A great way to quickly remove the accumulation of water from inside the ear is to tilt your head to the side of the clogged ear, hold as much air with your mouth and then make sudden movements with your head, from the natural position of the ear. head up close to the shoulder.
Another way is to put a drop of a mixture made with equal parts of alcohol and apple cider vinegar inside the affected ear. Once the alcohol evaporates with the heat, the water in the ear canal will dry out, while the vinegar will have a protective action against infections.
But if these techniques don't work, you can still try other ways like:
- Place the tip of a towel or paper in your ear, but without forcing it, to absorb the water; Pull the ear slightly in several directions, while placing the clogged ear downwards; Dry the ear with a hair dryer, at minimum power and a few centimeters away, to dry the ear.
If these methods are still not effective, the ideal is to consult an otolaryngologist to properly remove the water and avoid ear infection.
When you can remove the water, but there is still pain in the ear canal, there are other natural techniques that can help with applying a warm compress over the ear. See this and other techniques that help to relieve ear pain.
How to get water from baby's ear
The safest way to get water out of a baby's ear is to just dry the ear with a soft towel. However, if the baby continues to feel uncomfortable, take him to the pediatrician to prevent the development of an infection.
To prevent water from entering the baby's ear, a good tip is, during the bath, to put a small piece of cotton in the ear in order to cover the ear and pass a little bit of petroleum jelly on the cotton, as the fat in the cream does not allow the water to enter easily.
In addition, whenever you need to go to the pool or the beach, you must put an earplug to prevent water from entering or put a shower cap over your ear, for example.
When to go to the doctor
It is normal for water symptoms in the ear such as pain or hearing loss to appear after going to the pool or showering, however, if they appear when the place has not been in contact with water it can be a sign of infection and, therefore, it is important consult an otolaryngologist to identify the problem and start the appropriate treatment.
In addition, when the pain worsens very quickly or does not improve within 24 hours, an otorhinolaryngologist should be consulted, to identify if there is any type of infection and to start the appropriate treatment.