Prevention

Follow these tips to avoid swimmer's ear:

• Keep your ears dry. After swimming or bathing, tip your head to the side to help water drain from your ear canal. Dry only your outer ear, wiping it gently with a soft towel. You can safely dry your outer ear canal with a blow-dryer if you put it on the lowest setting and hold it at least a foot (about 0.3 meters) away from the ear.
• At-home preventive treatment. If you know you don't have a punctured eardrum, you can use homemade preventive eardrops of 1 part white vinegar to 1 part rubbing alcohol. This solution promotes drying and helps prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. Before and after swimming, pour 1 teaspoon (about 5 milliliters) of the solution into each ear and let it drain back out. Similar over-the-counter solutions might be available at your drugstore.
• Swim wisely. Don't swim in lakes or rivers on days when warnings of high bacteria counts are posted.
• Protect your ears while swimming. Wear earplugs or a swimming cap while swimming to keep your ears dry.
• Protect your ears from irritants. Put cotton balls in your ears while applying products such as hair sprays and hair dyes.
• Use caution after an ear infection or surgery. If you've recently had an ear infection or ear surgery, talk to your doctor before swimming.
• Avoid putting foreign objects in your ear. Never attempt to scratch an itch or dig out earwax with items such as a cotton swab, paper clip or hairpin. Using these items can pack material deeper into your ear canal, irritate the thin skin inside your ear or break the skin.

What to do about earwax

Earwax usually moves to the opening of the ear canal, where you can gently wash it away with a damp cloth. It's best to leave it alone and let earwax do its job.

If you have an excess of earwax or it's blocking your ear canal, you can do two things rather than digging it out. See your doctor or use an at-home cleaning method. Follow these steps for safe at-home cleaning:

• Soften the wax. Use an eyedropper to apply a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil, glycerin or diluted hydrogen peroxide in your ear canal.
• Use warm water. After a day or two, when the wax is softened, use a rubber-bulb syringe to gently squirt warm water into your ear canal. Tilt your head and pull your outer ear up and back to straighten your ear canal. When finished irrigating, tip your head to the side to let the water drain out.
• Dry your ear canal. When finished, gently dry your outer ear with a towel or blow-dryer.