Can you use peroxide to clean your ear?

Answer 1

Yes, you can do this...

...but it doesn't really clean ear wax as well as some people claim it does.

What it does do is disinfect the ear, which can help with lessening the severity of colds. This is because most colds have been found to be, in part, due to bacteria entering the ear and causing an ear infection. Ever wonder why ear, nose, and throat doctors treat those three areas simultaneously? It's because they're all connected, and when one becomes infected, they all do.

This is where hydrogen peroxide (not pure peroxide, but the 3% solution you find in stores) can help. The chemical formula for hydrogen peroxide is H2O2. When it decomposes, it produces water (H2O) and oxygen gas (O2).

The release of the oxygen gas is where the bubbling comes from, and it is also what kills bacteria. Bacteria cannot live in a pure oxygen environment any more than humans can (2/3 of the air we breath is nitrogen gas). When you pour H2O2 on a wound or in your ear, the solution saturates the area with oxygen, killing much of the bacteria. If some ear wax happens to come loose, it is probably because of the movement of the bubbles.

I clean my ears with peroxide every now and then, but usually only when I feel a cold coming on. I lie on one side with my ear facing the ceiling and pour half a capful of peroxide in and leave it for 10-15 minutes. Then I empty my ear by placing a dry paper towel over my ear and rolling over so that the peroxide drains into the towel and clean the outside of the ear.

There are some sites which warn about possible problems with using peroxide as a cleaner. Some say that using this method too often will dry out your ears. Others warn that you should never use this method if you have a perforated eardrum.

It would be best to do some more research and get some advice from your doctor about other methods of ear canal cleaning.