Literary thousands of you have asked me about ear hygiene and cleaning them over the years. First of all. I am not an expert and this is not medical advice. I am just passing on what has worked for me so far.
We all have different levels of ear sensitivity and in defense and accordingly our ear canals fill up with ear wax. I have been told several times that this is a kind of prevention for the ears, a “natural airbag” that protects the ears.
Everyone accumulates different amounts of earwax, and some people have no problem at all in dealing with too much earwax. I have had constant stuffing in my ears for over twenty years and have tried numerous methods to deal with it.
Why is it important for music lovers and audiophiles to have clean ears? Well, mainly to hear properly :). But seriously, our ears are already prone to a certain imbalance that can be quite annoying to some people to start with. With high-end audio systems that project sound with pinpoint accuracy, there are axis deviation phenomena that can cause people to go crazy trying to figure out what’s causing the imbalance.
It may be earwax!
If anyone has ever had earwax removed at the doctor’s office, it’s not a pleasant experience to see all the lumps and different-sized pieces being removed. Still, it is worthwhile to see how much earwax can be present and the extent to which it can block hearing.
The first thing that can be the result of earwax in the ear is an altered perception of high frequencies by the ears. At best, if you twitch two fingers near the ear or stroke a thumb across the cloth, you should hear exactly the same thing.
If you do not, that could be an indication that one ear has a plug of wax. If there is more dried wax, the lower frequencies will begin to cause an annoying droning effect that can even cause nausea.
So what can you do now? My first to-go thing is a small spray dose of a mixture of olive oil and seawater.
Pharmacies in different countries offer different solutions. I feel it is the most natural mixture to use. I usually spray this mixture in the ear at least once a week (be sure to check with your doctor) to soften the earwax.
If you feel, that your ears might be filled with earwax, it’s worthy to spray the ears with this mixture before going for a check-up, because what follows is usually cleaning the ears with a larger injection filled with lukewarm water.
This is a somewhat unpleasant affair, but very effective. At least in my case.
So before doing this, I usually spray my ears 3-5 days before my appointment with the doctor to clean them. If the earwax is not softened and moussed, it will not leave the ear canal and you have to come back a few times. I have learned my lesson and prefer to prepare the ears for a one-time cleaning.
You would not believe (if you have not done it) how much-dried earwax can be accumulated. And most importantly, once everything is cleaned out of the ears, you will not believe what a difference it makes.
Whether it’s a hobby, a full-time job, an occasional treat, etc., it’s worth it to check whether earwax prevents the music from fully penetrating two beloved receptors.
I hope this helps some of you, and I am sure some of you will have some kind of aural revelation :).
There are thousands of golden ears out there and it is more than worthwhile to have them ready to enjoy the music with full force.
Matej Isak