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For anybody who actually deals with earwax buildup issues, the Debrox ear drops they sell at Target/Walgreens/CVS along with the irrigation bulb/warm water will

For anybody who actually deals with earwax buildup issues, the Debrox ear drops they sell at Target/Walgreens/CVS along with the irrigation bulb/warm water will resolve the issue in about 10 minutes. Keep your head tilted and enjoy the strange bubbly sound. Make sure you make the water lukewarm, closer to skin temperature before you spray it in your ear (if it's too cold, you'll be dizzy for 10 minutes). I've had temporary hearing loss resolved with this before.

LTL_FTC 6y ago
Yeah, warm water for sure. Had this done at an urgent care once. The nurse used cold tap water and I’m pretty sure I drove home drunk afterwards.
function_seven 6y ago
I do this every few months. It’s an odd combination of horrifying and satisfying to see what comes out. But it’s just pure satisfaction to hear the Pop Rocks crackling in my ear (“that means it’s working!”), and the clarity of my hearing afterward.
ksaj 6y ago
When I was a kid, I used to get chronic ear infections. At some point, they did some testing that involved forcefully streaming cold water into my ear. As you stated, it made my head spin something serious. As an adult I got a cholesteatoma in that same ear, which is probably directly related to the issue that caused so many infections in my younger days. I had surgery to remove it, and now I have to visit the surgeon once a year for ear cleaning because that ear doesn't self-clean so efficiently anymore. I have to use oil drops the night before so it isn't painful. I really dislike getting it done, but it sure feels better afterward. I've tried those effervescing concoctions, and I'm not convinced they actually do very much at all. It does sound really cool though.
karaterobot 6y ago
Agreed, that process works wonders. Incidentally, Debrox is carbamide peroxide, which is basically equivalent to hydrogen peroxide. Debrox is $11/oz on Amazon, while hydrogen peroxide is around $.50/oz.
- copperx 6y ago
  I've tried substituting peroxide contact lens cleaner with the cheap hydrogen peroxide and while I made sure the concentration was the same, the feeling in the eyes was much rougher. I'm not sure if the optical peroxide goes through another process. For something that's not often done, $11 isn't too bad for not having to play chemist.

LTL_FTC 6y ago

Yeah, warm water for sure. Had this done at an urgent care once. The nurse used cold tap water and I’m pretty sure I drove home drunk afterwards.

function_seven 6y ago

I do this every few months. It’s an odd combination of horrifying and satisfying to see what comes out. But it’s just pure satisfaction to hear the Pop Rocks crackling in my ear (“that means it’s working!”), and the clarity of my hearing afterward.

ksaj 6y ago

When I was a kid, I used to get chronic ear infections. At some point, they did some testing that involved forcefully streaming cold water into my ear. As you stated, it made my head spin something serious. As an adult I got a cholesteatoma in that same ear, which is probably directly related to the issue that caused so many infections in my younger days. I had surgery to remove it, and now I have to visit the surgeon once a year for ear cleaning because that ear doesn't self-clean so efficiently anymore. I have to use oil drops the night before so it isn't painful. I really dislike getting it done, but it sure feels better afterward. I've tried those effervescing concoctions, and I'm not convinced they actually do very much at all. It does sound really cool though.

karaterobot 6y ago

Agreed, that process works wonders. Incidentally, Debrox is carbamide peroxide, which is basically equivalent to hydrogen peroxide. Debrox is $11/oz on Amazon, while hydrogen peroxide is around $.50/oz.

copperx 6y ago
I've tried substituting peroxide contact lens cleaner with the cheap hydrogen peroxide and while I made sure the concentration was the same, the feeling in the eyes was much rougher. I'm not sure if the optical peroxide goes through another process. For something that's not often done, $11 isn't too bad for not having to play chemist.