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How to remove water from the ear

people deal with this troublesome and irritating situation throughout the year.  You take a dip in the pool or get water in the ear when bathing and for some reason the water will not drain out of the ear.  While it might seem innocuous, the reality is that if the water stays in the middle ear, it can become stagnant and cause a middle ear infection.  Middle ear infections can be serious and lead to many other harmful conditions that could, if left untreated, cause hearing loss and deafness.  It is important to get this water out of the ear without causing any damage to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) or the ear canal in general.

Nothing Smaller than your Elbow

Many otolaryngologists will tell you that you should not put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow.  For some reason, most people do not take this advice when they try to clean their ears or remove trapped water in the ear.  Ear swabs are often jammed into the ear canal with the intent to clean them or remove the trapped water can actually cause more problems that they solve.  Most of the time, when ear swabs are used to clean the ear canal, they simply push the majority of the earwax further down the ear canal.  When water enters the middle ear, it finds its way around the packed earwax, and becomes trapped behind it.  To avoid this type of problem in the future, stop using ear swabs in the ear canal.  You can use them on the out ear, to clean the nooks and crevices there, but do not insert them into the ear canal.

Removing the Water

There are a number of ways to attempt to remove the water trapped in the middle ear.  You may find alternative methods on the internet that show promise.  Whatever the suggestion, make sure that you do not insert anything into the ear canal; the last thing you want to do is rupture your eardrum in your attempt to remove trapped water. 

Homemade Ear Drying Solution

One method you can attempt to use is a mixture of vinegar and isopropyl alcohol drops into the ear.  The mixture should be about nearly 50:50 of the two components.  The vinegar will help dissolve some of the earwax that could be holding the water in, and the alcohol will help to dry the ear through evaporation.  You can drop 5-8 drops of this mixture into the ear with the ear tilted up and stay in that position for a couple of minutes or until you feel the mixture penetrate the blockage.  Many times, by simply adding a liquid solution to the ear you can have success in relieving the trapped water.

Break the Tension

Suction can cause water to become trapped by a small amount of earwax acting as a dam of sorts for the water in the ear.  The surface tension of the water holds the water above the earwax line from flowing back out.  When new liquid contacts the water, the surface tension is broken and you will feel the ‘give’.  The trapped water should flow out freely once the new liquid makes contact with the trapped water.

Suction Pump

Another way to break this surface tension is to add pressure and remove pressure in the middle ear.  A word of caution:  too much pressure (negative or positive) can cause damage to the ear, only use small amounts of pressure if you attempt this method.

Place the palm of your hand over the affected ear.  Your palm should have a slight concave shape to it.  Try to form a fairly tight seal and then press into your ear gently, but quickly.  Just as gently and quickly, release the pressure without removing the palm of your hand from your ear.  Repeat this action a few times and, you should be able to break the surface tension on the water allowing it to drain from the ear.  As a variation of this method, you can try tilting your head so that the affected ear is angle downward while you attempt this method. You can also try lying down with the affected ear toward the floor and doing the palm cup suction.

If you are unable to get the water to drain from your ear, you should contact you doctor to have them help you with the problem.  If left untreated, this simple and irritating problem can lead to more serious ear conditions.