Hydrogen Peroxide in Your Ear: Is It Safe for Earwax?

01Wax

Do you need to remove earwax at all?

Earwax (cerumen) protects and cleans the ear canal. Jaw movement and skin growth carry it slowly outward, where it falls out unnoticed. Cleaning inside the canal with cotton buds pushes wax deeper and is a common cause of blockage. Treatment is only needed when wax builds up enough to cause symptoms such as muffled hearing, a blocked feeling, ringing, itching or difficulty using hearing aids. Our guide to earwax blockage explains the symptoms in detail.

02How

How peroxide drops work

Carbamide peroxide is a compound of hydrogen peroxide and urea, usually at around 6.5 percent, in a glycerin base. When it contacts wax and skin, it releases oxygen, producing a fizzing or bubbling sound and helping to break up and soften the wax so it can work its way out or be removed more easily. Household hydrogen peroxide is typically 3 percent in water; it also fizzes but can dry and irritate the skin of the ear canal, especially with repeated use.

03Use

How to use earwax drops safely

• Only use drops if you have no ear pain, discharge, perforation, grommets or recent ear surgery.
• Warm the bottle in your hand for a few minutes so the drops are close to body temperature; cold drops can cause dizziness.
• Lie on your side with the affected ear facing up.
• Put in the number of drops recommended on the pack (often 5–10) without inserting the dropper into the canal.
• Stay lying down for about five minutes, then sit up with a tissue to catch any fluid.
• Repeat as directed, usually once or twice a day for three to five days.
• Do not use cotton buds, ear candles or sharp objects to dig the wax out.

04Side

Side effects and risks

• Fizzing, a feeling of fullness and temporary muffled hearing as the wax softens.
• Itching, stinging or irritation of the ear canal.
• Temporary dizziness, especially with cold drops.
• Skin irritation with repeated or long-term use, particularly with household hydrogen peroxide.
• Pain or damage if used with a hole in the eardrum, because the liquid can reach the middle ear.
• Peroxide is not a treatment for ear infections or swimmer’s ear.

05Alternatives

Alternatives to peroxide

Olive or almond oil drops, sodium bicarbonate drops and saline are gentle alternatives and are often recommended first. If the ear is still blocked after five days of drops, a clinician can remove the wax by microsuction (a small suction device under magnification), irrigation with water at body temperature, or manual removal with instruments. People who build up wax repeatedly may use drops once or twice a week to prevent impaction. Read more about safe options in our guide to earwax removal at home.

06Avoid

Who should not use peroxide drops

• Anyone with a known or suspected perforated eardrum.
• People with grommets (ear tubes) or who have had ear surgery.
• Anyone with ear pain, discharge or signs of infection.
• Children, unless advised by a doctor or pharmacist.
• People with a skin condition affecting the ear canal, such as eczema, unless advised.
• Anyone who has had a bad reaction to ear drops before.

08Cases

Three common situations

• Muffled hearing after swimming or a shower: water can make dry, hard wax swell. A few days of softening drops often clear it; if the ear also hurts or itches, think of swimmer’s ear instead and see a clinician.
• Hearing aid user with repeated blockages: hearing aids and earplugs stop wax from moving out. Using oil or saline drops once a week and having the ears checked regularly can prevent build-up.
• Grommets as a child, blocked ear now: if you have had ear tubes or surgery, or are not sure whether the eardrum is intact, avoid peroxide and ask for the ear to be examined before using any drops.

09Summary

Key points to remember

• Most ears clean themselves; avoid cotton buds.
• Carbamide peroxide drops are designed for the ear; household hydrogen peroxide is more irritating.
• Oil, bicarbonate and saline drops work about as well.
• Never use drops with a damaged eardrum, grommets or ear pain.