50% alcohol and 50% vinegar to clean ears after swimming?

[Rastarea]

Originally Posted by Cpt Balu

Hi guys,
One of the blue water guides I was recently reading said one rule should be to clean your ears with 50% alcohol and 50% vinegar after each swim?
You guys have experiences? Seems a bit over carful to me but happy for Tipps.

I am prone to that but maybe you are not. Don't do it as prevention, wait and see. But if developp the problem, I am using a mix of 25% rubbing alcool, 25% vinagar and 50% olive oil. Mix in an eardrop small bottle. Just a couple of drop when you get out of the water.

[Hoosierdoc]

Originally Posted by dkenny64

interesting..
what about using essential oils? many are anti-fugal, anti-bacterial...
mix on alcohol or witch hazel..


just wondering...not mentioned yet?? or did I miss it??



-dkenny64

How more essential can you get than alcohol?

[becrux]

Prevention is good, but alcohol can be extremely painful if an outer ear infection has already developed.
Peroxide is painless and kills bugs fast.
Lie down. Fill the canal. Leave it in till the bubbles stop.
Turn over and repeat. Twice a day for one day.

Cheaper than all those antibiotics (which certainly have their place) and always available.
If this doesn't fix you in a day, it might be deeper in the ear. See a doctor.

But prevention is best. Keep it dry.

[SVQW]

Originally Posted by Cpt Balu

Hi guys,
One of the blue water guides I was recently reading said one rule should be to clean your ears with 50% alcohol and 50% vinegar after each swim?
You guys have experiences? Seems a bit over carful to me but happy for Tipps.

This works really well. Have been using it for years.

[Taipe]

Good advice! And, thank you for correcting me on the geater incidence of bacterial vs. fungal infections in swimmer's ear. For some reason, I have seen more than my share of apparent fungal infection (mycelia with and w/o fungal spores) in kids swimming in lake water in the mid-west of the U.S. in the summer months. And, some of those could have been mixed with other microorganisms. On the other hand, it comes as no surprise that for people who swim in or near tropical estuaries, fungal and mixed bacterial-fungal infections of the ear canal increase in frequency. Any of these can get nasty real fast, and as you say, require medical attention without delay.











You said:

Common swimmer's ear is otitis externa, which does not normally involve the middle ear, and is most often caused by a bacterium, and less commonly by a fungus.

[Cpt Balu]

Thanks for all the useful Tipps!
We will use a mixture of 50% alcohol from the pharmacy and vinegar. Can I use normal vinegar from the supermarket?

Thanks

[boatman61]

Damn.. I must be really lucky as I have never used or had to ever.
Used to spend 1hr at a time morning and evening from 10 to 17yrs old training..
Swum in waters in the Atlantic, Med and Caribe plus various pools all over.
Was taught when young by my Dad to hold head to one side and hop to jar loose any water then dry the ear well with thin cloth and little finger while head tilted well to the side and a wiggling motion to remove any lingering moisture.
So far so good.

[a64pilot]

Normal vinegar. I have always used white vinegar myself.
I believe cheaper white vinegar isn’t really vinegar but some kind of dilute acid?

[SoonerSailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Normal vinegar. I have always used white vinegar myself.
I believe cheaper white vinegar isn’t really vinegar but some kind of dilute acid?

Acetic acid. That is what white vinegar is. Tasty vinegar is the same thing with additional flavoring. So white vinegar can come from a chemical synthesis tank, or by distilling naturally fermented products.

[Normanskier]

I replied to this post before. But seeing the interest I looked up what my ENT doc prescribed; Domeboro Otic. It’s a combination of acetic acid and aluminum sulfate, aka vinegar and Burroughs solution. You can buy it off the shelf or in a pinch mix it up with the two widely available products. It works.

I tend to stay away from the IPA, alcohol as it would sting if any abraided area is present.