax to help it move out of the ear canal naturally.

*Warning: Do not use these methods if you suspect you may have a hole in your eardrum. If the drops get behind the eardrum, you would be at risk for infection.

Another option is to see you local ENT or physician for wax removal.

Do NOT use Q-tips people. I know, it is a ridiculously hard habit to crack, but it actually makes the wax situation worse. By using Q-tips, some wax is removed. The wax that touches the Q-tip comes out, but the rest of the wax is actually pushed deeper into the ear canal. This impacts the wax making it more difficult for the wax to work its way out on its own. If you "must" use Q-tips, only use it on the very outer portion of the ear canal to remove what has already working it's way out of the ear. Otherwise, try to steer clear and "don't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear."

Also, to answer navyguy/navygirl's question: Will wearing ear protection all day do any damage to your ears?

Well, I am going to say, no. Of course I'm sure there are a few random people out there who would love to prove me wrong. At the worst, ear protection worn on a daily basis might stretch your ear out a little. Not a noticeable difference though. It would be no different than wearing hearing aids with a custom earmold for years and years. Occasionally, a new impression may need to be taken to be sure the molds or plugs are fitting well in the ear and are creating a good seal (due to the slight stretching of the ear). Also, you might notice ear wax builds up faster because there is something in your ear blocking the wax from working it's way out. Other than that, there is nothing to worry about. The benefits of custom ear protection is that it will always be inserted correctly in your ear, and therefore will always attenuate sound to the degree that it claims it will (the foam ear plugs actually attenuate sound better when inserted correctly, but when inserted incorrectly do a poorer job of attenuating sound).