Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPop Your EarsCreate a VacuumInhale SteamGargleUse OTC MedicationWhen to See a ProviderMedical Treatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Pop Your Ears
Create a Vacuum
Inhale Steam
Gargle
Use OTC Medication
When to See a Provider
Medical Treatment
Knowing how to drain fluid from your middle ear safely can help you avoid serious complications that sometimes occur with fluid buildup.
Fluid in the middle ear (serous otitis media) can be due to amiddle ear infection,allergies, a sinus infection, a viral infection, and even acid reflux.If you catch the signs early, you may be able to prevent more serious symptoms including pain and hearing loss.
Home remedies include applying a warm compress and inhaling steam, but over-the-counter medicines may also work to open the ear canals and drain the fluid. If these methods don’t help, though, you should seek medical attention to have the fluid drained.
Gently “Pop” Your Ears
If you are unable to pop your ears with the above techniques, try this:
You should feel a little pressure inside the ear as you press in. You may feel or hear a slight pop when the Eustachian tube opens.
To help the water drain, tilt the earlobe downward and pull on it gently up and down, back and forth.
Steam inhalation through the nose is known for clearing the sinuses. And because the Eustachian tube is connected to the sinus cavity, steam can also open up a clogged tube and allow trapped fluid in the middle ear to drain.
You can inhale steam using a personal steam inhaler, an electric device that turns water into steam and has a soft, flexible plastic mask that you hold up to your nose.
You can also fill a large bowl or pot with boiled water, cover the back of your head with a towel, lean over the bowl, and breathe through your nose.
Gargle With Saltwater
Healthcare providers often recommend gargling with salt water to enable fluid to drain from the ears. This may help in a few different ways.
Warm salt water helps soothe and shrink swollen tissues and is a go-to natural remedy for sore throats, which often accompany earaches.
Because the Eustachian tube connects to the back of the throat, a saltwater gargle may help relieve swelling in the ear as well, allowing trapped water to drain.
To gargle with salt water, add a teaspoon of salt to one cup of warm water. Stir and allow the salt to dissolve. Take a mouthful of saltwater, keep your throat closed, and tilt your head back. Gurgle for 30 seconds to one minute.
Ease Symptoms With OTC Medication
Medications can’t drain fluid from your middle ear, but they may make related symptoms more tolerable while you wait for your condition to resolve on its own.
What Not to DoThough it may be tempting, avoid digging into your ear with cotton swabs, your finger, or any other object. Doing so can introduce bacteria into the ear canal and cause a minor irritation to become an infection. Putting objects into your ear can also push water deeper into your ear and scrape orpuncture the ear drum.
What Not to Do
Though it may be tempting, avoid digging into your ear with cotton swabs, your finger, or any other object. Doing so can introduce bacteria into the ear canal and cause a minor irritation to become an infection. Putting objects into your ear can also push water deeper into your ear and scrape orpuncture the ear drum.
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
If left untreated, serous otitis media can cause hearing loss. If at-home treatments don’t drain the middle ear, or you have other symptoms listed here, see your healthcare provider:
Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and examine your ear, looking for redness and swelling in your ear canal. They may also take a sample of any abnormal fluid or discharge in your ear (ear culture), especially if you have recurrent or persistent ear infections.
How Middle Ear Infections Are Diagnosed
When At-Home Treatments Don’t Work
If you have tried home remedies and over-the-counter treatments without success, or if your healthcare provider suspects a bacterial infection, these treatment options may be needed:
Summary
Fluid in the middle ear can lead to an infection. However, if you can drain the fluid from your ears before bacteria or other infections can colonize, you can avoid complications. Pay attention to the signs of a clogged Eustachian tube and use simple steps to pop your ears, draw out the fluid, reduce inflammation with salt water, or manage symptoms with OTC medications.
If symptoms get worse or don’t improve, see a healthcare provider.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Otitis media with effusion.Boys Town National Research Hospital.Ear fullness.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing swimmer’s ear.South Florida ENT Associates.How to treat clogged ears.Mount Sinai.Uvulitis.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.Piedmont.How to unclog stuffy ears.Bonney AG, Goldman RD.Antihistamines for children with otitis media.Can Fam Physician. 2014;60(1):43-46.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Ruptured eardrum.American Academy of Otolaryngology–Heat and Neck Surgery.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).MedlinePlus.Ear tube insertion.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Otitis media with effusion.Boys Town National Research Hospital.Ear fullness.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing swimmer’s ear.South Florida ENT Associates.How to treat clogged ears.Mount Sinai.Uvulitis.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.Piedmont.How to unclog stuffy ears.Bonney AG, Goldman RD.Antihistamines for children with otitis media.Can Fam Physician. 2014;60(1):43-46.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Ruptured eardrum.American Academy of Otolaryngology–Heat and Neck Surgery.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).MedlinePlus.Ear tube insertion.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Otitis media with effusion.Boys Town National Research Hospital.Ear fullness.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing swimmer’s ear.South Florida ENT Associates.How to treat clogged ears.Mount Sinai.Uvulitis.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.Piedmont.How to unclog stuffy ears.Bonney AG, Goldman RD.Antihistamines for children with otitis media.Can Fam Physician. 2014;60(1):43-46.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Ruptured eardrum.American Academy of Otolaryngology–Heat and Neck Surgery.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).MedlinePlus.Ear tube insertion.
MedlinePlus.Otitis media with effusion.
Boys Town National Research Hospital.Ear fullness.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing swimmer’s ear.
South Florida ENT Associates.How to treat clogged ears.
Mount Sinai.Uvulitis.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Middle-ear infection in adults.
Piedmont.How to unclog stuffy ears.
Bonney AG, Goldman RD.Antihistamines for children with otitis media.Can Fam Physician. 2014;60(1):43-46.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Ruptured eardrum.
American Academy of Otolaryngology–Heat and Neck Surgery.Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa).
MedlinePlus.Ear tube insertion.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
