Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCommon Objects That Get Stuck in the EarSigns Something Is in Your EarRemoving Things Just Inside the EarRemoving Something Deep in Your EarWhat You Should Not Do to Remove ObjectsWhen to See a Healthcare Provider

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Common Objects That Get Stuck in the Ear

Signs Something Is in Your Ear

Removing Things Just Inside the Ear

Removing Something Deep in Your Ear

What You Should Not Do to Remove Objects

When to See a Healthcare Provider

The best way to get something out of your ear, whether it’s deep or at the edge, will depend on what it is. While there are some home remedies you can try to remove an object or clear a blockage, you don’t want to make the problem worse. You may need to see a healthcare provider to resolve the issue.

Objects that could get stuck and causeear pain, especially among children, include small toys and beads, but also pebbles, insects, or food. In addition to ear pain, it may causedrainageor even muffledhearing loss.People also may feel like something is stuck in an ear when it’s really aninfectionorearwax.

This article explains both the techniques you can try to remove an object in your ear, as well as what not to do. It will help you to know when you need to see a healthcare provider to clear your ear.

An illustration of a person shining a flashlight into another person’s ear.

It’s common for people with something stuck in their ear to see a healthcare provider. One study of 333 children, with a mean age of about 6.5 years, found about half were seen in an emergency department for objects that couldn’t be removed. These common objects include:

The most common item found in the ear is cotton.Other items in ears can include paper, and pebbles and rocks. Water beads can be a special problem in the ear because the toy beads are designed to swell in size.

If you notice something in your ear, stay calm and try at home to remove it. However, if it is lodged or doesn’t come out right away, be sure to seek medical attention. It’s also important to get immediate care if your symptoms include difficulty breathing or trouble with staying alert. Keep in mind that certain objects, like sharp items (an earring, for example) present a greater risk for injury.

People will often feel the pressure and discomfort of an object lodged in the ear. They also may be aware of what happened when it became stuck, although nonverbal children may not be able to explain it. In some cases, as with an insect in the ear, you may not know that it’s happened.

Among the more common symptoms that you have with an object in the ear are:

Some people also may experience dizziness or balance problems, depending on what exactly feels stuck in the ear and how long it’s been going on. With a stuck earwax plug, there may also be a cough or itchiness around the ear.

Foreign objects often can be seen in the ear. If you can’t see it, a healthcare provider may be able to visualize the object using a special scope, called anotoscope, to look in the ear.

Field of Otolaryngology: When to See an ENT Specialist

There are a few techniques you can try when a foreign object is stuck just inside the ear.

Tilt Your Head

Sometimes using gravity can do the trick to encourage a foreign object in the ear to move outward. This technique is helpful if you can see the object.

To use gravity to encourage an object out of your ear, tilt your head to the side. You can gently shake your head to try to move it downward, but avoid banging on your head.Importantly, this technique uses only gravity and no other assistance, so don’t stick anything into your ear to “reach” the object.

Keep Tools Away

What to Do (and Not Do) If Your Ears Are Blocked With Wax

Use Warm Oil

If theobject in your ear is an insect, you should turn your head so the affected ear is facing upward. Sometimes the bug will crawl out. If the critter doesn’t emerge, you can try warm oil to see if that helps the insect float out.

To use oil in the ear, follow these steps:

If it does not come out, you should seek medical care. However, even if the bug comes out, it is still essential to see your healthcare provider since insects and their parts can irritate the sensitive tissue of theear canal.

Never stick fingers or other objects into the ear when trying to remove a bug. Doing so may cause theinsect to bite or sting.

Over-the-counter (OTC) earwax removal products that contain hydrogen peroxide are an alternative to warm oil. They will produce gas bubbles, which may help dislodge the object so it can fall out.

There are limits to what you can do about getting something deep out of your ear. In some cases, a healthcare provider will need to remove the object or you may need to make an emergency department visit.

Objects deep in the ear also may be stuck for a longer time as you’ve tried unsuccessfully to remove them. How long an object can safely remain in the ear depends on the type of object, but generally it is more likely to cause injury, infection, or increased pain if it is there for a longer time.

Hearing aidsdon’t usually get stuck in the ear. But parts may become more vulnerable with use and care, like cleaning, if you take them apart.Contact a hearing specialist if you think a hearing aid or one of its components is stuck in your ear.

In your attempts to get a foreign object out of your ear you should not insert anything into the ear. You also should try to prevent a child from doing so. Examples include:

While warm oil is a home remedy that may work for removing an insect that’s not deeply lodged, it should not be used for other objects in the ear. Much like the problem with water beads, the oil could make an object like food or paper swell in size and become more stuck.

If the object in your ear does not fall out on its own, you should seek medical attention. The sooner you seek help, the better, since an object left too long in the ear can lead toinfectionand damage to tissues in the ear, including the delicateeardrum.

This is a common complaint in the emergency department in children and adults. Emergency room healthcare providers perform a thorough exam using tools to look into the deeper part of the ear and magnify the area so they know what object they are removing.

Doctors use several methods to extract foreign objects in the ear. These may include:

Only qualified healthcare providers should perform these interventions; you should never attempt them at home. Your provider also can discuss self-care with you, such as using warm compresses for pain relief or chewing gum to relieve ear pressure.

In some cases, the symptoms of pain, pressure, or hearing changes associated with a foreign object in the ear actually have a different cause, like infection or eustachian tube dysfunction. It’s important to see a healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis.

Summary

Foreign objects, including bugs, pebbles, and food, commonly end up in people’s (especially children’s) ears. You can try a couple of things at home, like using gravity to let an object fall out or oil to help an insect float out.

However, it’s vital never to stick anything in your ear during your attempts, as that can cause an object to lodge even deeper. It’s likely that a healthcare provider will need to remove an object that’s too deep for you to see or reach, and it’s important to know if you actually have another reason for your symptoms. They can diagnose the cause.

12 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.Stanford Children’s Health.Foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and throat.Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear Pain: Diagnosing Common and Uncommon Causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018 Jan 1;97(1):20-27. PMID: 29365233.Mingo K, Eleff D, Anne S, Osborne K.Pediatric ear foreign body retrieval: A comparison across specialties.Am J Otolaryngol. 2020 Mar-Apr;41(2):102167. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2019.01.010.Woodley N, Mohd Slim MA, Tikka T, Locke RR.Not ‘just’ a foreign body in the ear canal.BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Apr 29;12(4):e229302. doi:10.1136/bcr-2019-229302.Zalzal HG, Ryan M, Reilly B, Mudd P.Managing the Destructive Foreign Body: Water Beads in the Ear (A Case Series) and Literature Review.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2023 Sep;132(9):1090-1095. doi:10.1177/00034894221133768.Oyama LC.Foreign Bodies of the Ear, Nose and Throat.Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2019 Feb;37(1):121-130. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2018.09.009.Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, Ballachanda BB, Hackell JM, Krouse HJ,et al.Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) Executive Summary.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 Jan;156(1):14-29. doi:10.1177/0194599816678832.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Insects in the ear.Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Caring for your hearing aid.Merck Manual Professional Version.How to remove a foreign body from the external ear.Azarpazhooh A, Lawrence HP, Shah PS.Xylitol for preventing acute otitis media in children up to 12 years of age.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Aug 3;(8):CD007095. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007095.pub3.

12 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.Stanford Children’s Health.Foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and throat.Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear Pain: Diagnosing Common and Uncommon Causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018 Jan 1;97(1):20-27. PMID: 29365233.Mingo K, Eleff D, Anne S, Osborne K.Pediatric ear foreign body retrieval: A comparison across specialties.Am J Otolaryngol. 2020 Mar-Apr;41(2):102167. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2019.01.010.Woodley N, Mohd Slim MA, Tikka T, Locke RR.Not ‘just’ a foreign body in the ear canal.BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Apr 29;12(4):e229302. doi:10.1136/bcr-2019-229302.Zalzal HG, Ryan M, Reilly B, Mudd P.Managing the Destructive Foreign Body: Water Beads in the Ear (A Case Series) and Literature Review.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2023 Sep;132(9):1090-1095. doi:10.1177/00034894221133768.Oyama LC.Foreign Bodies of the Ear, Nose and Throat.Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2019 Feb;37(1):121-130. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2018.09.009.Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, Ballachanda BB, Hackell JM, Krouse HJ,et al.Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) Executive Summary.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 Jan;156(1):14-29. doi:10.1177/0194599816678832.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Insects in the ear.Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Caring for your hearing aid.Merck Manual Professional Version.How to remove a foreign body from the external ear.Azarpazhooh A, Lawrence HP, Shah PS.Xylitol for preventing acute otitis media in children up to 12 years of age.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Aug 3;(8):CD007095. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007095.pub3.

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.

Stanford Children’s Health.Foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and throat.Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear Pain: Diagnosing Common and Uncommon Causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018 Jan 1;97(1):20-27. PMID: 29365233.Mingo K, Eleff D, Anne S, Osborne K.Pediatric ear foreign body retrieval: A comparison across specialties.Am J Otolaryngol. 2020 Mar-Apr;41(2):102167. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2019.01.010.Woodley N, Mohd Slim MA, Tikka T, Locke RR.Not ‘just’ a foreign body in the ear canal.BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Apr 29;12(4):e229302. doi:10.1136/bcr-2019-229302.Zalzal HG, Ryan M, Reilly B, Mudd P.Managing the Destructive Foreign Body: Water Beads in the Ear (A Case Series) and Literature Review.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2023 Sep;132(9):1090-1095. doi:10.1177/00034894221133768.Oyama LC.Foreign Bodies of the Ear, Nose and Throat.Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2019 Feb;37(1):121-130. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2018.09.009.Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, Ballachanda BB, Hackell JM, Krouse HJ,et al.Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) Executive Summary.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 Jan;156(1):14-29. doi:10.1177/0194599816678832.Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Insects in the ear.Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Caring for your hearing aid.Merck Manual Professional Version.How to remove a foreign body from the external ear.Azarpazhooh A, Lawrence HP, Shah PS.Xylitol for preventing acute otitis media in children up to 12 years of age.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Aug 3;(8):CD007095. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007095.pub3.

Stanford Children’s Health.Foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and throat.

Earwood JS, Rogers TS, Rathjen NA.Ear Pain: Diagnosing Common and Uncommon Causes.Am Fam Physician. 2018 Jan 1;97(1):20-27. PMID: 29365233.

Mingo K, Eleff D, Anne S, Osborne K.Pediatric ear foreign body retrieval: A comparison across specialties.Am J Otolaryngol. 2020 Mar-Apr;41(2):102167. doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2019.01.010.

Woodley N, Mohd Slim MA, Tikka T, Locke RR.Not ‘just’ a foreign body in the ear canal.BMJ Case Rep. 2019 Apr 29;12(4):e229302. doi:10.1136/bcr-2019-229302.

Zalzal HG, Ryan M, Reilly B, Mudd P.Managing the Destructive Foreign Body: Water Beads in the Ear (A Case Series) and Literature Review.Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2023 Sep;132(9):1090-1095. doi:10.1177/00034894221133768.

Oyama LC.Foreign Bodies of the Ear, Nose and Throat.Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2019 Feb;37(1):121-130. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2018.09.009.

Schwartz SR, Magit AE, Rosenfeld RM, Ballachanda BB, Hackell JM, Krouse HJ,et al.Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction) Executive Summary.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2017 Jan;156(1):14-29. doi:10.1177/0194599816678832.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Insects in the ear.

Mount Sinai.Ruptured Eardrum.

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Caring for your hearing aid.

Merck Manual Professional Version.How to remove a foreign body from the external ear.

Azarpazhooh A, Lawrence HP, Shah PS.Xylitol for preventing acute otitis media in children up to 12 years of age.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Aug 3;(8):CD007095. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007095.pub3.

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