Recommended ear-cleaning routines

[SSM]

As we all know, a hifi system only sounds as good as the cleanliness in your ear passages will allow. I wonder if anyone here uses any special 'audiophile' ear-cleaning procedure? Me, I just stick dry Q-tips into the 'ol lugholes, wriggle them around and keep repeating the routine until i get clean Q-tips despite insertion. Is this sufficient? Inexplicably I seem to be bugged by a feeling these days that I should be doing more than that.

Audioneurosis setting in?

[Injector]

Olive oil mate! Better than any ear wax treatment on the market. A couple of drops into your ear at bedtime, a bit of cotton wool in there as a plug and then after a few days treatment any hard wax you have in your ears will drop out. You can buy an emptybottlewith squeezy top and nozzle (drops bottle) to fill with olive oil from any pharmacist for less than a quid.

[SSM]

I take this to mean those edible olive oils you can buy at a supermarket's cooking section? Is any variety more efficacious? The greenish extra-virgin ones or the golden yellow varieties?

You learn something new everyday.

[jon]

you don't want to be sticking any kind of ear-bud in your ear: too much chance of slipping, something getting stuck, pushing wax further in etc; the general rule is not to put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear ;)

afaik, your ears should *normally* be self-cleaning (any wax that builds up will come out eventually). Olive oil may help, and you can also get special candles that are meant to extract wax, but never tried either tbh. Generally, though, be careful with your ears

Jon

[Sony6million]

just dont smoke if there oil around lol

[supercapman]

Don't know if I'm allowed to post links to the 'old site' but there was a very interesting thread about this very topic with a guy who is an ENT specialist adding some very interesting comments.
As a rule don't stick anything in them ear 'oles as they are very delicate pieces of kit, Had to go to an ENT specialist myself through sticking cotton buds (Q-tips?) in my ears not fun at all.
Now I leave well alone.

[SSM]

If it's not too much trouble, could you post the link? I went back to the mothership, did a search and came up with things like "Quality Restaurants in Glasgow", "Out For Dinner" and "Armpits". Great forum search tool.

[supercapman]

It's all here (hear )
http://forum.hifichoice.co.uk/viewto...er=asc&start=0

[supercapman]

You are looking for Kiang's posts.

[supercapman]

This is also worth a read:
http://forum.hifichoice.co.uk/viewto...465&highlight=

[Duvet]

No amount of cleaning your lugholes will make that WAGNER sound any better Solid. By the way that little spat about Kudos . You'll never believe who i'm awarding them to. Funny thing is i can't remember selecting them ;). Hopefully Jammy or AK will sort it out. Morning

[SSM]

Thanks SCM. The thread's fairly recent! Goes to show I haven't been reading everything on that slow site.

And Duvet,

[Duvet]

[Injector]

Yep, pure old Olive Oil from the supermarket - you don't need extra virgin or anything like that. My doctor recommended it and she said it was better than all the 'specialist' drops you can buy - they're just supposed to loosen the old wax prior to a syringing. Olive oil if used three times a day for three days actually removes the wax all by itself. You do need to shower your lug 'oles once a day though!

[SSM]

That's very helpful.
A couple of drops three times a day? Will it be safe/hygienic if a little bit of the olive oil directly reaches the eardrum? I have visions of my drums marinating in olive oil like a pair of exotic vegetables.

[Injector]

Have a read of this mate:

http://www.keyworthhealthcentre.co.u...0syringing.htm

[SSM]

TA. I will think of you fondly whenever I wipe up the oily rivulets of melted earwax from my lobes.;)

[Injector]

Thanks SolidWaxMan

[Cloth-Ears]

I have cloth ears. I have hearing loss. I suffer badly from tinnitus. I get excessive ear wax. Occasionally, for example before I take a foreign holiday, I get them cleared out at the doctor. This maximises what I do have. Still cloth-eared though ! There are solutions from the chemist but I was wondering if anyone has tried a Hopi candle ? I must say the idea sounds a bit frightening. Is it dangerous?

[Tourmaline]

Cloth-Ears wrote:

I was wondering if anyone has tried a Hopi candle ? I must say the idea sounds a bit frightening. Is it dangerous?

Hi, Hopi candles are not dangerous if used properly, but should not be used by any one with a perforated eardrum, or where grommets are in place. They are very useful for people with Tinnitus and if you suffer from migraines.

Its an old American indian therapy and works on the 'chimney effect' drawing out the wax with warm air, the movement of the flame gently massages the eardrum.

hope that helps a little.