If you’ve ever wanted to clean your ears then you’ve likely done a bit of research on the internet. However, there’s a lot of information that tells you to leave your ears alone because they naturally clean themselves. Unfortunately, our ears don’t always account for the sweat, grime and dirt buildup that can fluctuate depending on what we’ve been doing that day. This means that you do occasionally need to clean your ears by yourself.

It’s easy to clean your ears by using warm water and a cloth. However, this is only recommended for the outer parts of your ear and we do not recommend that you ever put your finger or any other tool inside of your ear.

But what about cleaning the inside of our ear? Do we need to do that?

The inside of our ear is generally clear of dirt, grime and sweat, but there could occasionally be a time where you’ll need to clean the inside and not just the outside. Perhaps ear wax is building up or maybe there’s something blocking your ears like excess dirt. In this article, we’re going to list a couple of signs that tell you that you need to contact a hearing specialist for a professional clean.

1. Buzzing or ringing in the ears

Also known as tinnitus, if you’re starting to hear a high-pitched noise in your ears then there’s a chance that you might have tinnitus. This is often nothing to be alarmed at but it can be rather frustrating to cope with. It can be caused by a number of different issues including earwax blockages which can be dealt with by a professional ear cleaner.

2. Swimmer’s ear

Swimmer’s ear is an infection of the outer ear and is often caused by water that remains in your ear after swimming. This creates a moist environment that is perfect for bacteria to grow, eventually leading to this infection. If you swim a lot and find that your ear is itching or hurting, then you may want to speak to a hearing health professional to examine your ear physically. They’ll be able to treat the infection but can also clean out any moisture left behind to ensure the infection does not return.

3. Having a hard time hearing

A reduced hearing ability might be alarming at first, but it could actually be caused by an earwax blockage or excess moisture in the ear. It’s usually best to speak to a hearing care provider so that they can perform a full examination to ensure that it’s not something more concerning. In many cases, a professional clean can help get rid of excess earwax and other blockages, leading to a cleaner and healthier ear that isn’t muffling sounds.

4. Excess earwax on your devices

Whether it’s a hearing aid or earphones, if you notice that there’s excess earwax on your devices then you may want to have your ears cleaned professionally to prevent the wax from getting into your devices and causing trouble.