Why ear washing is important

Everyone knows the importance of washing their hands, but far fewer people know the benefits of good ear hygiene. Taking care of your ears is essential for your well-being. Just like the hands, the ears accumulate dirt, bacteria and environmental residues that can negatively affect health.

There are many methods for keeping the ears clean, but one of them is particularly effective and recommended: ear washing, a practice that consists of placing warm water or saline spray solutions inside the ear cavity to help clean and wellbeing the ear.

Ear washing can be performed in an outpatient setting by ENT specialists who use a syringe without a needle to place warm water or solutions inside the ear that soften earwax and facilitate its discharge. But washing your ears thoroughly is not only useful against the accumulation of earwax, in fact, if neglected the ear can have even more serious problems such as infections, inflammations and various itches, so it is always a good idea to start with thorough hygiene, even on a daily basis.

How do you wash your ears at home? At home, we can make use of ear sprays that allow us to take care of the ear on a daily basis and help prevent possible complications, avoiding as far as possible recourse to specialists. The sprays act in a similar way to ear washing, but through less pressure, as constancy and daily use should prevent the presence of more stubborn accumulations of earwax or particles. In short, by washing the ears every day, the ear canal is more aerated and cleaner, also helping to resolve mild irritation and redness.

Sprays based on isotonic solutions, meaning those with a salt concentration similar to that of the human body, are the safest and most well-tolerated, as they do not alter the osmotic balance of the cells. In general, these solutions are a safe and suitable choice for adults and children to support everyday ear hygiene. Sprays enriched with natural ingredients with specific beneficial activities for the skin of the ears can also be found on the market, for example Aloe Vera, with its moisturising action, Chamomile with its soothing properties or Tea Tree oil with its antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

In all cases, it is important to follow the washing phase with a good drying of the inner ear canal, using a soft towel or handkerchief, to eliminate excess water and reduce the risk of the area remaining moist for too long.