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 JC (Toronto, Ontario) on 03/15/2006
★★★★★
I had a plugged ear for a few days with excess earwax. Faced with the option of having an ENT use a mini-vacuum if lavage didn't work I decided to try this out. I softened the earwax first by applying warm olive oil to a cotton swab then placing it in my ear for 10 minutes. Then I droppered the H2O2 in. It did generate some heat causing a mild burning sensation when the oxygen bubbles were releasing but it was only mildly uncomfortable. I did the wash for ~20min and followed with the rubbing alcohol which did cause some stinging. However, I can hear again without having to wait for a referral to and ENT so I'm very happy. Thanks for the advice.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Joanne (Cleveland, OH) on 03/17/2006
★★★★★
First of all I LOVE LOVE LOVE your website...it is so helpful...I love to look up and find all these rememdies...KEEP EM COMING! My father when i was little put hydrogen peroxide in my Ear....at first i was a little.. scared.. but then when he put it in all i felt was a little fizzing and bubbling..and right away my earache went away and the pressure. I AM SO GLAD! that i now know how to clear my earaches and ear infection and tell everyone i know!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Floyd (Fort Worth TX) on 04/28/2006
★★★★★
About 43 years ago, we went to Plat National Park in Sulphur, Oklahoma. The water there is very cold and has a lot of sulphur in it. It gave all 3 of our children, and myself an ear infection. Mine was so bad, I had to go to the Dr. He told me to mix Hydrogen Peroxide and Alcohol 50/50 .He said the Peroxide would kill the infection and the alcohol would dry up the Peroxide. If you don't get the Peroxide out, your ear will hurt more. Since then we have never went to the Dr. for an ear problem. THANK GOD.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Rita (Hunstville, AL) on 07/10/2006
★★★★★
Hi, I just wanted to comment that I personally use hydrogen peroxide each and every day to help clean my ears with a Q-tip. This actually helps to combat itchy ears and less wax buildup.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Cass (Dover, DE) on 11/09/2006
★★★★★
Our pedicatrician was a really old fashioned doctor. He looked for ways to save his patients money and would recommend old timey remedies if he knew that they worked.
Our pedicatrician found that my son had excessive ear wax. He said he could clean the wax out but it would cost us money and be painful to my son. What our pediatrician recommended was to put olive oil in the ears at night and put a cotton ball in each ear. In the morning after breakfast my son was to lie down and I was to fill one ear at a time with peroxide and he was just to lie there for 15-20 minutes. When the time was up he was to flip his head over real quick to the other side. We did this for close to a week and saw good results. We appreciated the money and the pain that was saved by using a remedy that our pediatrician reccommended. Never again did our pediatrician say that my son had excessive ear wax. My son is now a grown man.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Xhellie (Coyle, Washington) on 12/07/2007
★★★★★
My son's ear canal was completely obstructed with ear wax. I know you're not supposed to use cotton swabs or bobby pins. I was so desperate to remove this blockage that I almost used a bobby pin. I was very skeptical to try this remedy because when I was younger I did this procedure to myself and left it too long. The ending result was the worst ear infection I have ever had.
This is the procedure I followed: I made my child lie on his side with the affected ear facing up. I pulled his ear lobe and used a head lamp so I could look deep into the ear. While still pulling the ear lobe back and up I dropped in the peroxide untill the ear was full. It bubbled immediately! I waited till the bubbling stopped, about 4 minutes and had him flip his head over and drain the peroxide. The peroxide that drained out was brown and murky so I knew it was working. We repeated this process several times, rinsing the ear with warm water between every peroxide "bath". After about 4 sessions I used the syringe to irrigate the ear and a huge ball of wax came ou of his ear. Upon inspection the ear canal was unblocked. Please remeber though, a layer of wax in your ear is a GOOD THING! Thanks again to Earth Clinic and everyone who contributed!!
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by June (KC, KS) on 01/12/2008
★★★★★
I also use store-bought H2O2 for use in my ears. I did have trouble with it leaving behind liquid and causing earache. And a couple times after using H2O2 I had sharp pains in my ears. I remedied this by putting a small amount of coconut oil in each ear after draining the H2O2 and it helped pretty quickly.
Now if I use H2O2 in my ears I add a drop of alcohol and only use a drop or two of H2O2 (full strength). This seems to be enough to ward off any virus-related earaches.
I also use H2O2 mixed with distilled water as a nasal wash and this is very effective in immediately ridding me of sore throat issues and any kind of infection I might feel at the back of my palate and upper portion of my throat where sinus drainage occurs. It burns a little, even with using distilled water, but I've come to recognize it as a good burn because I know it's killing the infection.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by John (Kansas City, KS) on 01/26/2008
★★★★★
Hello. I and wife have used hydrogen peroxide for years and it always works for us.
We either use it full strength or mixed with mineral oil. Sometimes we warm it first.
After we drain it out we spray water gentle from a syringe or spray bottle. Usually the wax is dissolved without using a syringe or spray bottle, but we use them to removed the rest of the hydrogen peroxide which can irritate the ear canals.
We haven't ever bothered about the ear canal being wet afterward and have had no trouble. Sometimes a few days later an ear canal may get itchy and we've found that the equate brand of preparation H stopped the itching better than campho phenique or anything and soothed the ear canal.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Chandra (Virginia) on 03/03/2006
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I tried hydrogen peroxide in my left ear two nights in a row. After the first night, the problem seemed to be showing signs of clearing up, so I decided to follow up. Now I have a horrible ache in my left ear. The two small itchy bumps in my ear are almost gone, but now the inside of my ear is hurting very badly. I don't think I will try this again.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Samantha (UK)
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I used hydrogen peroxide tonight for ear wax. I was woken 3 hours later with severe pain. I have called A&E and i must go to them as now i have a thermos burn in my ear. It's 3am in the morning i have 4 young children asleep in bed and i am waiting for my sister who lives 40mins away to get here to sit with them....so much for hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Usha (India) on 11/08/2006
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I have a similar situation to Deb from Philadelphia. I would not suggest putting ANYTHING in an ear with a perforated eardrum or no eardrum at all. You must be careful to protect your middle and inner ear from being damaged. They have a very specific Ph and a system of dealing with invaders. The reason your eardrums burst is because your eustachian tubes are probably closed, not just blocked. Ear infections are one of the most common childhood diagnosis because children's eustachian tubes are not fully developed. Many adults have malformed or closed eustachian tubes becuase their's never developed from childhood or because of allergies. First of all you need to address your allergies because nothing will work that you try unless that is also under control. Some ENTs also conduct allergy tests becuase the whole system is so closely connected as is balance ie. verigo. There is a new surgery which I just had to open a closed eustachian tube. It is called eustachian tubectomy. They endoscopically go in through your mouth and shave the sides of your eustachian tube utilizing the scar tissue that will develop to cause the eustachian tube to function properly. I had this procedure as well as a tympanoplasty which is a rebuilidng of ear drum. The first attempt at closing the ear drum was unsuccessful but the second time they used another new procedure that uses the cartilage from the little flap of skin outside of the opening to the ear to close the ear drum and this cartilage creates a very strong structure. Now I no longer sound like a broken speaker in my head! I would highly suggest you get your allergies under control and really try to surgically fix your eardrums ESPECIALLY before you start considering putting things in your ears. Your hearing will be negatively affected to say the least as well as your inner ear which could cause worse vertigo and balance problems. If you aren't already you should be wearing earplugs, never go swimming or bathe unprotected (this could be causing infections, having water in your middle ear). Ear plugs should not "go down too far" as you say becuase your ear canal is much longer than you think. Any ear plug I've ever used won't go deep enough to be a problem. You can have custom ear plugs made to fit your ear which are the most comfortable option in my opinion. Don't mess around with ears, they're too delicate.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Natasha (UK) on 10/09/2006
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Anyone with major ear problems, please do not use hydrogen peroxide, particularly Deb with the broken ear drum! It is basically bleach and is a really fierce chemical. It only works to clear earwax and you must be sure this is where your problem is coming from if you want to use it. In the UK, hydrogen peroxide is NOT recommended by doctors even for this - they actually recommend pharmaceutical olive oil, which is sterilised, mixes with the wax and helps it soften and clear naturally.
Ears are delicate and can easily be sent out of balance. I used to use q-tips to clean my ears and now suffer from chronic otitis externa, which is basically eczma in the outer ear. I haven't noticed earwax for years, just a dampness and whitish discharge. This, with the "debris" which collects in the ear (dead skin), provides a perfect environment for bacteria to breed in.
The first time I ever had an infection was when I had had a cold, used q-tips and took a long-haul flight with two changeovers. I had the WORST ear infection when I landed the third time and spent the next week in bed on antibiotics and painkillers in the most horrendous pain. That was five and a half years ago and I now have to use ear plugs in any situation where my ears can get wet (swimming, showering) or I will get an infection within 24 hours. I also have to be very careful to avoid introducing germs to the ear with a hand or headphones etc - in-ear headphones are not an option! This is actually a pretty common condition, is most often caused by using q-tips and is not curable. I'm 24.
Saying this, I have heard that garlic can be a very good antibiotic and also Hopi ear candles are great for clearing blocked sinuses. I am very cautious in using anything non-prescribed myself these days as my condition is so sensitive that I'm afraid anything will set it off, but these are gentle enough not to be so bad. Regarding hydrogen peroxide, if you are more resiliant, maybe have a go, but with more serious conditions, don't risk it! And don't ever use it for an extended time. These are all things your doctors should be telling you - there are a lot of advantages to free medicine...
