Elephant ear was system, this is what the doctor used on both my son and husband. We have since purchased it from Amazon.

I agree with Judi - he needs to see an ear-nose-throat specialist. Excessive ear wax is generally a symptom of an infection. When I had this, I was given antibiotics, and then it went away.

Several years ago my jaw was aching when I chewed food, the doc said it was due to ear wax build up. It was hard as cement so he gave me ear drops to use for 1 week to soften it up and returned to him for a final flushing. About every 10 years I need to have the doc give that 1 ear a flushing, he uses hydrogen peroxide and it's something that I'd rather have a professional do since they can check to look inside the canal to be sure it's all out......and no to the Q-tips.

Thanks, all. I doubt he has an infection. He's had ear wax removed every 12 -18 months for many years. The clinic nurse just said he'd waited too long this time, accumulating too much hardened wax. I think we were wrong to expect the wax to come soften and come out so soon. It appears that he needs to put the formula into each ear for several days before using the warm water flush.

I sure hope this works. It takes 3 - 4 months to get in to see an ENT around here! Not sure I can take more months of hearing, "What? Speak up!"

clt3 -- That's some irrigation gadget! Do your guys need to use it often?

We buy Debrox kits from either the pharmacy or the Big A. Those work the best IMO. Some of our healthcare providers also recommend Debrox before seeing an ENT. But yes, it takes a few days for it to work. You have to use the drops morning and night and then flush if it isn't improving. But generally for us, a few days and it's much better.

People whose ears produce enough wax to impede hearing should do what's necessary on a regular schedule to prevent things deteriorating to that extent.

My ears are probably in the "some wax produced" category. My RN mother taught me in childhood how to gently use Q-tips every few days after showering to keep them unobstructed. That has become a lifelong habit that for my likely slight amount of wax has been successful.

Yeah, I know the saying, "Never put anything into your ears other than your elbow".

Always had a nurse do it (at the doctor's office)--three times in my 78 years. Always the right ear.

FWIW, my mother had this problem, had been seeing an ENT Dr., and was supposed to be using Debrox regularly to keep it at bay, but because she had dementia, she didn't remember to do so and wound up having her ears irrigated when it became so bad she couldn't hear. I started helping her use the Debrox nightly and when her ears were checked a month or so later, she didn't need to go through the cleaning process again.

We didn't have the kit, just the drops

Fun fact - apparently there are 2 kinds of earwax: dry and wet 😃

When I visit my ENT and audiologist they just take a special little tool and scrape it out. If I got my ears flushed I would only allow a an ENT to do it. I wouldn't allow the nurse in my primary doc's office poke around in there either. The hearing I have left is too precious to me.

Debrox has always worked for me on the first try, the occasional times I've had an issue. For me the key is an aggressive flush after. I do it over a large bowl of very warm (not hot) water. Squeeze the bulb hard, and straight in. You feel it when you've aimed right. Very satisfying when the chunk falls into the water!

My adult son's ears have wax build up as well. Once a month he puts an eyedropper of peroxide in his ear and let it sit and foam for about 1 minute. Then he rinses with one of those bulb shaped things that we used to use to clean a baby's nose - fill it with warm water and, head tilted with ear over sink. It lets him rinse with just enough water pressure to rinse the chunks of wax out.

I go the peroxide route too. I have wax build-up in both ears and I used to have the nurse/ tech person do it at the doctor's office but recently I had to sign a disclaimer and I realized that this could not be good since this person isn't trained in this. It actually hurts from the water pressure as well as my getting wet. So when I saw the doc in December he verified I had wax in both ears and I also have ringing. This has been made worse by the new AirPods I bought which pushes the wax further. in. My son gave me an ear wax removal tool camera. It comes with many tools and you put a camera in your ear to see the canal and wax. I have not figured out how to use it. He got one for himself too on Amazon and posted a pic of a little ball of wax. Yuck.

My mom had hardened wax in her ear and was given the softening drops. However However, she was told to come back to have the wax cleaned out. Thought Id throw up when i saw it!

Doctor told me to put an eyedrop of baby oil in the ear once a week after showering. Since I have been doing that I have not had my ear wax removed by doctor. Before that I had a bad case of ear wax and had to go to doctor every several years. I still have to use a ear device to flush warm water in the ear about twice a year. I found this syringe device to be better than a bulb from CVS.

https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-ear-wax-removal-syringe-prodid-440621

I had one doctor use a waterpik (meant for teeth), and so then I started using the waterpik myself with warm water and a somewhat gentle stream. However, I was having to do this once a week, and I did have an infection that needed to be treated as such.

There is a product called "sweet oil" that has been around forever, and is actually olive oil. It comes in a small glass bottle with an dropper. A drop or two of this oil warmed to body temperature or higher will stop an earache almost immediately. I had many earaches as a child and this is what my parents used. It will also soften earwax, so I'm wondering if your DH used a drop or so in his ear once a week if it would keep hard wax from forming ? If you Google "sweet oil", you will find a lot of info about earwax removal, etc.

Thanks for your help. DH has now tried the carbamide peroxide (new vial) for four days, three times a day. Today he tried flushing. No results. He'll continue for another day and make an appointment to return to the Minute Clinic Tuesday. Maybe they will suggest a preventative treatment -- like the olive oil woodrose mentioned.

I think massaging your ear after applying any liquids is also helpful...

https://www.wikihow.com/Massage-Ear-Wax-Out

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448155/#article-19214.s6 

Cerumenolytic meds help thin, soften, break up, dissolve ear wax. Water or oil based ingredients include hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, docusate sodium, sodium bicarbonate, peanut, olive, and almond oils. Typically, up to 5 drops per dose, 1-2 times daily, for 3-7 days.

Docusate sodium (WAXSOL Ear Drops) appears to be the most effective, when used as a pre-treatment before irrigation.

Commonly used is carbamide peroxide (DEBROX). Five to 10 drops are placed 2x daily for up to 4 days. Drops work by releasing oxygen to soften and encourage extrusion of cerumen, also has a weak antibacterial effect.

Meyer F, Preuß R, Angelow A, Chenot JF, Meyer E, Kiel S. Cerumen Impaction Removal in General Practices: A Comparison of Approved Standard Products. J Prim Care Community Health. 2020 Jan-Dec;11:2150132720973829. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

I have had many dermatitis issues for the past several years. The flaky skin in my ears has caused blocked ears. After using every cream and ointment known to man and having my ears flushed several times, one doctor told me to put a couple drops of mineral oil in my ears each night before bed. It softens the wax and pretty much cleans up with my washcloth the next morning. After using many expensive prescribed ointments and lotions my 2 ” miracle drugs” are Vaseline and mineral oil.

Quite some years ago I had to have my ears cleaned out. They said to use the Debrox to keep wax soft and come in once or twice a year to have them cleaned out. Then I watched Dr. Oz, for the first time. He recommended using a turkey baster! I bought a plastic baster and kept it and a cup in the shower. That kept the wax soft and have rarely had to go to Dr. to get them cleaned. Last time I had them cleaned out I asked the nurse if I could have the large syringe that she used to clean them out. No problem! Haven't had to have nurse clean my ears out since then.

I live in a rural area and they don't have the fancy lighted ear cleaning tools like they have in big cities.

This works for me.

BTW, I only watched Dr. Oz twice but did learn about the baster and the neti pot that I use in allergy season.

Update: DH went back to the Minute Clinic yesterday. The nurse was able to flush out gobs of wax. As many here have suggested, she said to put a drop of mineral oil in each ear once a month.

Hooray! No more, "What?" and, "Say again?" Now *I* am the only deaf one. (If I hold my nose and blow, I can hear well in my left ear, but that only lasts a few seconds.)