The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Craig (Toronto, Ontario) on 05/11/2011
★★★★★
Let me add my voice to the many others here who have had success using Hydrogen Peroxide. I have what my physician describes as very small ear canals. As a result, I have had to deal with blockages due to ear wax all my life. I typically must have my physician clean my ears with a syringe of warm water ever couple of years (it's usually very messy and she has to do it several times.... Getting handily sprayed in the meantime). She has often recommended using H2O2 before seeing her for this (and as a preventive maintenance).
Recently, after months of partial blockage in my left ear, I began putting H2O2 in the affected ear. The downside was this softened the wax enough to lead to a full blockage! (this has happened before too). I booked my appointment with the physician, however, I had to wait several days to see her. In the mean time I kept adding H2O2 twice a day for several days (I even tried some lavage, using warm water in a squeeze bottle). Finally, last night, after reading about others' success, I went with the full treatment: For 40 minutes I lay on my side, adding more H2O2, every few minutes as the bubbling and warmth subsided, always trying to work it in as deeply as possible, and always using a tissue to clean out H2O2 that had stopped bubbling and was now a yellowish colour. After 40 minutes of this, I again rinsed the ear with a strong spray of warm/hot water and on the second blast, out came several large chunks of deep brown/black ear wax. Wonderful! I could fully hear again!
I cancelled the medical appointment and went to listen to my favourite music to hear all the glorious detail that I had been missing for months.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Susan (USA)
We heard about this treatment from an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) MD and have practiced it for years. We love it! We have passed the practice on to friends who have in turn passed it on their friends. However, before you try it, check with your doctor first! Some people experience severe ear or jaw pain after trying this remedy (see below).
NOTE: For safety, don't do this treatment before flying. Make sure there are a few days between the treatment and getting on a plane. Also, do not try this remedy if you have existing ear or jaw pain -- it may make the condition worse! If you have any doubts about trying this remedy, don't try it... Contact your doctor first and get his/her opinion. One more note -- do not do this remedy more than once in each ear. Wait a few days in between before trying it again if you feel it did not dissolve all the wax.
The recipe:
Lay a towel down on your bed or carpet. Then fill a dropper (buy at the pharmacy in the infant section) with drugstore bought 3% hydrogen peroxide (about .79 a bottle at any pharmacy). Lying on your side, fill one ear with hydrogen peroxide. After a few moments you will hear fizzing. Quite normal. After a minute or two, add more peroxide. Wait, relax, enjoy. After another few minutes, add more. The peroxide fizzes away, which is why you must keep adding more. Wait until the fizzing stops -- 10 to 15 minutes -- indicative that the wax has been dissolved. Shake remaining liquid from your ear onto the towel and repeat on the other ear. Since this takes time, you may want to do one ear one day and the other the following day.
If you feel a "slushing" in your ear following this treatment, you probably did not give the peroxide enough time. This will feel quite uncomfortable but don't be alarmed! The peroxide probably dislodged the wax but did not dissolve it. Try again. Trick is to keep the ear filled with liquid. You'll be amazed at how much it fizzes up. We did this on a friend a few years back and a huge piece of ear wax floated up and out of his ear. This same person had to go to an ENT every year or two to have chunks of ear wax removed so you can imagine how grateful he was to have a do-it-at-home treatment that actually worked!
If you use ear plugs, you can also clean them using hydrogen peroxide. Simply put peroxide in a cup and toss in the plugs... they will be back to perfect condition within 20 minutes or so.
Don't believe H202 actually helps to dissolve ear wax? Try this experiment:
Clean your ears with a q-tip. Add a few tablespoons of drugstore H202 to a glass and drop the waxy q-tip inside the glass. Within 10 minutes the q-tip will be white again, absolutely no wax left.
No question about it, H202 dissolves ear wax. Visible proof.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Tory (Muncie, Indiana) on 10/31/2011
★★★★★
I love this hydrogen peroxide remedy! After having trouble for months with my ears, peroxide cleaned them out in 2 days. 20 minutes a few times a day, and then use an ear syringe filled with warm water to rinse them out. Peroxide works much better than traditional ear drops.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Marcie (Portland, Oregon) on 10/17/2011
★★★★★
I had one ear totally blocked and the other ear was getting there. Tried various store "ear wax removal oil" from the pharmacy plus a natural tea tree ear oil. Nothing worked. Then I came upon your suggestion. I had to do 3 treatments (50, 40, 20 minutes) on the totally blocked ear and 2 treatments (40, 20 minutes) on the other. I could hardly believe what came out of my ears! For me, I think the important part was to keep putting the peroxide in over and over throughout the time period. Then using warm water and a bulb I swished out the goop! Having had this problem all my life, it is wonderful to now have an easy solution to keep my ears clean! Thank you!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Marc (Boston, Ma) on 10/03/2011
★★★★★
The Hydrogen Peroxide definitely works to clear out ear wax. However it may take SEVERAL DAYS for it to work, as you are applying this technique twice a day, say morning and night. If the wax is impacted against your eardrum, you may feel fullness, itching/tickling, diminished hearing, tinnitus/ringing, even balance issues.
Now if you try the Hydrogen Peroxide and notice any relief whatsoever after using it the first day or two, it's safe to say wax is the problem and to keep on going for up to 5 days. What can happen in the initial days is that the initial treatments are barely getting around the outer layers of wax, or are melting them a little and then they re-form, so you feel better for a little bit after the H202, then the symptoms come back.
It totally sucks that this takes DAYS and DAYS to get rid of. But if you look at the instructions on any OTC ear wax softeners such as Murine etc it says use it for 4 days. I find this H202 method works far better than the oil based stuff like Murine, although you could also try placing some plain mineral oil in your ear during the day in between the H202 treatments.
What I do is I bought a 20cc ear cleaning syringe at a pharmacy (CVS sells them, etc) that has a removable special spray tip. I use the syringe without the tip to apply the H202 for the 20-30 minutes, and then if I feel it's needed, I attach the spray tip and use warm water to spray out the ear. This type of syringe with special tip works WAY better than those little blue bulb sprayers you see included with the ear wax kits.
Also, each time I put the H202 in the ear, I'll warm it first by placing the whole syringe (with about 5cc of H202 in it) inside a tall plastic cup full of warm/hot water. This will warm the H202 to body temp, and I'll even draw in a little bit of this warm water to add it to the H202 just before putting it in my ear. Then test a few drops on your hand before putting it in your ear to make sure it's not too warm or cold, since any liquid too warm or cold going into your ear can make you nauseaous.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Tess (Pb, Florida, Usa) on 08/12/2011
Hydrogen peroxide will dissolve your ear wax. I have used this method for many years now. Use very small amounts of peroxide at a time since you are so sensitive. Try wetting a q-tip with peroxide and you won't have the feeling of liquid in your ear canal. That's a gentle method I used on my children. The peroxide should fizz up right away, but try not to shake it out. Since you are doing it in small amounts, you will probably have to do it day after day to slowly dissolve the wax. Best of luck.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Nysuccess (Poughkeepsie, Ny, Usa) on 08/11/2011
I am having a problem even after reading all comments. Since I was a kid I can't stand liquid filling up my ears. The pressure makes me jump and tilt my head to try to get it out. Once air is then able to get in, I calm down. I have never swam under water because of this; I just can't tolerate the canal being filled w/fluid. In the shower I block the water from getting in an always tell hairdresser to keep the water out of my ears. I use qtips but never farther than just a smidgen into the 'hole' of the entrance and gently use a wash rag to clean them because I'm overly sensitive to this. I need an idea on how to remove the wax via gently dripping liquid in but not filling it up. I have a blockage for sure in there and doc's nurse tried irrigation only to have me keep from trying to move away, so they said they couldn't help, told me to come back after a few days of using Debrox and they'll torture me again! I can't do it. The irrigation was a bad experience bc of my sensitive ears & the feeling of too much liquid.
Please, I'm desperate. Twice I tried small drops allowing them to flow a little into canal and I know I didn't use enough bc nothing came out when I tried tipping my head to release the few drops of peroxide/warm water mix, and I used the bulb squirter to gently whisk some warm water into the hole. I just can't do it. Tried super gentle using "loop" end of Bobby pin and was too scared to insert any more than a little. When I used Bobby pin gently, I insert a tiny bit & feel a "wall" that stops me from going further & am afraid to "dig into" it so I just give up. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET IT OUT. This is upsetting- I want to be able to hear fully again. :( is there a way to gently drip something in that will dissolve it on it's own? Or do I have no other choices? I can't let doc ram rod into my ear bc he will walk out with a black eye. :( Help please!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Angie (Valencia, Ca) on 08/03/2011
★★★★★
Oh my gosh! Works like a charm. After over a week of complete blockage in my right ear I found this remedy and gave it a try. I used a bulb syringe to place a few drops of peroxide into the ear and reapplied a few more drops as the bubbling stopped. I did this about 4 times, it took about 20 minutes. After letting the peroxide soak, I then used the bulb syringe to rinse out the ear canal with warm water. Chunks of dark wax came out in the rinse and I could immediately hear. Thanks for the relief!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Eliza (Nyc, Ny, Usa) on 05/02/2011
★★★★★
Hydrogen Peroxide really works! It took three days of applying almost a dropper-full of 3% hydrogen peroxide to my clogged ear twice daily, but I kept at it and now I can hear again!
I think what did it was accidentally falling asleep with the stuff in my ear.... Probably sat in there for a good hour and when I woke up and rinsed the ear out with an ear syringe, out poured tons of little chunks of wax :)
So, try keeping it in for a long time (I suggest while reading a good book lying on your side) and make sure to irrigate the ear with an ear syringe and warm water after soaking and draining. Don't give up if it doesn't work right away!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Tacomagic (Milwaukee, Us) on 08/11/2010
★★★★★
I had a blockage show up this morning and called my doctor. He suggested using H202 in a similar method as outlined above but also included using a warm water irrigation after every application of peroxide. Basically I put a few drops of peroxide in the ear and let it sit for 3 minutes. The ear was then irrigated with 2 bulbs of water from an infant nose cleaning bulb*. This was repeated 3 times with each time having a large amount of debris being washed out of the ear. On the third time a huge chunk of wax was washed out and my blockage was cleared. I was told by my doctor not to do more than 5 repetitions per ear a day and if I couldn't clear the blockage in 3 days that I would need to come in and have him extract the blockage. He did say that if I wanted I could use the warm wash as much as I wanted as that would eventually clear the blockage if it had been weakened enough by the H2O2, but it might take a long time. *He also suggested that a 50cc or larger syringe could be used and might be easier than a bulb.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Lilydy (Alice Springs, Australia) on 04/06/2010
★★★★★
Hydrogen peroxide helped with my ear wax problem. I used a medicine dropper and place about 3 or 4 drops on the blocked ear while lying in bed sideways, with the infected ear facing up. The peroxide will cause fizzing, wait till it subsides then place more drops. Repeat the procedure for about 10 minutes. Then turn to the other side lying down to drain any excess liquid in your ear. The key to this procedure is patience. Mine takes about 2 days before I was able to hear properly again and the wax did not just drain in one go.I waited for about 8 hours before repeating the procedure. Also, I did have to use an improvised ear cleaner to get out some of the dissolved wax in the ear. Oh and you may try to use the hand palm trick like a sucking cup on your ear till the blockage clears. Again this treatment requires patience. It does feel good and ticklish when the peroxide bubbles in my ear.Hope this helps.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Kyle (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 12/09/2009
★★★★★
The peroxide method does work! I tried it and it helped clear my blockage.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Bobby (Dallas, Tx) on 08/05/2009
I tried this method to the letter. I had my ear stopped up for days and could not take it any longer. Unfortunatly i did not do the test with the wax in the peroxide first, It did not work for me even after soaking for an hour. My ear hurt from the treatment. How i finally fixed it was i went in the shower with one of those ear bulbs that you use on babies, And with natural hot water and a cup about thirty times all kinds of junk came out of my ear. I hope this will help someone.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Luis (Cali, Colombia) on 07/21/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
HP 3% Food Degree in Ears: Please, be cautious with application of HP 3% food degree in ears, since after sprinkling it with an inhaler to my elderly mother, she experienced an inflammation of drums and internal channels, with the side effect that she lost the hearing almost completely for one day. Nevertheless, with medicinal drops for inflammation and pain, the following day she began to recover gradually her normal level.Thanks God. I was very worried and disheartened.
Luis
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Elle (DC, USA) on 05/31/2009
if h202 has been left uncovered, or exposed to heat, light etc. it will loose potency. you may need to get a fresh bottle to ensure that it is effective. if it does not fizz, it is most likely useless.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Janice (Coloma, Mi) on 03/11/2009
★★★★★
I used to work in a large hearing aid place and the only thing the audiologists would have people clean their ears out was with Hydrogen Peroxide. Ten minutes in each ear or put in at bedtime with a cottonball so that it won't get on your pillow and NEVER clean your ears out with a q-tip. It only pushes the wax in further.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Alicia (St. Louis, MO/USA) on 03/09/2009
My father used to do this to me when I was younger and had wax build-up. It worked every time I knew there was just "build-up". I tried to do the remedy once when my ear actually hurt. Bad decision. As soon as the drop hit the ear.... pain. Severe pain. I wouldn't recommend doing this remedy if you show signs of infection. For standard cleaning, this method works great. Except, if you give yourself a treatment on a Monday... wait a few days before doing another. Doing this on a daily basis may cause irritation or the "water" feeling in the ear.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Matt (New Richland, MN) on 03/09/2009
I just tried the experiment you suggested regarding the dissolving of ear wax using hydrogen peroxide. I took a q-tip which I had used to clean wax out of my ears (it had a fair amount of wax on it). I filled a small glass with about two or three teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide and put the q-tip in the glass. Twenty minutes later the wax was still there, with no sign of dissolving at all. Needless to say, I'm not convinced this solution works.
EC: Sorry it didn't work for you -- the experiment works for us every time!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Kelly (Nashville, TN) on 01/18/2009
★★★★★
When I was a little girl, I remember my Mom using hydrogen peroxide to clean the excess wax from my Dad's ears. He would lie on one side and she would pour a capful or so into his ear. Once the "bubbling" subsided, she placed a folded hand towel over the ear and had him turn over to the other side. Once both ears were done, she would gently dry the ear with a tissue. We never used a QTip in the ear!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Angie (Burlington, Canada) on 08/02/2008
★★★★★
After having ear blockage for a week . Due to ear wax buildup, I had suffered enough . In the past I have sen a doctor and they irrigate my ear with H2O. I read all the positive comments on this site and thought why not try the Hydrogen peroxide method. IT WORKED and it only cost me a Loonie (1 dollar) I am now relieved of the pressure in my head also the loss of hearing. I would highly recommend this method. It was safe, inexpensive and it worked.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by BDR (N.O., LA) on 05/14/2008
★★★★★
I swam laps for the first time in a while. I knew ear wax buildup was trapping the water because every year or 2 have to go to the ENT to have my ear irrigated and cleaned. Couldn't hear, miserable. Tried the hydrogen peroxide to save the hassle and expense of ENT visit. Worked! 15 minutes adding a few drops every 3-4 minutes, then irrigated with warm water. Hard to believe all that was in my ear. Thanks!
