Earwax on stethoscope.

[Sugar-Phosphate]

Hi all,

So this is a weird question, but how do you avoid earwax on your stethoscope ear buds. I have tried many different methods to keep my ears clean, from the not recommended q-tip to hydrogen peroxide, and yet my ears produce lots of wax. I find if I take the ear buds out, they are a little slimy. So, what do you do?

On a funny note, it would deter people from using my steth lol!

[rn/writer, RN]

That "slime" is there for a reason. It's meant to trap bacteria and other foreign substances before they get to the delicate inner workings of your ear. Earwax isn't "dirty," so you don't have to remove it for your ears to be clean. A healthy ear should have plenty of wax.

Q-Tips and H2O2 can cause problems, especially if you are using them frequently. I would suggest simply wiping the ear buds when you're finished with your stethoscope.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

You could also try a different type of earbud -- maybe something larger that doesn't go INSIDE your ear canal, but just rests along the outside of the orifice instead?

[Sugar-Phosphate]

Even something that doesn't go inside my ear still gets wax on it. My ears produce so much. I have tried also leaving it alone [ears] and it gets worse. My earwax gets so thick it comes out of the ear canal. Then they get really itchy.

[caliotter3]

Just settle on the fact that you will have to clean your steth ear pieces each time you use them. Perhaps an ENT doc can make suggestions. Maybe see if you can get a referral.