How to Clean the Human Ear Canal

Ears become impacted when wax attaches to the small hairs in the canal. Wax buildup is unpleasant and causes issues with the ears. Besides cleaning the outer ear, irrigating the canal removes built-up wax. Irrigation is done by placing water into the canal with a small amount of pressure to flush out wax.

Things You'll Need

• Syringe
• Water
• Waste container
• Towel
• Rubbing alcohol

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Instructions

• 1

  Fill the syringe with warm water. Depress the syringe plunger, place it in a cup of water and then pull out the plunger to draw water into the syringe. Since more water may be necessary, place a cup of water nearby that can be used to refill.

• 2

  Place a small waste container against the side of the neck, just under the ear. A towel should be used to protect the shoulder. Bend the head slightly forward and to the opposite side of the ear that is being cleaned. This will allow the water to travel through the canal at the best angle to effectively remove wax.

• 3

  Point the syringe toward the ear canal. Depress the syringe's plunger to slowly push water into ear canal. Continue to put pressure on the syringe at a steady pace while water empties into the container.

• 4

  Dry the ear completely with a towel. Keeping the ear dry is important to prevent infection. Small drops of rubbing alcohol may be placed in the canal to ensure it does not remain moist.