A respected source for health information: the Mayo Clinic
You're not alone. For help and support:
join Big White Wall, a safe and anonymous peer support community that is accessible anytime anywhere
call HERE247 anytime to access Addictions, Mental Health and Crisis Services, 1-844-437-3247
Parenting questions? CARING FOR KIDS provides parents with information about their child's and teen's health and well-being. The site is developed by the Canadian Paediatric Society - the voice of more than 3,300 Canadian paediatricians.
Facts about Earwax
What is earwax and earwax impaction?
Earwax helps protect the insides of the ears and prevents injury or infection.
Earwax impaction is when earwax builds up enough to cause symptoms, such as:
trouble hearing
pain in the ear
hearing a ringing noise in the ear
feeling like the ear is plugged or blocked
Young children and older adults are more likely to have earwax impaction
Can I treat earwax build-up at home?
Yes, only if you do NOT have a history of a hole in your ear drum, tubes in your ears, or ear surgery. If you have a history of any of the above, please book an appointment with your healthcare provider.
What can I do to remove impacted earwax?
Recommended strategies for earwax removal are listed below. All of these products can be purchased at your local drug store.
a. Mineral oil, olive oil or Cerumol ear drops: Tilt head to the side so the affected ear is facing upward. Drop 3-4 drops of oil or Cerumol into the ear. Plug the ear with a cotton ball or tissue, and leave overnight. Repeat nightly for 3-4 nights. Once wax is softened, gently rinse with warm shower water and tip head to drain.
b. Hydrogen Peroxide: Tilt head to the side so the affected ear is facing upward. Use an ear dropper to apply 3-4 drops of hydrogen peroxide mixed with equal amount
water in the ear. Wait 15-30 minutes, and gently flush with warm water using a bulb syringe. Note: Hydrogen Peroxide can bleach the surrounding hair.
c. Murine Ear Drops: Tilt head to the side so the affected ear is facing upward. Use the dropper to apply 5 drops in the ear canal. Wait 5-10 minutes, and then gently flush with warm water using a bulb syringe. Repeat daily for 3-5 days.
What NOT to do?
NEVER use Q-tips or other small objects to scratch the ear canal as they may push wax further into the canal and/or
damage the eardrum.
OHIP no longer covers routine ear syringing, so please try these methods first. If they are unsuccessful, please speak to your healthcare team.
Dr. Mike Evans - Whiteboard videos:
⇒ 23 and 1/2 hours: What has the biggest impact on your health? (9:18)
⇒ The single most important thing you can do to manage stress (11:00)
⇒ Concussion Management (10:03)
⇒ What can you do to get through a crap week (1:56)
⇒ Do more screening tests lead to better health? (10:17)
⇒ What is the best advice for people on, or about to start, opioid medications? (11:35)
A respected source for health information: the Mayo Clinic
You're not alone. For help and support:
join Big White Wall, a safe and anonymous peer support community that is accessible anytime anywhere
call HERE247 anytime to access Addictions, Mental Health and Crisis Services, 1-844-437-3247
Parenting questions? CARING FOR KIDS provides parents with information about their child's and teen's health and well-being. The site is developed by the Canadian Paediatric Society - the voice of more than 3,300 Canadian paediatricians.
Facts about Earwax
What is earwax and earwax impaction?
Earwax helps protect the insides of the ears and prevents injury or infection.
Earwax impaction is when earwax builds up enough to cause symptoms, such as:
trouble hearing
pain in the ear
hearing a ringing noise in the ear
feeling like the ear is plugged or blocked
Young children and older adults are more likely to have earwax impaction
Can I treat earwax build-up at home?
Yes, only if you do NOT have a history of a hole in your ear drum, tubes in your ears, or ear surgery. If you have a history of any of the above, please book an appointment with your healthcare provider.
What can I do to remove impacted earwax?
Recommended strategies for earwax removal are listed below. All of these products can be purchased at your local drug store.
a. Mineral oil, olive oil or Cerumol ear drops: Tilt head to the side so the affected ear is facing upward. Drop 3-4 drops of oil or Cerumol into the ear. Plug the ear with a cotton ball or tissue, and leave overnight. Repeat nightly for 3-4 nights. Once wax is softened, gently rinse with warm shower water and tip head to drain.
b. Hydrogen Peroxide: Tilt head to the side so the affected ear is facing upward. Use an ear dropper to apply 3-4 drops of hydrogen peroxide mixed with equal amount
water in the ear. Wait 15-30 minutes, and gently flush with warm water using a bulb syringe. Note: Hydrogen Peroxide can bleach the surrounding hair.
c. Murine Ear Drops: Tilt head to the side so the affected ear is facing upward. Use the dropper to apply 5 drops in the ear canal. Wait 5-10 minutes, and then gently flush with warm water using a bulb syringe. Repeat daily for 3-5 days.
What NOT to do?
NEVER use Q-tips or other small objects to scratch the ear canal as they may push wax further into the canal and/or
damage the eardrum.
OHIP no longer covers routine ear syringing, so please try these methods first. If they are unsuccessful, please speak to your healthcare team.
Dr. Mike Evans - Whiteboard videos:
⇒ 23 and 1/2 hours: What has the biggest impact on your health? (9:18)
⇒ The single most important thing you can do to manage stress (11:00)
⇒ Concussion Management (10:03)
⇒ What can you do to get through a crap week (1:56)
⇒ Do more screening tests lead to better health? (10:17)
⇒ What is the best advice for people on, or about to start, opioid medications? (11:35)
Recipes from Cooking Classes
For recipes from our previous Cooking Classes, please click:
