How to Get Water Out of Your Ear?13 Ways to Remove Water Stuck in Ear

Not sure about how to get water out of your ear after swimming or taking bath? Here are the 13 home remedies to get rid of water in the ear.

Sometimes, water stuck in the ears after swimming or taking bath. Water in your ears gives you annoying and irritating sensation and does not drain on its own. This condition is also known as swimmer’s ears. Getting the water out of ears is tedious for most of the people.

So today I will give you some easy ways to getting water out of ears.

How to Get Water Out of Your Ear?

Here are the 13 best ways to get water out of your ears.

1. Jiggle Your Ear Lobe

This is the simplest and best way to get water out of your ear quickly. Water stuck in the ear should be easily removed by this jiggling method.

• Tilt your head sideways and gently giggle your ear with fingers.
• If the water doesn’t drain away completely, then shake your head while giggling.
• Also, you can hit opposite side of your head with your palm to drain water completely.

2. Vacuum Treatment

Getting the water out of the ear is easy with vacuum treatment. This is one of the most proven methods to get water out of ears and most people found useful after trying this method.

• Tilt your head sideways and be sure it should be at 90-degree rotation. That is after tilting your clogged ear should be parallel to the ground.
• Then tightly seal your clogged ear with your palm for few seconds and release it immediately.
• Repeat this seal and release process for few times. You can notice the water discharge from your ear.
• Use the pure cotton swab to drain out the discharging water from your clogged ear.

3. Yawn, Chew or Blow

How do you get water out of your ear with yawning, chewing or by blowing? Looks weird right?

The repeated jaw motion is helpful in getting the water out of an ear. The water is trapped in the Eustachian tubes. These Eustachian tubes are the passages that connect the ear to the back of nostrils. This tube is helpful in regulates air pressure on the air.

Yawning, Chewing, and Blowing creates some jaw movements and ease the Eustachian tubes. Water stuck in the ear are released during the above actions. So you will be free from water clogged ears.

Do yawning or chewing for few minutes to get faster relief. There is no need to wait until you yawning naturally. You can do like yawning by opening your mouth wider to make wider jaw movements.

Also, try to chew a bubble gum and blow out air or blow balloons to get water out of your ear faster.

4. Blow Dryer

If you don’t know how to remove water from your ear using the above methods, don’t worry. Try blow dryer to release the trapped water from your ear.

• Hold a blow dryer about 10 inches away from your ear.
• Then set the blow dryer to its lowest settings.
• Turn the dryer on and aim it directly into the ear canal.
• Move it back and forth to let the warm air blow into your ear.
• The heat from the blow dryer evaporates the water on your ear.

Avoid the close contact of a blow dryer to prevent yourself from skin burning.

5. Whip the Clogged Ear With Cotton Cloth

Gently clean your clogged ear with a cotton cloth. Don’t push the cotton towel inside your ear. Since this will push the water further back into your ear.

• Tilt your head sideways.
• Gently rinse your ears with a clean cotton cloth.

Don’t use a cotton swab to clean your ear, which may remove your ear wax.

6. Rubbing Alcohol and White Vinegar

The homemade solution also does wonder in removing water from your clogged ear. Mix both the white vinegar and rubbing alcohol in equal proportions and pour few drops of it on your clogged ear to get rid of water out of the ear.

• Take a tablespoon of white vinegar in a small bowl.
• Add a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol in it.
• Mix it well.
• Pour 3-4 drops on your clogged ear.
• Repeat this twice per day.

The vinegar and rubbing alcohol mixture can dry out the water stuck in your ear. Further, it kills the bacteria on the ear and avoids further infections.

Don’t pour more drops on your ear and don’t use it often. Since it may dry out the moisture from your ear. Swimmers use this lotion to get rid of water from ears and the condition is called as swimmers ear.

7. Heat Treatment

The heat treatment may ease the Eustachian tubes and helps to get rid of water in your ear. To remove water from your ear, all you need is just a clean cotton cloth and hot water.

• Dip the cotton cloth in a hot water.
• Wring out the water from the cloth.
• Place the hot cloth against your clogged ear for 20-30 seconds.
• Repeat this for 3 to 5 times and lie down on your side.
• This will help the trapped water to drain out completely.

8. Hot Water Steaming

Steaming is a well-known process to cure a common cold and sore throat. It is also helpful in removing the water from your ear. It keeps the ear passages clear and gives instant relief. After steaming, tilt your head sideways and helps the water comes out from the ear easily.

• Take 1 Liter of water in a large bowl.
• Add 8 drops of Eucalyptus oil in it.
• Then boil this mixture. Once the water boils, it is ready for steaming.
• Just inhale the steam coming from the boiled water.
• Deep breathing gives you better results.
• Don’t go very closer to boiled water, it may hurt you.
• Drape a cloth over your head to trap all the steam coming from boiled water.
• Have a small cloth to blow your nose during this process.
• Inhale the steam for at least 10 minutes (Take small breaks if you become too warm).
• Tilt your head sideways and helps the water comes out from the ear easily.
• Repeat this procedure 2-3 times per day.
• You can also use tea tree oil or peppermint oil or Olbas oil instead of eucalyptus oil.

9. Hydrogen Peroxide Eardrops

Hydrogen peroxide is well known for its cleaning property. You can buy hydrogen peroxide ear drops at your nearby pharmacy. If you like to make a homemade hydrogen peroxide drops to get water from your clogged ears, make sure to use diluted hydrogen peroxide.

Don’t use the concentrated one, since it will do major harm to your ear. Use water to dilute the hydrogen peroxide around 3%.

• Pour 3-4 drops of diluted hydrogen peroxide in your ear.
• Leave it on for 5 minutes.
• Then tilt your head sideways to allow the trapped water come out from the ear.

Further, it clears your ear from wax, debris, and bacterial infection. Don’t use this method if you are already having any ear infections.

10. Valsalva Maneuver

Valsalva maneuver is one of the best ways to get water out of the ear.

• Tightly close your mouth.
• Squeeze your nostrils shut with your fingers.
• Then take a deep breath and slowly blow the air from of your nose.

The popping sound indicates that the water stuck in the ear is drained out from the Eustachian tubes.

11. Try Olive Oil

Not sure about how to get water out of your ear after swimming or taking bath? Olive oil comes to rescue you from clogged ears.

Olive oil has antiseptic properties, thereby it prevents the ear from further infection. Moreover, putting few drops of olive oil into each ear before swimming will ease the ear channel and help prevent water from getting trapped in the ears.

• Take 50 ml of olive oil in a small bowl.
• Heat the olive oil and make it warm.
• Then allow it to cool.
• Use the ear dropper and pour 3-4 drops of olive oil in the ear.
• Leave it on for 5-8 minutes.
• Then tilt the head sideways and remove the oil and the trapped water with a soft ear bud.

Olive oil has many surprising uses, including getting water out of your ear.

12. Garlic

Garlic is an edible herb that is very helpful in getting water out of your ear. It has antibacterial, antiseptic and antiviral properties. Also, garlic can boost up your immune system and relieve you from respiratory infections.

Method 1:

• Crush 2 pieces of Garlic cloves and extract its juice.
• Pour 2-3 drops of this garlic juice on the ear to get water out of your ear.

Method 2:

• Take 50 ml of olive oil.
• Add 2 pieces of crushed Garlic cloves in it.
• Heat the oil to a simmer and make it warm.
• Then allow it to cool.
• Use the ear dropper and pour 3-4 drops of olive oil and garlic mixture in the ear.
• Leave it on for 5-8 minutes.
• Then tilt the head sideways and remove the water stuck in the ear with a soft ear bud.

13. Try over-the-counter medication Eardrops

You can use over the counter ear drops to remove water in your ears. Most are alcohol-based and work by killing bacteria or removing earwax and debris. You can get these OTC ear drops at your nearby pharmacies.

• Pour the OTC drops in your ear as per the instructions on the bottle.
• Then tilt the ear down to drain the affected ear.

When to consult your doctor?  

Consult your doctor if you have the following problems.

• If the trapped water in your ear does not drain out after 2 days.
• Ear becomes inflamed or swollen
• If you have any ear infection.
• If you are infected with eczema.
• Children under 3 years of age.
• Stinky smell from the ear.

In a nutshell,

Sometimes, water stuck in the ears after swimming or taking bath. Water in your ears gives you annoying and irritating sensation and does not drain on its own. This condition is also known as swimmer’s ears.

Trapped water usually goes away without treatment. Try the home remedies to get water out of ear faster. Next time, if you are thinking about how to get water out of your ear remember these methods.