How to Get Water Out of Ears: 10 Easy Ways

Water can often get trapped in your ears because of a number of reasons the most common of which can be swimming. The water often tends to drain out naturally but in case it does not then it could lead to infection in the long run.

This infection is often commonly termed as swimmer’s ear. If water is stuck in your ears it can also get unpleasant for you to talk and listen to people because of the blockage. One of the most common unpleasant consequences of water being stuck in your ears is a tickling sensation which could also extend to your throat and jawbones.

Swimming can cause water to be trapped in your ear canal because of excessive exposure to water. However, removing water from your ears is not a hard task as you think it might be. In case you are looking for home made remedies to remove fluid from ears, then this article is the right stop for you.

1. Wriggle your earlobe

The first and the easiest method to drain water out of your ear lobe is to tilt your head downwards towards your shoulder and then gently jiggle the earlobe. You could also shake the head from one side to the other in the same position as mentioned above.

2. Gravity works!

This technique helps to drain out water if it gets clogged inside the ear canal. In this technique you have to lie on one side for a couple of minutes with a towel by your head so that it can absorb the water. The water will drain out of the canal in sometime.

3. By creating a vacuum

In order to create a vacuum tilt your head on one side and then cup your palm over your ear and hold it tight. Now gently push the hand back and do it back and forth in motion for a couple of times. After a couple of times, the water should drain out.

4. Use a hot compress

Sometimes the water might be trapped in the eustachian tube which connects the middle part of the ear to the nasal passage. This technique will help to open the blockage. Herein, use lukewarm water and wet a cloth in it. Ensure that you wring the water out. Now tilt the head on either side downwards, and then apply the cloth on the outside of the ear that is affected. Let it be that way for about 30 seconds and then remove the cloth. Repeat this for a couple of times and then lie on the other side of the affected ear.

5. Blow dryer

Sometimes a blow dryer helps to evaporate the water that is blocked inside of your ear canal. However, ensure that when you are using it to get water out of ears you use the dryer on the lowest setting. And also make sure that you are holding the dryer at least a foot away from your ear and then move it in back and forth motion. Allow the warm air to blow into your ears.

6. Alcohol and vinegar drops

Alcohol helps to evaporate water out of the ears. It also prevents the growth of bacteria in your ears, which could cause infection. So if water is trapped in your ears, you could use alcohol and vinegar drops. Take equal amount of alcohol and vinegar drops and apply three to four drops of it using a sterile dropper into your ears. Now wait for 30 seconds and then tilt your head on the other side to let the water out.

7. Chew or yawn

When water gets stuck in the middle of your ear canal, move your mouth to yawn or chew or do both and it often helps to open the tubes. When you chew gum or you yawn it relieves the tension from the eustachian tube. And once you feel the blockage has opened, tilt the head to let the water out.

8. Olive oil

Use of olive oil is great to prevent infection in your ears, at the same drain water out of the ear canal. For this take some warm olive oil and put three-four drops of it through a sterile dropper into the affected ear. Now lie on one side for about ten to twelve minutes and then tilt your ear downwards. In no time, the water will release out.

9. Use of steam

Warm steam has multiple benefits and one of them is to release water blockage inside the ears. You could take a hot shower or even a sauna with a bowl of warm water. But for the latter, cover your head with a hot towel and keep your face over the bowl and hold on for sometime. Keep inhaling the steam and then tilt your head on one side to let the water out.

10. Medication

If none of the above methods work, you could consult an ENT nearby and take medication which will mostly be a eardrop that you will have to use daily twice or thrice. These eardrops will control moisture inside your ears and also kill bacteria and remove earwax so that there is no congestion inside it.

When water is clogged inside your ears, it can be really disturbing as you cannot hear well nor speak with comfort. Moreover when you are sleeping also, it could lead you to irregular disturbance. So always make sure that if water gets blocked inside your ears, immediately apply one of the above methods and drain it out at the earliest to prevent further infection as it is a delicate area.