How To Get Water Out of Your Ear

You do not have to be a swimmer to get water trapped in your ear canal. It can happen after any type of exposure to water, and it may cause a tickling sensation in your ear and affect your hearing. You can usually get water out of your ear by tilting your head and gently pulling on your ear.

The water drains out of the ear on its own pretty quickly in most cases but can be very annoying if it stays trapped. It's also possible to develop an ear infection known as swimmer's ear.

"Swimmer's ear is an infection of your outer ear canal, which is bone and cartilage covered by skin and runs from your tympanic membrane (ear drum) to the outside of your head," Christopher Thompson, MD, a head and neck surgeon at Providence Health & Services, told Health.

Water in your ear can result in either a bacterial infection or a fungal infection. These infections are most often caused by water that remains in your ear canal, possibly trapped behind cerumen (ear wax). This moist environment allows bacteria or fungi to grow.

Luckily, it's often not difficult to get water out of your ear on your own. Here are some things you can do when water is trapped in your ear.

1. Tilt Your Head

The quickest and easiest way to get water out of your ear is simply to change your head position by tilting it, Daniel Jethanamest, MD, director of otology, neurotology and skull base surgery at NYU Langone, told Health.

2. Gently Pull on the Ear

Another simple way to get water out of your ear is to gently tug your earlobe toward the back or downward. You may also gently shake your head from side to side while doing this.

"This can often move the cartilage of the ear canal, making it straighter to encourage the water roll out," said Dr. Jethanamest. "Physicians gently pull on the ear this way when we want to examine the ear and tympanic membrane [eardrum]."

3. Flush Your Ear Out

You could try to flush your ear out with a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar if gravity and movement do not work. Apply a few drops of the mixture into your ear using a dropper or small syringe.

"The rubbing alcohol helps dry up the ear, and the vinegar creates an acidic environment that bacteria do not like to grow in," said Dr. Thompson.

Gently rub the outside of your ear. Tilt your head to the side to let the mixture drain out after 30 seconds. Do not use this method if you have an outer ear infection, perforated eardrum, or tympanostomy tubes (eardrum tubes).

4. Use a Hair Dryer

You could use a hairdryer on a very low/cool setting to help air-dry your ear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says to keep the hair dryer inches away from your ear. Gently tug down on your earlobe while moving it back and forth.

5. Dissolve Wax With Hydrogen Peroxide

Dr. Jethanamest recommended using a dropper to insert hydrogen peroxide solution into the ear canal if you feel like you have a build-up of wax and trapped water in your ear. You can get ear drops online or over the counter that combine urea and hydrogen peroxide (carbamide peroxide) to dissolve earwax.

"The hydrogen peroxide can sometimes loosen or dissolve the wax and help get rid of the water trapped in the ear canal," said Dr. Jethanamest. Do not use this method if you have an outer ear infection, perforated eardrum, or tympanostomy tubes (eardrum tubes).

6. Stay Away From Cotton Swabs

You might be tempted to reach for cotton swabs and start poking around in your ear to dislodge the trapped water, but this method is discouraged. Dr. Jethanamest warned against inserting anything deep into your ear, which can cause more harm than good.

You may add bacteria to the area, push the water deeper into your ear, injure your ear canal, or even puncture your eardrum. These complications may require a trip to the emergency room.

What Not To Do

Do not insert anything, including a cotton swab and your fingers, into your ears when trying to get water out. You may increase your risk of:

• Ear infection: A cotton swab might introduce infection-causing bacteria into your ear.
• Impaction: This happens if you push ear wax too far into your ear, blocking the ear canal. You may develop an earache and partial hearing loss.
• Punctured eardrum: The eardrum separates the outer and middle ear. You might puncture the eardrum by sticking an object into your ear. Symptoms include drainage of fluid from the ear, earache, and hearing loss.

When To Contact a Healthcare Provider

Contact a healthcare provider if the above tips do not work and the fluid sensation lasts more than a couple of days. The fluid in the outer or middle ear (otitis media) can become sticky and thick if not treated appropriately.

Signs you may have trapped water in your middle ear rather than the external ear canal include a sensation of fullness or congestion in the ear and hearing loss. You cannot diagnose this fluid build-up yourself. It's important to get an accurate diagnosis from a healthcare provider, especially if you have ear infection symptoms like pain or drainage of fluid from the ear.

Nasal congestion can also sometimes cause middle ear fluid to build up. Over-the-counter (OTC) decongestants or nasal steroid sprays help treat fluid build-up.

A Quick Review

Getting water stuck in your ear is never a pleasant sensation. There are a few simple ways to get water out, from tilting your head to using a hair dryer. Just make sure to stay away from cotton swabs, as they can cause damage to your inner ear.

Reach out to a healthcare provider for further evaluation if you have tried a few methods and the water still will not budge or if this is happening frequently.