Stop using cotton swabs, your ears will thank you

We grant you, scratching your ears with a cotton swab when you get out of the shower is a pleasant feeling.

If you are addicted to these little sticks filled with cotton balls, you better not push it too far.

In fact, cotton swabs should be handled with the utmost caution and avoided unless you want to risk injury.

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  Cotton Swabs Will Soon Be Banned From Shelves: Here’s How To Clean Your Ears (Better)

You come home from work, your first instinct is to get rid of your things and head to the bathroom. What’s better than a nice hot shower to relax after a hard day at work? You grab a towel to dry yourself, you open the cabinet in your bathroom and then you have the reflex to grab a cotton swab to clean your ears. Stop everything! While some people are addicted to the sensation it provides, this accessory is bad for your ears, as experts tirelessly repeat!

In addition to being unsuitable for ear hygiene, cotton balls, as a reminder, are a significant source of plastic pollution, which is why they have been banned in France since January 1, 2020. Ecological sticks with stems made of biodegradable paper, cardboard, or bamboo are now commercially available. Therefore, to clean the ear canal, take a look at the mild options that allow you to avoid many inconveniences.

Why are cotton swabs dangerous for the ears?

Cheap and everywhere available in pharmacies and supermarkets, cotton swabs do more harm than good to our ears. For a very simple reason: by inserting it into your ear, you will push the earwax deeper into the ear canal. This yellowish, fatty substance that acts as a barrier to germs, infections, bacteria, and other pathogens will then accumulate and form a blockage that can cause hearing loss.

Used improperly, cotton swabs can also cause a perforation of the eardrum, a painful trauma that can lead to hearing loss and even bleeding from the ear. In general, never use a foreign object like a pen cap or a key to clean your ears. If you can’t do without a cotton swab, use it only to clean the pinna of the ear, not its canal.

How to clean your ears safely?

Once you get rid of this bad habit, know that there are easy alternatives to cotton swabs. Earwax can be easily removed using an ear spray, which is inserted directly into the canal. But for the most part, soap and water are more than enough for routine cleaning, but be sure to rinse your ears properly to avoid any risk of irritation. Also, the ear canal can be cleaned twice a week with body serum, advises Medicaid.

To avoid excess earwax, some still use ear candles, an ancestral method widely circulated on social networks in recent years. After lighting the end of the candle with a lighter or match, the candle will soften and cause the earwax to rise to the surface. But according to some hearing experts, this technique is not without risk. Risks of injury, burning of the ear canal, perforation of the eardrum etc. The side effects are numerous. In summary, gentle cleansing with clean water while showering is the best solution.