I cleaned out my ears this morning. I normally do it couple times a year when I find myself in the bathtub. So I thought they were pretty clean. Didn't get much out the last few times. But this morning while showering they were a little itchy, so when I got out I stuck a Qtip in there and was surprised to see it come out pretty dirty. Aw shit, now I can't hear, all the highs are gone. It's blocked by wax that was moved around by the Qtip. No problem! I know what to do...
http://www.amazon.com/AMSINO-INTERNATIONAL-INC-BULB-SYRINGE/dp/B001B9SJX4I filled up the sink with moderately hot soapy water, about 105F. Used a snot sucker to gently squirt it in there. After a couple shots to get the water in then I grab the ear lobe and wiggle it around, pulling and stretching the ear canal to the water can penetrate and loosen the stuff from the canal wall. Then I gently rinse it out with the syringe again. Repeat until I get the big stuff out, and then until no more comes. Usually I hear a big roar when it finally lifts out the mother lode. I think the hotter water in the sink does a better job than the warm water in the tub. I can't handle a 105+ hottub. I might have a different wife now if I could, but that's another story. After 2 minutes a big chunk of black wax comes out of each ear. Sorry no pictures this time. Try it yourself and post the results!
My mother in law said that when she was a young girl in 30s the doc would clean out their ears on every checkup visit. That doesn't happen anymore, so I wonder just how much shit is building up inside peoples' ears. Do the ear docs leave it in there so they can prescribe hearing aids? Is the pile of gunk hidden from view in normal otoscope exam, or do they just ignore it? I think if they can't fix something with a pill or knife then you're on your own.
Anyway, my hearing is so much improved after the cleaning. The stereo sounds so much richer, cleaner, more realistic, louder. My wife asked me half serious, "So now you can play the stereo softer?" hardihardihar
Another easy way to do it is to lie down in the bathtub full of hot water with your head underwater, let the ears fill up. Use the snot sucker to gently blast out any air with a water stream. Then just let it soak and do the earlobe pulling and massage the outer ear to jiggle loose the crud. Keep hot water in the ear by frequent rinsing. Keep it soapy to cut the stickiness and lubricate the chunk from the skin. Blast it out with the syringe. Expect large black pills to come out, not just brown flakes, especially if you haven't done it in a couple years, or ever. Do it twice a year or anytime your ear canal itches. I think the hotter water of the sink works better.
I have never tried the drugstore ear cleaning kit. It uses special drops to loosen the wax before you rinse it out with the little blue bulb. The drops are glycerin, the same thing in plain soap, sometimes with foaming action to penetrate better. This way probably works well but you still have to rinse it out with a syringe anyway. The ear bulb syringe (snot sucker) holds a couple ounces of water.
It's gross, but true. Listening to music requires a physical body and it can be optimized for max listening performance. Try it! You'll be glad you did.
Anybody ever hear of ear candling? Back in the 80s you could buy ear candles from any god new age freak shop, but too many people caught their hair on fire, so no more ear candles. I bought some, but too afraid to try it with my wife as helper. It sends hot air down into the ear canal and sucks out the melted ear wax at the same time.
