5 ms·

Yes, this one surprising realization I came to during the pandemic. I habitually cleaned my ears before leaving for the office. When I needed to WFH, I stopped

Yes, this one surprising realization I came to during the pandemic. I habitually cleaned my ears before leaving for the office. When I needed to WFH, I stopped cleaning them because the habit had been disrupted. There was a lot of wax at first, but now I have just the right amount and never need to clear them.

RC_ITR 4y ago
The secret behind grooming (I've made it, I've finally discussed proper hygiene on HN and its contextually relevant) is that it boils down to 3 types: 1) Preference/Social - This is primarily smell and appearance-based. For example, you won't see medical problems from irregular bathing (as long as you keep wounds/orifices clean), not cutting your hair, or not wearing deodorant, society just politely asks that you do those things. 2) Modern-life Adaptions- This is things like tooth brushing. We need to do it more because of our modern diets than anything else. 3) Comfort - This is things like cutting your finder nails so you don't scratch yourself. Using this framework, you realize you can get away with not doing a lot: pretty much everything except 2 is medically optional (especially after you let your body get back to homeostasis) - but keep in mind just because you and those close to you can't smell you, that does not mean strangers can't smell you. Ear cleaning, FWIW falls mostly in 3, but maybe in extreme cases it becomes 1; if you're swimming a lot maybe it's a 2, but rarely is that true. But also, given the above, please be considerate of others and do as much 1 as you're capable of.
- the_gipsy 4y ago
  Swimmers and divers usually rinse their ears with fresh or sterile water after being in the water. I don't think many do q-tip cleaning.
- PhasmaFelis 4y ago
  Interesting fact, ear-cleaning can be medically necessary in extreme cases. Some rare people overproduce earwax to the point that it impacts their hearing. I knew a kid in middle school who was perfectly articulate but had a strange, guttural accent, because he'd been nearly deaf for his first several years of life, and hadn't quite caught up on intonation after diagnosis and treatment.
  - radlad 4y ago
    This happens to me routinely.

RC_ITR 4y ago

The secret behind grooming (I've made it, I've finally discussed proper hygiene on HN and its contextually relevant) is that it boils down to 3 types: 1) Preference/Social - This is primarily smell and appearance-based. For example, you won't see medical problems from irregular bathing (as long as you keep wounds/orifices clean), not cutting your hair, or not wearing deodorant, society just politely asks that you do those things. 2) Modern-life Adaptions- This is things like tooth brushing. We need to do it more because of our modern diets than anything else. 3) Comfort - This is things like cutting your finder nails so you don't scratch yourself. Using this framework, you realize you can get away with not doing a lot: pretty much everything except 2 is medically optional (especially after you let your body get back to homeostasis) - but keep in mind just because you and those close to you can't smell you, that does not mean strangers can't smell you. Ear cleaning, FWIW falls mostly in 3, but maybe in extreme cases it becomes 1; if you're swimming a lot maybe it's a 2, but rarely is that true. But also, given the above, please be considerate of others and do as much 1 as you're capable of.

the_gipsy 4y ago
Swimmers and divers usually rinse their ears with fresh or sterile water after being in the water. I don't think many do q-tip cleaning.
PhasmaFelis 4y ago
Interesting fact, ear-cleaning can be medically necessary in extreme cases. Some rare people overproduce earwax to the point that it impacts their hearing. I knew a kid in middle school who was perfectly articulate but had a strange, guttural accent, because he'd been nearly deaf for his first several years of life, and hadn't quite caught up on intonation after diagnosis and treatment.
- radlad 4y ago
  This happens to me routinely.