What to Do for Plugged Up Ears?

Carbamide peroxide at 6.5% is a formula recommended by doctors. You can buy it in a drug store and generic drug store brands cost less than $5 for a kit. The kit comes with the ear-drop formula, a bulb-type washer and sometimes a drainage basin. Regular hydrogen peroxide is also used by many people. It's a much cheaper alternative.

Getting Started

• Unscrew the cap from the bottle, remove the foil and screw on the applicator.

Initial Treatment

• Drop five or 10 drops into the ear. The head should be tilted at an right angle, so the drops don't drip back out. Do put the applicator into the ear. Let the drops stay in the ear for a few minutes. You should hear a reassuring popping noise. That's the peroxide acting.

Repeat

• Repeat this twice a day for up to four days. The wax will seep out over this period. Anything remaining can be flushed out with the bulb washer that came in your kit. Again, don't put it in your ear, simply irrigate the ear from the outside. See a doctor, or in the case of an animal, a vet, if the condition lasts more than four days.

Avoid

• Avoid things like cotton swabs, toothpicks, or hairpins to remove wax from the canal. Children younger than 12 should see a doctor. If you experience hearing loss for medical reasons you should see a doctor. Avoid getting the ear solution in the eyes.

Ask a Doctor

• Ask a doctor is you have ear discharge before you start using the peroxide. Same if you have ear pain, rash, dizziness, a perforation of the ear drum or if you have recently had surgery.