The fact that in some places, they are actually called earbuds and marketed as such has massively contributed to this whole stick-it-in-the-ear thing. Thanks for clarifying, Steve!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Find you someone who looks at you the way Steveio looks at his own videos…. MuFKR legit looks delighted with himself! Delightful

My grandma went to get hearing aids fitted, and ended up getting a proper ear cleaning instead. Turns out she wasn’t going deaf, she’d just clogged up her ears through years and years of daily q-tip use. She ended up going another 5 or 10 years before actually needing hearing aids!

Q-tips may have been originally been designed for cleaning inside ears, but it started causing more issues then it solved. A few more things aren't used for what they're used for: Listerine was a floor cleaning product Most sodas were tonics for health (original coke had cocaine in it) Had a longer list, then got a brainfart. I'll add more if I remember them.

Answers to some questions I feel he kind of glossed over in case anyone was wondering. 1. Is there a chance for ears to clog naturally? Yes, there ARE conditions where ears will clog on thier own, the most notable being swimmers ear. Sometimes the ear just produces more wax than it can push out. 2. Can you feel when the ears get clogged? Generally it varies from person to person and HOW MUCH of the ear canal is clogging. During a full block, not so much (sounds like general hearing loss/feels like general ear pain) However, if the wax is only partially blocking the ear canal, certain head movement/placement (like laying on your side to sleep) will trigger something that is reminisent of ears popping. 3. Are there any other good products? A lot of pharmacies do sell an earwax removal kit, but its pretty much just what he said to do. It usually comes with some sort of "Ear Wax Softner" (hydrogen peroxide mixed with a glyercerol like substance) and a baby nasal syringe. 4. Why DO people get dizzy after ear flushes? The Thing that controls your sense of balance is attached to and effected by the thing that lets you hear in the first place. Your sense of balance more or less rests on a set of levels (that tool with the green pipe and an air bubble). The pressure change between clogged and unclogged throws these bubbles out of alignment and you end up getting dizzy. Much like how people with really dirty glasses clean them and then report seeing better than ever. Hope that helps even a little bit.

As a little kid I was prone to severe ear infections (averaged 2 to 3 a year for the first 12ish years of my life. I've also struggled with hearing loss problems for a lot of my life because my ears like to overreact and create waaay too much wax. We still don't know why but because of this I learned very young to never use a qtip in my ear. Personally I use a baby nasal aspirator with warm water. First I put warm water into the ear, let it sit for a moment to warm and soften the wax a bit but then I do a proper cleaning. Their are ear drops that you can purchase that will soften up the wax better and easier than just water will.

I get crazy itchy on the inside of my ears and it's almost certainly from over-cleaning my ears with qtips. That's what my doctor told me anyway. After seeing one of your anti-qtip videos I haven't used one for the last seven days and yeah, my ears are a bit itchy but I think it's starting to heal a bit so yayyyy!

They make ear scoopies now just for this exact purpose. With picture directions on how to use them and not hurt yourself. Helps people like me, who have total ear blockages every 3 - 4 months 🥴

I wear ear plugs for hearing protection 8 hours a day at work. There’s a few bonuses to this. 1) protects my hearing. 2) keeps dirt and other junk from getting in my ears. 3) any excess ear wax sticks to the ear plugs when I remove them. And for regular ear cleaning maintenance I just use warm soapy water when I take a shower.

Thank you for this video. My left ear got so bad I lost most of my hearing until I flushed it several times with hydrogen peroxide. I'm glad you said to mix with warm water because I wasn't mixing, just straight up full strength. I sleep on my right side, so it's usually the left that gets the build-up. I appreciate your informative content, and you're hilarious! Tiktok needs to chill! I'm so glad you're on KZfaq as well. I'm almost 60. Never went to an ER in my life! I grew up in Alaska, where we ate healthy fresh everything. Moose meat, salmon fishing every year, chickens, and gardens never took so much as an aspirin, so I was shocked when I moved to the lower 48. Anyway, I'm super grateful for your practical tips and how funny you are, so thank you!

I actually have a friend who becomes deaf over the course of a few months from his earwax build-up and has to flush his ears out to hear again. It's insane how clogged his ears get. But yeah, if you really NEED to clean your ears, flush em out the way they would at the doctor's or ER when you need to (not every damn day). edit: I love using Q-tips after a shower to clean my belly button. So fresh and so clean clean.

I remember getting my ears flushed as a child and I HATED it! It was so painful. Does anyone else just like the sensation of dry ears? I hate the feeling of 'wet' ears after showering or swimming.

7:49 I had a spider living in my ear a whole summer, no one believed me. I could hear it crawling around and it drove me insane. I picked my ears almost daily, trying to get it out of there, and used really high pressure water while showering, trying to flush it out, nothing worked. Had arachnophobia for months after that and had to sleep with ear plugs. Couldn't be in the same room as a spider. Didn't get better when I was playing on my PC, looked to the side and there was a tiny spider next to my ear. That was a few years ago, now I can be in the same room as spiders and rarely need ear plugs, but I still freak out if there's a spider near my head.

You are so patient with people who are really not listening to your advice no matter how much you repeat it. ♥️

i can remember obasan using bobby pins to clean out her ears and ours too if we got any thing stuck in them. Twisting the hoop end inside the ear created a side-ways scooping /scraping action that cleaned the ear instead of pushing what ever it was deeper.

I have the liquidy type of ear wax so I literally have to use a q tip as a sponge/mop every morning after waking up. It's worse than having actual water in my ear

My allergist used to check my ears because my family makes a lot of wax and she knew she could clean it out well. It was once a year situation to give her the cleaninggasm she wanted

Cue tips are great for cleaning eye sockets! Assuming you have a removable eye, that is… It’s honestly my fave thing to use!

I needed this, thank you

He curse, but I never see him get mad. Despite that he repeats the same thing over and over again.. Love it!

Thank you! Some call me insane when I say I clean my ears with warm water if I feel it’s building up. Now I know I am doing it right!

Hey Steve, as a kid my dr told me to *NEVER PUT ANYTHING IN YOUR EAR BUT YOUR ELBOW!* and it's something I still adhere to 50 years later.🤭😁

My problem is that getting water in my ear feels hellish. Also without scooping the stuff out it'll just end up blocking the ear, disturbing my hearing and/or getting itchy. I do usually clean the ears after shower because some moist/water gets in and makes the stuff more liquid and easier to get out gently. And I do try to be careful and not go very far inside. I know it shouldn't be done but... The q-tips aren't a very good design for cleaning the ear though. The shape indeed makes it easy to just push the goo further back. It should maybe be flat and shaped like a tiny spoon. But somehow so that you can't push it too far and poke your eardrum or something 😬 The vikings who _should_ be notorious for being fans of keeping themselves clean and groomed used a tiny teeny ear spoon. It was metallic but a soft thing would probably be more safe.

I'm one of those ppl - I've been cleaning my ears with Q-tips my whole life (dirty ears make me retch). Never had any ear related issues. I'm very careful in how I do it, so as not to push wax further in. I understand you're not SUPPOSED to do it, so it's definitely a "Do as I say, not as I do" thing.

I've inherited my dad's nasty ears, and I need to go to a specialist to clean out my ears because it's significantly effected my hearing. My ears don't seem to be self cleaning, and even my doctor said there was a significant amount of wax

Alright, alright. I'll stop using Q-tips. You finally talked me into it.

I hope this video addresses the question about why it was taught in school to use q-tips to clean out ears. Yes that was over 30 years ago for me but I remember it as clear as day. Now to watch the video.

Reading all these comments about childhood ear infections abd painful ear cleanings has made me so grateful for my pediatrician. I had ear infections all the time until age 12 and all that happened to me was antibiotics. I'm 66 so it was back in the dark ages.

I'm 39, & have always used q-tips on my ears. If the wax builds up, it gets super itchy. I've never had a problem with q-tips harming my ear canal, or pushing wax in cus I do it correctly, so I beg to differ, & probably won't stop doing it any time soon. That being said, I do love your content, Steve, & u always make me laugh ^-^

Hey, y'all! L🥰ve all your videos @steveioe! Keep up the HILARIOUS, INFORMATIVE, & STELLAR work!! 👏😄👏

Lmao....thank you for the laughs😂😂 i love your work, please keep it up 😀

We used to use DSS (docusate sodium), a stool softener, in an ear to ...soften...wax for removal by irrigation. Sometimes pts were sent home with a Rx for same. Usually got a call from the pharmacist who couldn't believe the instructions! I agree, it was always fun to pop out a huge glob of wax!

I use one end of a Qtip to clean the outside of the ear like Steveio says (still feels really good, guys!), especially after a shower. Sometimes if it feels waxy or wet inside the ear, I'll roll the Qtip around the edges just inside, not very far into the ear. I don't move wax further into the ear, but just so it gets caught on the Qtip as I'm circling around. I've been doing this for years and have never had an ear infection or injury, so fingers crossed I'm doing it right?

I can FEEL when it's a soupy goopy mess. And then sometimes it starts oozing out in a soupy goopy mess. But frequently, it just stays back there as a soupy goopy mess. I can tell you've never had wet earwax. Because you can FEEL it.

they are really good for fixing eyeliner mistakes!

Just so that people know there are some kits that you can buy in the pharmacy now for ear cleaning. I use the one called Murine. It has a bulb and ear drops in it. You literally put the drops in your ear, leave the drops in for a few minutes, flush the ear with water with the bulb, and suck out as much as you can with the bulb after. It's great and so awesome but doesn't hurt your ears.

This man speaks the truth and I recently learned my lesson about trying to clean my ears. This week I was using my q tips but didn’t feel like it cleaned that great so I tried to use a Bobby pin. Well boom I ruptured my ear drum. It hurt and was spilling out lots of blood. So yea dont do that. I’ve always known not to do that but I’m very hard headed and still do what I want

One time I got my ears cleaned this way and the feeling after the ear wax comes off is the best thing ever! I could hear again

lol, you love yourself and are proud of yourself. I love your expression of satisfaction on your face. Absolutely precious, dear. ☺️

I never understood this. Thank you! What I do is put alcohol on the Q-tip and I clean around my ear…. the very outside of the ear canal. I thought the same thing, that wax is there to keep things out and the first thing I thought of was bugs!! I’ve heard of that happening & that freaks me out more than anything. So clean the very outside of the canal and then the curves in your ear.

This is why I have ear spoons. Works great. Been used for thousands of years. I have to clean the wax or it hurts.

I love ur content 😍😍

I just love how you laugh at yourself

Very thorough video. Thanks. 😆

I remember getting my ears cleaned at the hospital that was horrible I got so dizzy as a kid that left me traumatized! I’m glad doctor explained to me about how eat wax is important for us👍🏼

Ok I need to retrain my kids on ear health. 😬 Thank you 😊❤️

Your videos are great man

God bless you! I'm going to watch this again to count how many times you politely said, "Don't do it!".

Get an audiologist or an ENT Doctor to use suction if you have a large build up of ear wax. Skin shedding is very common in ears and no amount of syringing will get rid of the build-up of dead skin. It's very satisfying to have my ENT Doctor remove the layers of dead skin; I have psoriasis in my ear, so I have to have this done every 6-12 months. Bonus: I get to watch the procedure on a monitor. Just don't look at the collection tank. The first time I saw it, I threw up. 🤢🤮 Now I know where not to look

Sounds like the method doctors use to clean your ears has improved over the years. I remember as child having to go in multiple times to get my ears cleaned because I had constant ear infections. They didn't have a tiny vacuum or a thing to flush your ears with water. They used these tools with a round hook/loop at the end and had an abrasive side. They would hold me down while I cried as they scraped everything out. It was extremely painful. I can only imagine how sensitive my ears must have been from the constant infections which most likely made the pain much worse. I was traumatized and refused to clean my ears for years. Of course, my ears are jacked up due to several reasons, and they don't drain on their own. I got massive build ups and clogs in my ears and they stunk to high heck. Anyone who got within a few feet of me would comment on a horrible smell. Took me a long time to start cleaning my ears again. Haven't been back to a doctor to get them cleaned, but I use equal parts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar once a month or so. Just dries everything up in there and removes the wax to allow my ear to drain. Then I take a q-tip or a tissue and wipe just on the inside edge of the ear canal where it all drains and builds up. Of course right now I'm dealing with an ear issue. Started with a cold, went into a sinus infection, and then a double ear infection in the matter of a week. I am doing much better now, but one of my ears has not gotten better. I still feel nothing but pressure and pain in there and silence despite being on antibiotics for almost a week and two different medicines. I have a few more days left before I have to make a decision if I should go back in. I am worried I may have somehow damaged my ear. I was doing the nasal drain thing. The bottle you fill with distilled water and the saline solution, put one end up one nostril, then squeeze and let it drain out the other side. On day 3 of being sick, I was using it and breathing out my mouth per the instructions. Well, apparently one nostril was so clogged, the water decided not to go out my nose, but instead went straight up into my ear. I have had problems since and haven't used the thing again. I've mentioned it to the doc, but she only said I have an ear infection. Fingers crossed these last three days will finally see improvement.

We always used colace caps in people's ears to help release the wax. We would poke a hole in the cap and then squeeze the liquid into the ear for about 5-10 minutes. Not sure why but the old docs I worked for says to so we did. Then we would irrigate with water. Worked every time.

I'm glad you're actually loving your vids as opposed to other creators cringing.

When my ears feel gross/full I go to the actual EAR DR, aka ENT. They suck the thick, gross ear wax out with either a tool, or a tiny tiny vacuum cleaner! No joke! And THAT really does feel great! 😊 And that's truly the best way to clean it out. The er and most doctor's offices that aren't ear specialist use water, but that just sucks! Sometimes there is so much wax buildup you begin to not be able to hear correctly at all. Then you need to go to the ENT! And the way they get your wax out feels great! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 I wouldn't say orgasmic great, but great nonetheless!! 😆

I used to use qtips because I’d hate the wet and yucky feeling in my ears after a shower. but now I just take my towel and wipe the outer parts then it’s all good! so toss the qtips unless you got toe fuzzies!!!!!

If you are someone who has an issue with excess earwax, as in it effects your hearing, a doctor will help you. My grandpa always had way too much wax. Every few months we would take him to a doctor and they would clean it out and he could hear again. I always got to watch!

As a former ear infection ER patron I can say stop the qtips. I got a LED ear pick that I use to clean my ears out now. I couldn't hear out of the ear at all and it felt like I had a nail shoved in my ear. I finally had enough after a week of not being able to clean it out. ER put some weird grape smelling stuff that helped break it down a bit as well as a bottle of earwax dissolvent. My ear was sticky for 3 days after my visit, but it felt a lot better although I still couldn't hear well. Took a week of my fiancee using the ear pick digging it out and using the dissolvent twice a day before we got it all out. I was told I was lucky it didn't blow my eardrum.

Hahhaha, q-tips go brrrrrrr

What do you do when the inside of your ear itches because of the wax? I usually use q tips just to stop the itching

This was absolutely hilarious!!! 😂 😂 😂 😂

I am the earwash queen where I work it is so satisfying to have someone think they are deaf and once we get it out they are so grateful . Spiders are more common that people think. I find Qtip cotton it is the most common thing i find..no matter what nothing smaller than your elbow should go in the ear .

Lol. I know this. I still occasionally use a Q tip in my year. I caused an ear infection by cleaning my ears. I didn’t go to the doctor until after two weeks. The doctor was like, “why did you wait so long to visit the doctor?” I was waiting for it to go away on its own.

issue for me is, i get ear infections if i DON'T clean the water out of my ears. i had issues with ear infections as an infant

I have used them for decades. I only insert it as far as the cotton head of the Qtip. Never had a complaint from a doctor. Never plugged ears,

You're hilarious and deserve all the $ and whatever other positive things are headed your way! It's SO great you were able to quit your er job!

Hey Steve! I wear hearing aids... anyone who's worn ear buds, you know there's a bit more wax when you use them. Wearing aids all day every day... there's too much wax. It gets physically uncomfortable and bothersome until I clean my ears (with qtips). I know I shouldn't, but just leaving it to naturally push out doesn't feel like an option. What else could I do?

My mother bought this ear cleaning kit where it come with a metal like scooper and it pushes the earwax out and she cleans it well. Just curious if this is like a good method of cleaning your ears. Everyone in my family says I have a lot of earwax and its gross.

There is a vacuum cleaner like device that works to clean ears of wax & water. If I get an ear infection I was told to clean it out with peroxide which I dunk a Q-tip into & it works in seconds. The foam is the peroxide killing the infection. Thank you Steveio for your advisory.💋♥️

You laughing at hour own jokes is cracking me up! 😅🤣😂 you are the best.

I have been using Qtips for over 40 years and have never had a problem with ear wax or infections. I guess I'm pretty lucky.

Ah yes the good old ear g-spot. Very arousing and a wonderful vent for sexual frustrations. (Yay I'm nearly first)

For peroxide it also works to put a little bit in a clogged ear and put a towel and lay on the side of the ear your doing that to

I use earwax foaming solution with those sphere shaped squeeze things you fill with warm water and squirt into your ear to wash out the dissolved earwax. I finally started doing this after I went to the doctor to clean out my ears and a large chunk of earwax was successfully rinsed out. On my walk home, I was finally experiencing how much sound I was missing out my whole life. I genuinely do not remember going to the doctor to get my ears cleaned growing up or my mom cleaning my ears for me (with the exception of ear infection).

I have a water pic machine I use to clean my ears. The best advice a doctor told me many years ago is “never put anything bigger than your finger in your ear”.

I say again, I've been using them for years and I haven't had issues. I just don't push in on the sides. I move it in through the center and then drag the q-tips along the edges *out* of the ear. I also only do it after showering, when the wax is readily sticky. I have never had issues with clogging up my ears. This is an intentionally overly-blanketed statement because the risk of a medical professional or the sellers of Q-tips saying "do it this way" and then being misunderstood is far greater than anything that can come from saying "it's never OK". EDIT: This is not medical advice.

Brilliant! Thanks! 😁👍

I only use them to dry my ears after showering. I use earbuds a lot, and it’s uncomfortable when my ears are too wet. But I don’t go far into the canal, just the immediate area that the earbud touches. No major scraping. Just soaking up excess moisture.

I had a woman use food grade hydrogen peroxide on her daughter's ears... that's the kind used to sterilize butcher shops, it's 35% hydrogen peroxide, compared to the 3% kind found in pharmacies 🤪

I don't think my ears are self cleaning. I've had my ears flushed out by the doctors office during every check up. Last year I had my ears vacuumed by the ent like 4 times.

also some good advice if your tonsils are swollen, use hydrogen peroxide in your ears. personally i haven't had any issues using it alone, but like he said in the video its best to mix it with some water.

So helpful !!

So, what is there to be said about the fact that I have been able to use q tips lightly, gently and not too far in my ear since I was a kid [I am now 30]?! AND, here's the kicker, I have never suffered any repricussions as a result... I don't use the q tips to "clean" my ear; rather, I use them to gently "itch" [hit the g spot as the cool kids like to put it,, I guess] or absorb excess water. What are your thoughts on all of that?

I use bobby pins to clean my ears lol but i got my ear clogged so bad i got hearing damage n need to unclog my ears

I love the smart-assed-ness!!!

I'm 50 and have been cleaning my ears with qtips all my life with no issue. No clogging, no injury, always comes out clean. I also use tap water in my neti pot.

I was pregnant with my son and ears were constantly itching. I'd go to Urgent Care and they would flush them. (true ear-gasm!)Come to find out, I had a yeast infection in my ear!! I've never heard of that before.

“No ones even looking at your ears” says the single man. But no Forreal he’s right. My mom taught me to take a piece of tissue tp or paper towel twist it up and use that to clean your ears. It works well if you get the hang of it and it doesn’t push anything back inside too much

If I lived near your ER you would love me. I have always had very narrow and crooked ear canals which makes it difficult for the earwax to get out on it's own... therefore I have to get it professionally done, usually twice a year and often with a sudden and painful ear infection to accompany it.

Thanks Stevio! If u hadn’t mention it, I may never notice or think about reading the instructions on the Q-Tip box 😅 Speaking of which, my keyboard needs cleaning actually, never occurred to me to use a Q-Tip, sounds like a great idea :)

I’ve been using q-tips 30 years ear infection free. I assume most people don’t know the twist, tilt and pull method. Maybe some people can’t feel the ear wax being pushed into their eardrum?

I seriously cannot pay attention to anything he said after the animated fly went into his ear. It needs to come out!

2:26 that smile ❤️

You have saved my biscuits on this one!!!!!

What about a sterilized bobby pin if it's really itchy inside? If you use it really gently & carefully, of course.

Im working as a nurse for an ear doctor. And i dont know how many people we have every week that used q tips and have ear Problems. Just dont use them. 😒

NEVER stop being a smart ass!😂😂😂 ❤you.

As a doctor once told me, u never stick anything less than ur elbow n ur Ear ,PERIOD, BRIAN FROM IRELAND ❤❤❤

Here's an actual question: The inside of my ear is often very itchy! What do I do in those circumstances?

What causes earwax to turn dark brown? Is that a bad sign?

OMG - i just remembered my Grandma used to use the round end of a bobby-pin to clean her ear, then put it back in her hair! Lol - thanks for the great memories Steve 🥺

Thanks for the information. I thought q-tips we're invented to clean the inside of your ear. Thanks for telling the proper way to clean your ear or let it clean itself.😊