Do you clean your ears?

[richidoo]

Roger, it was my mother in law remembering her childhood doctor visits with routine ear cleaning, but she never had accumulation later in life and had good hearing until she died. But the genetic proclivity to more wax in some people and not others makes sense. I'm sure there are some environments or circumstance when more is better. I like to think it is just extra brains being excreted because I already have too much. haha

Thanks Emil. I found this with some additional tips for the waterpik.

[opnly bafld]

You can remove stubborn earwax buildup by lying with your ear on a warm hot-water bottle. The heat will soften the wax and allow it to flow out, making it easier to wipe away, says David Marty, M.D., a Jefferson, Missouri, otolaryngologist and author of The Ear Book. Don't feel like you have to get all of it out, however.

[tmazz]

Rich,

Tried this tonight and the results were shocking!   

My doctor has always commented on how little ear wax I had so I never really gave this much thought, but WOW.  If I bought a new component or cable for $1K and got this much improvement I would have thought I was getting a bargin. Detail, clarity, air, I was just shocked. I don't think there are many of us that wouldn't pay $50 for one once of a cleaner for our cable contacts, but we never think of maintaining our ears, the most important "component" of the whole system

I went down to my local CVS and found out that they have a new high tech version of the snot sucker.



The new version has a flared insert that fits into the ear canal, nut does not allow the tip to be inserted far enough in to contact or damage the ear drum. the tip also  has a nozzle on the end of it that diects  the fluid in 3 directions onto the ear canal walls, which also protects the ear drum from damage. Finally the tip also had drainage slots in it so the fluid can be sprayed in and flow out without removing the device.

Info at:
 www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?filterBy=&skuId=440621&productId=440621&navAction=jump&navCount=3

I know that other folks have mentioned other cleaning alternative, but I think this (at least for me) worked really well, and what the heck, it was only $6, which is much less than the sales tax we are usually charged on an audio purchase. Like Nike says - Just do it!

[richidoo]

Awesome!  Thanks for the tip (pun)  Tom

Big improvement right? Worthy 100 words of the finest audio prose Robert Harley can muster.

I think heat helps a lot, as evidenced by Lin's hot water bottle tip, Mike's ear candles and my own experience with hot vs warm water lavage. Of course not hot enough to injure skin. Diverting the direct flow of water toward the sides makes sense, especially with a softening agent. I think part of the success of the pointier nozzle of the ear bulb and also the doctors professional tool metal syringe is to get high velocity and high volume in there. Turbulence from the velocity will create mild pressure which will flex the walls to allow water behind the wax. Pulling on the earlobe and vigorously massaging the outer ear serves the same purpose by stretching the ear canal to separate it from the hardened wax.

I had that big metal gun clean out some huge plugs once when I had double ear infection. I don't think anything else could have worked. But for healthy ears that's overkill. Maybe the snot sucker is too? Next time I'll try some of the gentler methods suggested.

[rollo]

  Great tips. Here is mine . A Polynesian steam bath, like the one in Emanuel will clean out ones   ears and then some. My vote.  

charles

[richidoo]

We want pictures!

[JLM]

No we don't.   

[tmazz]

That all depends on who is sharing the bath with him!!! 

[rollo]

We want pictures!

 While channel surfing I came across that movie and I have to tell ya one of the most erotic scenes I have seen. Not xxx or anything like that. Quite something


charles

[rollo]

  Tmazz great suggestion. IT WORKS ! my left ear was the problem. Told I needed a hearing aide, now clear as a bell. I still cannot believe what came out of my ear. Thanks Tom.


charles

[richidoo]

Good work charles!! If you can't believe what came out, don't you think the doc must have seen it in there?  Good to fix it yourself, regular maintenance...   

I'm gonna try the CVS kit next time too. A little scared of the waterpik.

[rollo]

Good work charles!! If you can't believe what came out, don't you think the doc must have seen it in there?  Good to fix it yourself, regular maintenance...   

I'm gonna try the CVS kit next time too. A little scared of the waterpik.

 My point exactly we no longer use that Doctor. A hearing aide at over $3500 or a cleaning instead, the rat bastard.


charles 


charles

[tmazz]

Maybe the water pic type device might work in the hands  of a doctor, who can see where it is squirting, but I have used one of those devices on my teeth and I wouldn't wast it pointed at my eardrum. I got nothing visible coming out of my ear and I still experienced a huge increase in sound quality. I can't imagine how much better it must be for someone who has a bunch of junk impacted in there.

It is important to remind people that a small number of users of these ear washing systems have had temp balance problems as a side effect. The effect has been temporary and rare but the first time you try this you should be at home with nothing to do that involves driving for the next few hours, just in case, Audio is fun, but it is not worth risking a car wreck over.

Rich,
Let me know if you get any different results with the CVS device (They do sell a kit which consists of the syringe plus a bottle of ear wax remover - I just bought the standalone syringe and used warm water) as opposed to the snot sucker. Just curious. (Sorry, but my engineering genes have an insatiable need to quantify results.  )

Charles,

I am so glad you got such good results. No nee3d for a hearing aid, you system will sound better, and I will only send you a bill for $1500. Where else can you get a deal like this???   


Happy listening to all,
and to all a good night.

Tom

[allenzachary]

I bought and used the CVS syringe and am reporting an opposite effect.  No junk or goo coming out and today I feel like I've been swimming in the ocean all day.  I'm not dizzy, but I feel like there is water in my ears and sound is slightly muffled.  There is a slight pressure in my ears as well. 

I guess I've just got to be different....

[tmazz]

It sounds like the water did not drain from the ear. I get that a lot but it usually drains out within a few seconds of holding my head with the affected ear pointing at the ground. I had a friend back in high school that used to get the same thing every time we went in a pool. Sometimes it lasted for hours. He used to be able to get relief with a Q-Tip. Didn't need to pree dowm on anything like he was rying to cean the ear, just lighttly stuck iy in and wiggled it around. My guess it that the Q-Tip either absorbed the trapped water itself or by brushing across it simple broke the surface tension and allowed it to flow out on its own. Hopefully by the time you read this the problem would have resolved itself naturally, but if not you might want to give this a try. (as always be very careful with the Q-Tip not to poke or put pressure on anythting inside the ear, just gently wipe trough and past things.)