The 5 Best Ways to Get Water Out of Your Ear

Never stick anything into your ears to try to get the water out, including cotton swabs. You could accidentally push the water further into your ear, introduce bacteria, or even damage the ear canal or eardrum.

6 Ways to Get Water Out of Your Ears

Kristin Hayes, RN, is a registered nurse specializing in ear, nose, and throat disorders for both adults and children.

John Carew, MD, is board-certified in otolaryngology and is an adjunct assistant professor at New York University Medical Center.

There are many ways to get water out of your ear if you’ve been swimming or have recently taken a bath. You can try tilting your head down, placing facial tissue against your ear, or using ear drops.

Having water in one or both of your ears may decrease your hearing, make your ears feel like they need to pop, or otherwise just feel annoying.

Students who make it into medical school pay a lot of money for the privilege of eventually becoming a doctor, with medical school students in the class of 2019 graduating with an average of $201,490 in student debt, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges as reported by Nerd Wallet. That’s an increase of 2.5% from 2018.

Leaving excess water in the outer ear canal can increase your chances of developing an infection called swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear occurs when moisture allows bacteria or fungi inside the outer ear canal to grow. It can be prevented by keeping your ears dry.

Some people are more prone to developing swimmer’s ear than others. If you’ve had this infection in the past, you should be extra cautious about keeping your ear canal clean and dry.

You can prevent getting water in your ears in the first place by wearing earplugs (available over the counter at most drug stores) while bathing or swimming.

How to Get Water Out of Your Ears

Try these techniques for getting water out of your ears after swimming or bathing:

• Tilt your head down or lay on your side so that gravity allows the water to run out. You might wish to place a folded towel under your head and lay down on a pillow. It may be helpful to gently pull your ear lobe down to straighten the ear canal out and make it easier for the water to run out. You can also try gently shaking your head from side to side. (Do not shake anyone’s head side to side if they are an infant or child.)
• Use a hairdryer on a low (cool) setting to gently dry your ears. Be careful not to hold the dryer too close to the ear to avoid burns. It may be helpful to tug on your ear lobe (pulling it down toward your shoulder) or gently move it from side to side while using the blow dryer.
• Use a facial tissue to draw water from the ear canal. Place a tissue gently against your ear and tilt your head to the side, allowing the tissue to absorb water.

Ear Drops

If the above methods don’t work and you don’t have a condition that has impaired your eardrum, you can try ear drops.

• Rubbing alcohol and vinegar: Use one part rubbing alcohol and one part vinegar. Lie on your side while another person uses a dropper to put three to four drops of the solution in your ear. Remain on your side for another 30 seconds, then tilt your head to allow all the fluid to run out of your ear.
• Hydrogen peroxide: Use three to four drops of hydrogen peroxide. Leave it in your ear for one to two minutes before tilting your head to allow the fluid to run out.
• Over-the-counter ear drops: If you choose an over-the-counter ear drop, make sure you follow the directions on the package. The ear drops should be used at room temperature. If they are too cold, you might get dizzy or feel strange when you put them in your ear.

What Not to Do for Water in Your Ears

Never stick anything into your ears to try to get the water out, including cotton swabs. You could accidentally push the water further into your ear, introduce bacteria, or even damage the ear canal or eardrum.

Do not put any kind of drops in your ear if you have had recent ear surgery, have had surgically placed ventilation tubes, or could have a ruptured eardrum.

When to Call Your Healthcare Provider

Even if you are unable to get the water out of your ears with one of the methods listed above, your ears will usually clear out on their own within a day or two.

Call your healthcare provider if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Ear pain
• Redness, itchiness, or flaking skin in the ear canal
• Sudden or persistent hearing loss
• Drainage from the ear that is bloody, yellow, green, milky, or foul-smelling
• Any other symptoms that seem unusual or do not go away

It should also be noted that fluid can be trapped behind the eardrum. This is not the same as getting water in the outer ear canal after going swimming or taking a bath, though both conditions can cause similar symptoms. Fluid in the middle ear is much more common in small children than in adults, although it can occur in all age groups.

If you have fluid behind the eardrum, you won’t be able to get rid of it with one of the methods listed in this article. Your healthcare provider may choose to observe you and see if the fluid goes away on its own (usually over a period of months) or to prescribe an antibiotic, or you may need the surgical placement of ventilation tubes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I do to keep water out of my ears when I swim?

Well-fitting ear plugs should do the trick, but you can get extra protection by wearing a tight swim cap made of silicone that fits over your ears.

What causes swimmer’s ear?

Typically, swimmer’s ear, or otitis externa, is caused by a bacterial infection. The bacteria most often involved are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Less often, a fungal infection is the reason for outer ear infections.

What kind of ear plugs work best for keeping water out of the ears during swimming?

Any type of ear plug sold for swimming should work. You may need to try different ones to find a pair that feels comfortable and stays in place in your ear. Do not use foam plugs designed to block noise; they won’t prevent water from seeping in. You also can see an otolaryngologist, a doctor who specializes in the ears, nose, and throat, about having custom-fitted ear plugs made.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ear infections.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Swimming and ear infections.
4. Wiegand S, Berner R, Schneider A, et al. Otitis externa. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(13):224-234. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0224

By Kristin Hayes, RN
Kristin Hayes, RN, is a registered nurse specializing in ear, nose, and throat disorders for both adults and children.

The 5 Best Ways to Get Water Out of Your Ear

Getting water in your outer ear canal may be irritating, but it’s rarely serious.

Symptoms are similar to having wax in your ear — muffled hearing (although your own voice sounds louder) and a feeling that your ear is stopped up — but you’ll know it’s water because you’ve just been swimming, bathing, showering or even sweating profusely, says William R. Blythe, MD, an otolaryngologist in private practice in Opelika, Alabama.

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The trick is to get it out quickly. If water is stuck in your ear for days, it could lead to an infection called swimmer’s ear (otitis externa). Here’s how to drain your ears at home quickly.

1. Shake Your Head

The majority of folks can get water out of their ear just by shaking their head after they get out of the pool, tub or shower.

“For the most part it’s easily dislodgeable,” says Rupali Shah, MD, associate professor in the department of otolaryngology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. “Tilt your ear over, sometimes jiggle your ear or pat it. It’s almost like you need to break the tension just to get it to fall out.”

2. Enlist Gravity and Time

Tilt your head to the side so your ear faces down toward the ground.

“Gravity is your best friend,” Dr. Blythe says. “Turn to the side and give it a little bit of time. A lot of times, particularly if the water is cool, when it gets to body temperature, it will just drain out.”

You can also pull your ear away from your head (gently) to move things along. “This straightens the ear canal and may help water drain out,” Dr. Blythe says. Sometimes massaging your outer ear can help drain the canal, too, he adds.

3. Wipe Your Ear With Your Finger and a Washcloth or Tissue

But never with a Q-tip or other implement like a bobby pin or paper clip.

“It’s perfectly fine to put your finger or washcloth or a tissue down as far as your finger will go,” says Dr. Blythe. “[That way], you cannot get very deep into the canal and you won’t hurt anything.”

Putting anything else in there runs the risk of severely damaging your ear.

4. Use a Solution of Alcohol and Vinegar

According to the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, applying a solution that’s equal parts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar can get rid of the water. The alcohol dries while the vinegar, which is similar in acidity to the ear, prevents your ear form getting infected, explains Dr. Blythe.

A medicine dropper is the easiest way to apply a couple of drops, he adds.

Over-the-counter ear drops from your local pharmacy are typically a similar mixture of alcohol and vinegar, says Dr. Blythe.

Warning

Don’t use this method if there’s any chance you have a hole in your eardrum, say from an impact like falling while water skiing, or if you have a history of ear trouble. The solution will burn your ear, Dr. Blythe says.

5. Try a Solution of Vinegar and Water

Kristen Angster, MD, a specialist in the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, recommends a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water (ideally distilled water). “The vinegar is the right pH [acidity] for the ear canal, so it will help dry it without overly drying, which alcohol can do,” she explains.

The trick is that the solution has to be body temperature, otherwise it’ll make you dizzy. “Ideally, you want to sit down in a bathtub so you don’t fall if you do get dizzy,” says Dr. Angster. “Mix it in a cup and draw it out with an infant medicine syringe from a drug store. Test the mixture on your wrist, then tilt your ear down towards the ground and gently shoot it up into the ear.”

Be sure the syringe tip isn’t too long so it doesn’t hurt your ear.

What About Q-tips?

No, no, no to Q -tips or cotton swabs in your ear. The same goes for anything else “smaller than your elbow” inserted into your ear, Dr. Shah says. These could severely damage your ear.

“Some people have really short ear canals, which means the eardrums are much closer to the surface than you realize,” says Dr. Angster. “And when you put any foreign body in your ear, it packs the wax down deeper and makes it harder to remove.”

What About Peroxide?

Hydrogen peroxide or peroxide-based drops are typically used to remove earwax when it’s blocking the ear canal, says Dr. Blythe. It’s not recommended for water, and it can change the pH level of the ear, setting the stage for infections.

Even to remove wax, Dr. Angster dissuades patients from putting it in their ear at home. “If it gets caught in the wax, it can get pretty irritating,” she says. “You can dissolve the wax but there’s no way to get it out and I wouldn’t do it for just water.”

Bear in mind that fluid in your ear that doesn’t drain may actually be earwax, says Dr. Blythe. In this case, it’s time to see your doctor.

What About Suction?

Theoretically, you could cup your hand around your ear to create a suction or vacuum effect, tilt your head and push your hand to and from the ear to draw out the water.

In reality, this might be difficult to do. “It’s pretty hard to get a good seal on the ear canal, so it’s probably not going to really help,” says Dr. Angster.

What About Blow Drying?

Dr. Shah doesn’t recommend it. “I would worry more about someone burning their ear with a hair dryer,” she says.

If you do decide to go this route, the Mayo Clinic recommends using the lowest heat setting and holding it at least one foot from your ear.