How To Get Water Out Of Your Ear Quickly And Effectively!

We’ve all experienced water stuck in our ears. Here’s how you can fix it the next time it happens to you!

What It Feels Like

When you have water in your ear, it may not always have that water in ear feeling. Sometimes you may feel a sensation of water sloshing around in your ear or like you have water stuck in ear. Other times it may just feel clogged. Water in ear can be painful, and it can also affect how well you hear. Voices and other sounds may be muffled or seem like you’re underwater.

If you have water trapped in ear, it may have turned into an infection. Because of your waterlogged ear, you may experience jaw pain, fever, a headache, dizziness, and even nausea.

Unclog Your Ears

Before you figure out how to get ears unclogged and how to get water out of your ear, it’s important to know where the water is located in your ear. Water in ears can affect the outer, middle, and inner ear. If you have water in your outer ear, there are easy ways to get water out of your ear.

You may be wondering how to get water out of ear drum or how to get water out of inner ear, but you can’t remove water from ear safely. Instead, you need to visit a doctor when your middle or inner ear clogged with water.

Why Water Gets Trapped

You may be wondering, “How did I get water in my ear?” Most of the time, our ears are designed to let water flow in and out without getting water in your ear. Our ears produce ear wax (yes, it’s a good thing) and the wax protects the ear from things like bacteria, dust, and even insects. The wax removes debris out of the ear and even acts as waterproofing for when you get water in ear from swimming.

Sometimes, as we know from trying to get rid of water in ear, the water can be too deep for your ear to flush it out. As a result, you get water in ears after swimming or showering.

Dangers of Water in Your Ear

A water clogged ear may seem like no big deal, but water in ear hurts. Getting water out of your ear is important; the sooner, the better. If your ear clogged after swimming, you are at a greater risk for infection due to the bacteria that can float around in water. Whether the water is from the shower, a swimming pool, or a natural body of water, an infection is still possible.

Although babies and young children are known to get “swimmer’s ear” (a common name for an ear infection), adults of all ages can get one, too. Why is it so important to get water out of your ear? Ear infections can be painful and may be accompanied by other symptoms like vertigo and jaw pain.

In some rare cases, frequent or untreated infections can lead to hearing loss. If nothing else, treating an ear infection will make you feel better.

How Water Gets in Your Ear

As we know, water in the ear can happen with a simple bath or shower, sitting in a hot tub, swimming, doing water aerobics, or participating in any other water sport.

The greatest danger of water in your ear is an ear infection, but you want to take it seriously and find out how to get rid of swimmer’s ear. Your ears canals are sensitive. If you scratch or injure the inside of your ear, with a cotton swab or another object, you may increase your risk of an infection.

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent water getting in your ears, but keep in mind that they aren’t foolproof. Whether you are going for a swim or taking a shower, ear plugs can be effective in keeping water out of your ear canal. Similarly, a shower or swim cap can protect your ears, especially if you don’t like having things in your ears.

If you are wondering how to get water out of your ears, it’s best to do a water in ear remedy immediately after you get out of the water. There’s no best way to get water out of ear; you may need to use more than one water in ear treatment.

12 Easy Ways to Remove Water from Your Ears

Want to know how to get water out of your ear? Read on to learn how to get water out of your ear quickly:

Gravity

The simple power of gravity is an effective way to get water out of ears. Simply tilt your head to the side and hold the water ear parallel to the ground. If the water is in your outer ear, the gravity method should unclog ear quickly. You might also want to try and lie down on your side to getting water out of ear comfortably and quickly.

Shake/Tug Your Earlobe

After you get out of the shower or pool (or when you feel water in your ear) shake or tug at your earlobe. If this doesn’t get water out of ear, try shaking or tugging your earlobe while your head is tilted to the side (like in the gravity method).

Create a Vacuum With Your Hand

When using the gravity method, place the palm of your hand flat against your ear and press hard for a few seconds. Quickly remove your hand and repeat if necessary. This motion acts as a temporary vacuum and can help to get water out of ear. Only use this method when your affected ear is facing the ground.

Hot Compress/Damp Washcloth

Want to know more about how to get water out of your ears? A hot compress or damp washcloth may help. To make a hot compress, soak a clean washcloth in hot water, wring out the excess water, and hold the compress against your ear for about 30 seconds. Take a brief break, repeat, and do this three or four times. Finish by using the gravity method.

You can also make a hot compress by filling a clean sock with rice, tie off the top and place in the microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. A heating pad works well, too. Always take breaks and never get the compresses too hot.

Blow Dryer

What to do when you have water in your ear? Believe it or not, your blow dryer may help. Your blow dryer can get very hot quickly, so it’s important never to let it touch your ear. Run the dryer on the lowest heat and blow setting. Hold your ear lobe and pull it gently.

As the hair dryer is running, keep it about a foot away from your ear and let the air enter your ear canal for about 30 seconds. Turn the hair dryer off and let rest for 30 seconds. Repeat for no more than four times. If you feel pain or get too hot, stop this method.

Homemade Eardrops – Alcohol/Vinegar

Not only will these drops help in getting water out of ear, but can help to kill bacteria. To make the drops, mix one teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and one teaspoon vinegar. Use a dropper to put two or three drops in your ear. Rub the opening of your ear canal gently, wait 30 seconds, and tilt your head so that gravity can drain out the excess water.

Hydrogen Peroxide Eardrops

Need to know how to get water out of your ear fast? Hydrogen peroxide eardrops are effective due to the effervescent or “bubbly” property. Use a dropper to put four to five drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide into your ear. Let the solution settle for a few minutes (you will hear crackling and bubbling) and tilt your head so the fluid drains out.

Yawn and Chew

If your ears feel clogged, you will want to know how to unclog your ear from water. Yawning and chewing is easy and effective. Before you try the gravity remedy, open your mouth and yawn or do a chewing movement. These motions can create pressure inside your ear and help unclog ear.

Valsalva Maneuver

When you were younger, maybe you asked a friend, “how do you get water out of your ear?” He may have closed his mouth, pinched his nostrils, and took a deep breath. Did you know this remedy has a name?

The valsalva maneuver helps to regulate pressure and get rid of fluid when you gently blow air out of your nose when you pinch your nostrils and close your mouth. Be careful not to blow too hard.

Over The Counter Eardrops

If you don’t want to make your own ear drops (as listed above), you can always head to your pharmacy and purchase OTC ear drops. They are inexpensive and are effective at removing water.

The Oto-Tip

Many people make the mistake of putting cotton swabs in their ear canals, but objects should never enter the canal. The Oto-Tip is a device that cleans your ears and pulls wax from your ear canal, which can allow fluid to leave your ear. Say goodbye to impacted ear wax.

Steam Treatment

Much like other heat remedies, steam treatment can draw fluid out of the ear canal. Pour hot, steaming water in a large bowl (make sure it’s done boiling). Cover your head with a towel, inhale the steam slowly for five to ten minutes. Use the gravity remedy to get excess fluid out of your ear.

Avoiding Water Clogging

Now that you know how water gets in the eat, what it can do to the ear, and even home remedies to get it out of the ear, let’s talk about things you can do to avoid water getting in the ear in the first place. Sometimes the best medicine is preventative medicine, and the same goes for tips.

Earplugs Are Your Friends

Taking the precaution of plugging your ear up when you are getting in the water is one of the best things you can possibly do for your ear to avoid getting drowned again. If you don’t want to go the extra mile because it is just another thing you need to do before dipping into the pool, remember how painful that ear full of water was.

Only Swim in Clean Water

A lot of the problem with water getting in your ear has to do with bacteria. This means you should do a hard check to make sure the places you are swimming are clean and clear, as well as bacteria free. Since you can’t go and test the water, here are some of our tips for avoiding bacteria infested water:

-Ask questions about the pools you get in. It’s worth asking if the water has been cleaned recently and with what.

-Stay away from certain types of water. It is no secret that the water you get in cannot be tested, but you can apply common sense. Make it a point not to swim in places like ponds, lakes, or rivers. The ocean and salt or chlorine cleaned pools are your best bet. When you begin getting into other bodies of water, there is no telling what thrives in them, and these bacteria can easily cause issues of your ear filling with water.