Name: Ear cleaning: Watch out when using cotton swabs!
Uploaded: 2025-11-03T09:51:21.555Z
Duration: 4 min 58 s
Description: Cotton buds can be found in almost every bathroom but if you use them incorrectly, you can accidentally damage your ears. How do you remove earwax properly?

Cotton buds can be found in almost every bathroom but if you use them incorrectly, you can accidentally damage your ears. How do you remove earwax properly?

Nuremberg

Medical professionals are warning the public about the dangers of using cotton swabs for ear cleaning. While a majority of people report using cotton swabs, doctors highlight that this practice can lead to ear infections, wax blockages, and even eardrum perforations. Earwax is not dirt but a protective substance, and in most cases, it should not be removed unless there are specific symptoms such as persistent buildup or hearing issues.

Doctors recommend that visible earwax can be safely cleaned with a tissue or the tip of a pinky finger, avoiding the use of foreign objects. Other home remedies, such as ear candles, are also discouraged due to the risk of burns and injury. Professional cleaning by a healthcare provider is advised for those who experience significant wax buildup or related symptoms.

Ear cleaning: Watch out when using cotton swabs!

Cotton swabs were invented over a hundred years ago, specifically for cleaning ears. In a survey of 1,700 people in the UK, around 62% of respondents said they used them. ENOs and throat doctors, however, have long warned about the risks. There are several reasons why using cotton swabs in this way can be dangerous. ENT doctor Ines Weinziel regularly sees patients who have developed painful ear infections from cotton swab use. Earwax is important. It's not dirt, as is commonly believed. It protects the ear canal, so it makes sense for us to have it, and that's why it should stay where it's produced and not be removed. That's why she actually advises against removing earwax unless you have specific symptoms. Symptoms like Bettina Hanf, she suffers from a persistent build-up. I can feel stuff in my ear canal. My hearing gets worse, it's more muffled. And after showering, when water enters my ears, they don't empty as easily. While most people's ears are self-cleaning, some require professional cleaning by a doctor. This could be because the wax has a particularly sticky consistency, or if the ear canal is very narrow. So Bettina Hanf visits her ENT, Ines Weinziel, several times a year. Yes, quite a lot has accumulated again. I'll remove it now with a small curette. That's a smeared pair of tweezers. I'll fish it out with those. You remember from last time, it doesn't hurt, it might tickle a little. There's quite a lot. Alternatively, a doctor can also use microsuction or flush the wax out with water. However, such methods can carry a risk of removing too much of it, leading to new problems. Earwax contains fats and lysozymes, antimicrobial substances that are also effective against fungi. Without them, we'd have ear infections constantly. The ear is an ideal environment for inflammation to develop. That's why earwax is a very good thing. Many people still feel a need to remove their earwax and reach for cotton swabs to do so. However, this can often cause damage. So imagine there's earwax here and you want to twist it out with a swab. What often happens is it gets pushed deeper into the ear canal. It then gets stuck and the eardrum is slightly tilted. The more you try to get it out, the tighter you pack it. Weinziel regularly sees patients who in this way have developed a real plug of wax that can only be removed by a doctor. Bettina Hanf has now stopped using cotton swabs. Instead, she gets the doctor to clean her ears out for her. You notice immediately that you can hear better, that there's air in your ears again. It's a nice feeling. But cotton swabs not only lead to wax blockages deeper in the ear, the doctor warns. Inserting any foreign object can lead to micro-tears in the ear canal. The problem with using any kind of instrument, cotton buds, paper clips, etc., is that you have no idea where you are in the ear canal. And in an attempt to get at the wax, you often mistakenly slip deeper than you want to. All ENT doctors have seen cotton swabs unintentionally rammed through the eardrum. Sometimes then there's no alternative but surgery. According to a North American study, cotton swabs are behind 45% of eardrum perforations caused by foreign objects. And that's despite the fact that in most cases there's no need to remove the wax in the first place. Sometimes it's a question of appearances. What can you do to remove visible earwax? Ines Weinziel recommends using a tissue. Your pinky fits perfectly into the entrance of the ear canal, so you can clean without going too deep. Your ear will look nice and clean without creating any damage. Doctors warn against other home treatments, too. It's best not to experiment. Ear candles are especially dangerous. I once saw a burn in the ear canal because the hot wax had dripped into it. And that's very difficult to treat because it's so narrow. Recovery was a very lengthy process. Bettina Hanf's ears are now clear again. She'll be back for another session in four months' time.

More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the Los Angeles Dodgers' victory parade on Monday after they won the World Series over the weekend. The Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings in Game 7 to become the first team in 25 years to win back-to-back World Series.

Los Angeles

Dodgers to hold championship parade after World Series victory

A 32-year-old man suspected of carrying out a bloody stabbing on a United Kingdom train is facing at least 10 criminal charges. CBS News' Ramy Inocencio has the latest.

London

UK train stabbing spree suspect faces attempted murder charges

Hamas handed over bodies of three hostages on Sunday (November 2), even as the Palestinian militant group traded blame with Israel for violations of the tenuous truce that has mostly halted two years of war.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Hamas hands over three more hostage bodies amid fragile ceasefire

Israel has threatened to increase attacks on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon if the Lebanese government doesn't disarm the militant group, despite a ceasefire.

Jerusalem

Israel warns of intensified strikes on Hezbollah if disarmament fails

U.S President Donald Trump has long promised to build a ballroom on the White House campus.
He originally said it wouldn’t touch the existing structure. But after just four days, the East Wing is gone. Torn down to make way for a much bigger ballroom than originally planned.

Washington

Trump’s $300m White House ballroom project sparks controversy

Two more suspects, a man and a woman arrested this week over the jewel heist at the Louvre, have been charged and remanded in custody, prosecutors have said. The charges on Saturday brought the number of people now charged over the spectacular robbery to four.

Paris

Two more charged over Louvre jewelry heist

British police say eleven people were injured, most of them seriously, in a mass stabbing on a London-bound train Saturday evening. Authorities have arrested two British-born men and are investigating their motive in the incident.

UK police rule out terrorism after mass stabbing on train

Egypt has officially opened the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the world's largest museum dedicated to an ancient civilization. The new museum features tens of thousands of artifacts, including the full collection from King Tutankhamen's tomb.

Cairo

Grand Egyptian Museum opens after two decades of construction

Voters in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and California have already hit the polls for early voting before election day on Nov. 4. CBS News producer Jared Ochacher is following the New York City mayoral race.

New York

Mamdani commands double-digit lead over opponents in NYC mayoral race

The two-day APEC summit in South Korea has wrapped up with President Lee Jae Myung handing over hosting duties to China. Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced the southern city of Shenzhen as the site for next year's summit.

Seoul

Rise of AI

Global Tariffs

APEC summit ends, Trump and Xi reach truce in trade war

When a US aircraft carrier arrives in the Caribbean next week, there will be 14,500 American troops in and around Puerto Rico. The Trump administration says it's aimed at curbing drug trafficking. But many fear something much bigger to come.

San Juan

Fears of conflict in Caribbean amid U.S military build-up

The coastal town of Black River, described by the Jamaican government as Hurricane Melissa's "ground zero," lies devastated after one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record tore through the island, claiming at least 19 lives and leaving a trail of unprecedented destruction.

Black River

Jamaica reels from catastrophic hurricane Melissa

FBI Director Kash Patel announced an operation that apparently "thwarted a potential terrorist attack" during Halloween weekend in Michigan. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane has more.

Dearborn

Patel says FBI stopped a potential "terror attack" in Michigan

Washington and Beijing are "in agreement on many things," U.S. President Donald Trump said after the face-to-face meeting that lasted nearly two hours, the first between both leaders in six years.

Busan

Trump announces deal with China after talks with Xi in South Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the resumption of nuclear weapons tests for the first time since 1992. A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia had successfully tested a nuclear-powered super torpedo.

Trump orders nuke tests after Russia tests nuclear-powered torpedo

Sudan and the UAE clash at the UN Security Council—Khartoum accuses Abu Dhabi of funding the RSF amid reports of atrocities.

UN Security Council meeting: Sudan and UAE trade heated accusations

U.S.-China tensions cast a shadow over the APEC summit in South Korea — Leaders debate trade, diplomacy, and the bloc’s mission of free trade.

Gyeongju-si

APEC summit: U.S.-China rivalry looms over trade and diplomacy

Microsoft, Meta and Alphabet recently reported their quarterly earnings and one thing is certain: the jaw-dropping investments in artificial intelligence are only just getting started. This all comes just days after Nvidia became the world's first-ever $5 trillion company.

California

Meta stock falls over 10% after commitment to raise AI spending

CBS News has confirmed that the Pentagon ordered all state National Guards to form what they're calling "quick reaction forces" available for rapid deployments to address potential civil unrest.

Pentagon orders state National Guards to form rapid response units

Taylor Taranto has been sentenced to time served plus 36 months of supervised release after being convicted of threatening former President Barack Obama. He was also pardoned on Jan. 6 Capitol rioting charges by President Trump earlier this year.

Taylor Taranto sentenced to time served for Obama threat

Authorities have charged five people in connection with the overdose deaths of three 19-year-olds, including Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, the grandson of actor Robert De Niro.

Five arrested over overdose death of Robert De Niro’s grandson

Prince Andrew is being stripped of his royal titles and must move out of his mansion, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday. Andrew has come under intense scrutiny over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew stripped of royal titles over Jeffrey Epstein ties

French police have now detained seven people over the robbery at France's landmark museum on 19 October.

Louvre heist: Five new suspects arrested as search for jewels continues

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that China has approved a TikTok transfer deal. CBS News White House reporter Willie James Inman has more.

Treasury Secretary Bessent says China approved TikTok transfer deal

As Hurricane Melissa continues its trail of death and devastation through the Caribbean, Jamaica is taking stock. With over 75% of the country without power and $22 billion in damage, experts estimate recovery could take a decade.

Kingston

Jamaica reels as Hurricane Melissa leaves behind devastation

House lawmakers have been told their paychecks will be delayed until Congress passes a new funding bill. CBS News congressional reporter Taurean Small has the latest on the government shutdown.

Breakdown