Why It’s Actually Dangerous To Use A Q-Tip To Clean Our Ears

Last Updated on 2023-03-16 , 9:22 am

Maybe you’re one of those people who enjoy digging their ears with a Q-tip. Don’t be shy, you can admit it.

Yeah, it feels good, doesn’t it?

But it can actually be dangerous and can cause injuries like punctured eardrums.

I even had a friend who went deaf in one ear because he anyhowly used a Q-tip to clean his ear when he was just a child.

But how and why is it actually dangerous?

Why It’s Actually Dangerous To Use A Q-Tip To Clean Our Ears

According to Healthy Hearing, hoomans use various objects to clean their ears, including the ever popular Q-tips otherwise known as cotton swabs.

Some of these other instruments used include hairpins, tweezers, pens and pencils and paper clips.

Aren’t you proud to be a member of the human race?

But the fact remains that nothing, yes absolutely nothing is supposed to be placed inside the ear to remove dirt and debris.

This is because doing so can cause hearing loss or damage to your ear canal and/or eardrum.

Ear canals produce ear wax, the production rate varies between people. Simply put, some people produce more ear shit than others.

Humans have developed an unhealthy habit of using Q-tips to remove the earwax but here’s the thing:

Your Eardrums Are Fragile & Can Be Easily Reached With A Q-Tip

It’s pretty safe to assume that if you use Q-tips to clean your ears, it’s probably because you think that there’s no way it can hurt or even reach your eardrums.

Wrong.

A Q-tip can very easily reach the eardrums and the thing is, your eardrums are so very fragile that even the gentlest pressure can rupture it.

Do you grasp the gravity of this situation? 

You’ll know you’ve punctured your eardrum if you feel a sudden pain or see clear liquid flowing out.

If you accidentally puncture your eardrum, you can cause hearing loss or infection if it isn’t treated properly. Your best bet? Don’t use a Q-tip in the first place.

How To Clean Your Ears

Most of the time, the ear canal does not need to be cleaned. While you are bathing, water enters the ear canal to loosen the wax.

The skin in your ear canal also naturally grows in an outward spiral pattern, which sheds off ear wax on its own.

But if you really do insist on getting your ear canals cleaned, you can actually seek a medical professional to clean your ears out when needed.

They will use a mixture of peroxide and water to clean your ear canals safely.