Forget Q-Tips - Here’s How You Should Be Cleaning Your Ears 

His facial expression is just brilliant, like he is restraining himself from saying how people who use q tips are peasants.

0:52 best way to clean your ears

This is a great video. I remember having wax clogged in my ear and I had to go ahead and see the ear doctor. When I got that earwax out, I had super hearing for a day. I could hear a pin drop and felt like I was spiderman or some superhero. I swear.

I've used them to clean out wax, for years. Never had a problem. I always use them after a shower, when I've already gotten the inner ear area wet. I very carefully slide the Q-Tip WHILE GENTLY ROTATING IT. It works like a charm and I've never had a doc mention any ear wax build up.

This made me want to go clean my ears with q tips right now.

I remember when I was a kid, a doctor just jabbed a qtip in my ear canal. It was so painful I cried for like an hour and my parents and doctor thought I was just overreacting.

Everyone: Don’t tell me what to do Everyone 1 year later: *deaf*

I learnt this the hard way. I had pushed so much wax back that my entire left ear was clogged. I went to the doctor and they gave me a drop to put it in my ears for two days before getting it cleaned. I went after two days and the doctor said that because there was so much clogging the drop hadn't even softened the upper layer. So I said well let me come back a couple of days later and the doctor was like, "We don't do that here." Mf pulled out his scissors, told my dad to restrain me and in 3-4 painful exorcisms freed me from deafness. On the tissue paper was the biggest chunk ever pulled ever I think. I couldn't believe I was carrying that in my ear.

Don’t tell me what to do. I like having eargasms

That'd be great if seeing a medical professional didn't cost 2000$ more than q-tips

"I never put it in the whole inch, just the tip." Said no man ever

don't just stab in back and forth to push things inward. Make sure the tip is slight damp, best after shower & excess water drainrd from the ear, slowly/lightly put in the q tip as deep as you wish to clean and gently push the tip toward the wall of canal, rotate it along the wall as you slowly pull out the q tip. Spin the q tip if you want extra grab on the way out. Don't ever put back in the used side.

"you really need a medical professional to get it out for you" I'm american. I can't afford that. I got a coat hanger and a lighter. i'll figure something out.

Ear doctors: dont put Q tips in your ears Q tip box label's: dont put these in your ear The entire planet: *BLASPHEMY*

Imagine studying 9 years just to know whats the best way to clean your ears

I love Dr. Voigt's energy. He's so polite, respectful, yet very real with the delivery of the right information. Love his personality.

As long as it gets rid of the itch in my ear.... Im still using it

But why does it feel so good ☠️ I can’t be the only one

You stop the Q-Tip when there is resistance. - Chandler Bing.

The reason why this video is on Business Insider's RU-vid channel. You have to pay consultantation fee everytime you visit the doctor to clean your ears. PURE BUSINESS!

Me who uses that small metallic spoon like thing to clean my ears: "Wait... People use Q-tips?"

Damn, I've been alive for almost two decades and I never saw that warning lmaoo

For everyone skeptical out there, yes, I’ve used Q-tips my whole life, and yes, I had problems. I had to go see a medical professional to remove my wax because of q-tips, and I swear being deaf of both ears for 3 weeks because of wax stuck in your ears sucks. Really.

I've used q-tips for cleaning my ears for years (1x 1-2 weeks), never had any problems. The warning on the package is so they don't get sued if you ask me. If you clean your ears with a q-tip you scrape out the wax or just stick it to the q-tip by tipping the wax. When going in to your ear of course you don't touch the wall of your inner ear, that way you will push the wax in to your ear. And don't go too deep. I never clean my ears after showering, but on other times. Sometimes in the morning after waking up, when the wax is a bit softer/stickier.

don't get me wrong, q tips gave me feelings i never know i can feel

Doctor: "Don't stick q-tips in your ears." Me: "What?"

I use Q-tips daily, when the doctor looked in my ears they said "wow those are the cleanest ears I have ever seen!".

Yes its not good to put a Q-tip in your ear, but lets be honest here. After a nice shower those bad boys are great for drying your ears..

I'm sure everyone uses them because of the orgasmic sensation majority of the time either way.

Man, imagine a world where you could do a more thorough deeper cleaning of your ear without having to go to a professional, using a cheap tool you can find at any old store.

I have eczema that affects in insides of my ears, also I have sensory issues which I rememdy with earplugs, so I have to clean my ears often of wax, dried skin, and the moisturizer I use specially for my ears. I have a special hook-like device with a camera that allows me to see what I’m doing so I can clean my ears at home. The brand I use is called Spade, but I know there are others out there. It is very helpful.

Been jamming and twisting q tips in my ears my whole life. Never had a problem

WTF! I don't search shit on cleaning my ears, but I have talked about how clogged up they are past couple of weeks and now this is recommended? WTF!!! They are listening!

Has anyone actually stopped using q-tips after watching this, i sure as hell didn't

The Q tip warning is like speed limit warnings - for the dullest 40% or so of us. Having used them for 55+ years daily after showers, KEEP the canal free of wax and twist gently while entering - FEELING for resistance (is never any) and swab gently while exiting. Recently bought an Otoscope with chord to phone and can watch and photograph my eardrum and canal. $40. Clean as a whistle

In Asia, we have a small metal stick about 7-8cm long with a spoon-looking head to remove these wax (which is called bobby pin or something idk, I stole it from people replies), with a flashlight and a skillful person, you can remove these wax pretty easily. Edit: in VietNam these things were called "que/ cây móc ráy tai" which is technically translated to a stick that helps to remove ear-wax Edit2: ear pick Edit3: learn something new everyday

Me: *watches video* Also me: *continues to use a Q-tip*

I don't really feel like this video provided an alternative to Q-tips lol

I clean my ears every single day with a Q-Tip, I've done since I was a child, I've never hurt myself, I've never had a giant ball of wax stuck in my ear either. I think I'm just going to stick with it.

I had my ear cleaned four yrs ago bc of this, wax got extremely hard and i was so shocked of the amount when the doc cleaned it all out.

STORY TIME: I used a q-tip in my ears yesterday. Right after, all sound was completely muffled in my right ear. It has not gone away. No, I did not roughly jab it in my ear. And no, I did not push it in extremely far. I tried cleaning it out myself with Debrox according to box instructions, and it is even more muffled. Using q-tips can push ear wax further into your canal. The ear wax buildup is what's muffling my hearing. So to everyone hating, this is a very real thing. Some people cannot use q-tips. I've learned the hard way. Now, I have to go to an ENT doctor to clean out my ear. 🥺

Bleach works good for me

We did that and my daughter's ear got clogged. We went to the doctor who prescribed drops which were quite painful. We went to see another doctor who told us it was not the right medicine. We're now using Q-tip every 2 weeks and there hasn't been a problem since. The trick is to use multiple Q-tips if it is dirty: 1 swab, check, if dirty, use a clean one.

Him: Don't use Q-tips to clean your ears. My cousin: Uses a freaking matchstick

Wtf.... Now I got to pay doctors to even take wax out my ear!!!!

My ENT doctor told me it’s perfectly fine to use Q-tips as long as you do it right. He says a lot of people do it wrong and that’s why the general advice is to say not to do it at all.

I've always used Q-tips for cleaning my ear and never had a problem so far. What I noticed is that wax doesnt really get pushed in by the tips, but rather sticks to the cotton tips because when I pull out I sometimes have large chunks of wax stuck on the end. I sometimes soak the tips in warm water and clean my ears that way

Didn't really give any good TIPS how to clean your ears ! :P

Ford car keys work the best

it will itch inside if i dont use q tips

My left ear was SUPER clogged once and I had to have nurse expel it out with warm water. When I say it tickled me to the point of tears I’m not exaggerating. Legit the most ticklish I’ve ever been in my life but yea, no more Q-Tips

Soooo, just supposed to leave my ears filled with wax and only wash the outside of my ears?

Then how am i supposed to hear?

I was ready to stop using them. But he never really gave me the alternative.. 😂

2 or 3 years ago, before quarantine I got my first ear infection. It hurt like HELL. The sound of literally everything hurt so bad- from my own crying(it hurt that bad) to hearing the door open, etc. I don't know if this whole itchy ear thing started from that, but I think so because I don't remember my ears being uncontrollably itchy before then. I try using Q Tips often because they are literally the *only* thing I have to make the itchiness go way before it returns shortly. And Q Tips are horrible for me, as they literally make me go deaf. So yes, Q Tips are dangerous. You should also consider safer ways to use them if you are going to ignore safety precautions and use them anyway. EDIT : So I went to the ER for an ear infection a few weeks or months ago (it was my second time going to the ER for an ear infection). The ear infection I talk about in my first sentence in my first comment was my first ever ear infection, which was unbearable. I never went to the ER for that one, but I should have and I regret the decision I made back then. I decided I should force myself to go through the pain bc I thought it was something "too small" to go to the ER and bother other ppl for. Please yall if you're dealing w an ear infection and you find it unbearable (you can't sleep) please go to the ER if it is an option! Aside from that I also want to make 2 other things known : 1. Itchy ears can be caused by allergies 2. Check out if you need to get your ears irrigated for ear wax impaction. I'll start w allergies. I have dust allergies, nothing else besides that, but nowadays when they flare up, they flare up *bad*, other ppl find my stuffy nose during this borderline intolerable. I definitely don't think most of my ear itching was from allergies bc the spray wasn't always guaranteed to help, but sometimes my nasal spray helped a tiny bit sometimes. So it's something to consider. Now about the ear wax impaction and irrigation. Ear wax impaction is basically when your ears are too full of ear wax, and it might be kind of stuck inside. Irrigation is a procedure where they flush the ears w water and hydrogen peroxide. On my second visit to the ER, the doctor ordered that my ears should be irrigated because she couldn't see the back of my ear drums. So basically they have a syringe, a little bucket, some towels, 3% hydrogen peroxide, water, etc. The bucket is to catch the stuff comes out of your ear during the irrigation, the syringe is to flush your ear w the mix of water and hydrogen peroxide. Towels so you can stay dry. It might look scary but if you think you might deaf from ear wax impaction, get it checked out and mention irrigation, *make sure you ask about how you could do it at home*! Just make sure they flush your ears w warm water (*this will prevent vertigo/dizziness!!*). Let them know if the end of the syringe is touching your ear (this will likely feel uncomfortable!). Other than that, there's not much for me to say. Ik going to the doctor or ER may be unrealistic for some especially if they feel like they have to go often for this (I'm in the same position) so my alternative is Amazon. When I can, I'm gonna buy ear flushing kits and mix water and 3% hydrogen and do it myself. During that ER visit I was there for 5 hours, and I had 2 separate nurses irrigate it and the doctor said she still couldn't see the back of my ear drum so she scheduled a follow up ENT, which I unfortunately couldn't get to. Which is why I'm trying to do it at home (it's just more realistic for me also a nurse told me I could do it at home).

I used q tips all my life I stoped using it because they said it was not good too do so for 4 months my wax build up was so bad I started too have ear infections. So I'm back using them and ive been better ever since.

so you're telling me to clean the wax off with soap and water? or to visit a doctor and pay money just to get the wax in your ear which comes back very quickly BTW out?! give us the real solution quit holding out on us

Im so pissed off I fucked up my ear just a minute ago.

So I had one episode of loss of hearing from from my left ear in the cold season( This was after I used a Q tip get rid of an itch). When I went to the doctor, he simply used warm water along with some disinfectant and used syringe( without needle) to force the wax out. The procedure took 10 minutes and after the whole process he gave me a few tablets. After 3 days my hearing was back to normal. From that day I never cleaned my ear myself and rather let a professional do it for me.

Been doing it daily for 25 years with no problem. I wonder if that makes the difference? I never have enough built up to push back in.

Personally, I use Q-tips after a shower, always in a spinning motion and never pushing too deep. I doubt I'm pushing anything further in.

This one time I tripped whilst cotton-budding my ear, and it went so far into my ear I swear to god I thought about just flushing myself down the toilet it hurt so bad

I don't give a f*** it feels good

Been using q-tips for years, never had a problem, never damaged anything, never had clogged ears.

Who’s watching right after using them to clean your ears?🤣🤣

I noticed that washing my ears with soap and water also clogs them up, though…

I went to an urgent clinic and they removed years of wax buildup. It was incredible seeing so much wax after they basically shot it out. My hearing was normal again.

I am 72 and I have been putting Q tips into my ears pretty much daily since I was in college. After washing my (now not much) hair I hold my ears up to the shower to get the suds off; that also puts some water into my ears. After my shower I swab out my ears. Recently my physician looked into my ears and commented that they are unusually clean. I think my hearing is relatively average for my age. BTW I also often scrape out my ear canal with the (sort of a clip) on the cap of a stick pen. So there! Just be careful when doing these things....

Of course. It’s so simple. All I have to do is pay money. Thanks man. Some solid advice there.

You don't actually say the best method of getting it out, making the title irrelevant.

There’s actually a tool that looks like a very tiny spoon and you can scrape out the earwax and eat it while you’re at it.

I use one of those wax removal kits with the ear drops and water bulb to get the wax out anytime ! Some stupid quack billed my insurance $ 850 for this years ago , calling it an in office surgical procedure . Never again.

This is one of my fears, losing one of my senses.

Now I understood why in FRIENDS Chandler used to say you gotta stop the Q tip when there's resistance 😂

Okay so if you really still wanna use q-tips and feel the need to, here’s how I used to do it. Don’t just push it in. That’ll just push the wax in, as said. Instead, circle the ear canal gently round and round using the q-tip. Don’t go in deep, or you may damage your ear. But again, maybe you should listen to the company 🥰there are certain swabs meant for wax cleaning with very specific instructions

I never use Q tips and am happy with it. After going to a specialist to clear my ear, I was pleased and finally convinced my father to go to one too. We teased him for a bit because his ears were clogged for a long while and everything was loud to him when he came out of the doctor's.

Ur not supposed to jam Q tips in ur ear you just twist it lightly and carefully

I have literally used q-tips daily my whole adult life, and I have regular doctor visits, each time I get a comment on how clean the inside of my ears are. I'm sure there are people who don't understand how to clean their ears with q-tips that will do damage to themselves. I guess I'm lucky because it's always been simple, straight forward and relieving to clean my ear canals daily.

I just used peroxide to clean my ears. I don’t have a dropper so I just carefully poured a little in. I let it sit and tilted my head in every direction, holding each time I changed the angle for a moment. I felt like doing that got it to go a little deeper. I kept it in until the fizzing stopped. Drained it out, took a shower, and then poured alcohol in to make it dry up any moisture. Now that my ears are clean, I can hear what my neighbors are wanting for dinner. Thanks, Doc!

So...... I've been doing it the right way and being scolded by my mom for not using Q-tips my whole life. I just H A T E having anything inside my ears, having her clean my ears with Q-tips as a kid was always a nightmare

Even if you don’t use qtips at all, some people can still get a wax build up resulting in plugged ears. Some people just make way too much wax 🤷‍♀️

"Clean your ear canals with an object that's about the size of your elbow"

QTIPS work fine cleaning the ear when properly used. He states to clean DURING a shower, but this action with qtips is best done after a shower when everything is warm and will flow easiest. Hydrogen peroxide can be put into the ear as well to aid in removal. I use Qtips daily after every shower.

I once had the worst ear infection of my life because I used qtips all the time. I was in excruciating pain for days. Am I still using qtips because it feels so good? YES

I have been using q-tip for nearly 3 decades and never had ears plugged with wax. The thing is, there are technique as to how to shove a q-tip inside your ears. Usually i aim for the center of the hole when entering, avoiding the walls as much as possible and when I exit, i then scrape the walls, sometime even applying a lot of pressures. And so far, it really work for cleaning my ears.

If someone's damaged their eardrum by sticking something in their ear, then they clearly weren't paying attention because anything that gets that far in is going to hurt like hell. I have a wax scraper with a little camera on the end and I can see how far into my ear I can go before something hurts. It's not up to my eardrum, that's for sure.

I had to go the hospital as a kid cause a giant pillar of wax had clogged my ear. And literally thought I was ignoring my parent’s call whenever they’d call for me as a child. I was practically deaf & no one educated me on how to clean my ears. Sorry, I’m traumatized for not having my ears cleaned, and I’m gonna keep using qtips to keep my ears minimal with wax.

I remember when I was a kid my mom was cleaning my ear and she accidentally make it bleed and up until now I'm thinking that's the reason why my hearing's not good

I clean my ears with paper clips

I used to suffer from so many ear infections, my wax would pile up and cause temporary deafness too, and the itching! After a round of prescription ear drops I still had buildup in my ears. At the follow up the doctor mentioned I had a glob on the way and he couldn't assess me well. He used a tool similar to a blackhead mover (like a steel stick with different sized hoops at the end) and just removed the glob, instant relief. I was told to never stick anything in my ears but after that appointment I would regularly use the hoop of a Bobby pin to remove wax. Ever since then, no more infections and costly USELESS ear drops. That was since I was 12, now I have an actual plastic blackhead remover to keep these ears clean. Whatever works so long as its kept clean.

I clean my ears with q-tips. I clean the wax before it solidifies and the q-tip just soaks it up, the inside of my ears feel itchy if I do not do this. When I went to the doctor to have them checked they said there was no wax in them at all. I tried cleaning my ears in the shower by tilting my head and letting them fill with water for a little bit. Doing this a few times gave me tinnitus that lasted for weeks.

This really showed up on my recommendations after my ear just healed from an infection because i like cleaning my ears with Q-tips everyday aaaaaa

You know. I have been using Q-tips my whole life and i stick them down there. I also wash my ears with soap and water. My doctor checked my ears once and said I had the cleanest inside of my ears she'd ever seen!

People who use the rounded side of safety pins: You guys are using Q-tips?!

Strange. I got an endoscope about a week or two ago. I thought my ear was gonna be super clogged cause I use a q-tip EVERYDAY after showering and whenever it itches, and ppl say I have bad hearing (I am starting to think its because people speak very low, of course we sound loud to ourselves, and youll notice, EVERYONE says "what" after nearly every sentence lol) Tell me why my ears had like BARELY a drop of wax. IT WAS SUPER CLEAN! So, what's the deal?

That’s exactly how I’ve been cleaning my ears for as long as I can remember. I must be a genius without knowing it

Sometimes I do this whole day when water accidentally gets in my ear during bathing 😂

I can't get water in my ears without being in excruciating pain for hours afterwards sooooo

I use Q-Tips using name brands, so they don’t break off. The trick is if my ear canal is wet I gently press it and it absorbs water. If it itches, I twirl it AND then press it around in a circle to contact all the ear canal wall. It picks up clumps of dark brown wax and feels great. Maybe not a good idea to do as I do, but I like if

It looks weird how they represent using q-tip (brushing pushing in and out, ofc wax might built up that way). We usually stick it in a bit then scoops in circle sliding out. Maybe q-tip isn't the problem, maybe it how people use it.