How often should you have ear wax removed?

Most people never need ear wax removed at all, because the ear canal clears itself. There is no recommended schedule: the right time is when wax is causing symptoms, or when it needs to come out so a clinician can examine your ear or fit a hearing aid. If your ears block regularly you will usually learn your own pattern, and for some people that means having it cleared once or twice a year.

Do you need to remove ear wax at all?

For most people, no. Wax is made in the outer part of the ear canal, and the skin lining the canal slowly carries it outwards, helped along by the movement of your jaw when you talk and eat. By the time it reaches the entrance it has dried out and falls away. Our guide to what ear wax is and why it builds up explains the process in more detail.

Being able to see some wax at the entrance of your ear is normal, and so is finding a little on a towel. Neither means your ears need clearing. NICE guidance for the NHS recommends removing wax only when it is contributing to hearing loss or other symptoms, or when it has to come out so the ear can be examined or an impression taken for a hearing aid.

The same logic applies to private appointments. A clinic can remove wax whenever you like, but removal is a treatment for a problem, not a routine clean.

Signs it's time to have your ears cleared

The cue is a change in how your ears feel or how well you hear, not the calendar. It is worth booking an appointment, or at least trying softening drops first, when you notice any of these:

Wax usually builds up slowly, so the change can be easy to miss. Often someone else notices first: a partner who says the television is too loud, or a colleague who has to repeat themselves on your blocked side. If that sounds familiar, take it as a cue.

Our guide to the signs of ear wax build-up covers each symptom, including the ones that point to an infection or another problem rather than wax.

How often people who build up wax tend to need it

Some people do block again and again, and a rough pattern tends to emerge. This table is a starting point rather than a rule. Your own ears, and the advice of the clinician who looks in them, count for more.

There is more on each group in our guides to ear wax and hearing aids, earphones and ear wax and ear wax in older adults.

Can you have ear wax removed too often?

Yes, in the sense that removal you don't need does nothing for you and carries small risks. Wax coats the skin of the canal, keeps it supple and repels water. Strip it all out repeatedly and some people find their ears become dry, flaky and itchy, which leads to scratching and sometimes to an outer ear infection.

The procedures themselves are safe in trained hands, but they aren't completely free of side effects. After microsuction, some people notice brief dizziness, a little soreness or ringing from the noise. Rarer problems include a scratch to the canal wall, infection and, very occasionally, damage to the eardrum. Those risks are well worth taking when wax is causing trouble. They aren't worth taking for an ear that was fine.

A clinician who looks in and finds very little wax should tell you so. It is perfectly reasonable to ask at the start of an appointment whether your ears actually need clearing.

Keeping wax under control between appointments

If you are one of the people who block regularly, a few habits can stretch out the time between appointments. None of them will stop your ears making wax, and that is as it should be.

Our guide on how to use ear drops shows the technique that gets softening drops where they need to go. For swimmers there is separate advice on swimming, showering and ear wax.

Should you book ear wax removal regularly?

For a small number of people, planning ahead makes sense. If you wear hearing aids and know your ears block roughly once a year, booking removal a week or two before your hearing aid review saves a wasted visit. The same goes for anyone having a hearing test or ear impressions taken, since wax can affect both. Our guide to ear wax and hearing tests explains how to time the two appointments.

Regular checks can also help people who can't easily say that their ears feel blocked, such as some people living with dementia or a learning disability. A carer who notices someone turning the television up, missing conversation or becoming withdrawn can ask a GP or practice nurse to look in their ears.

Everyone else is better off waiting for symptoms. There is no need to have your ears cleared before a holiday or a flight if they feel fine, although it is worth sorting out an ear that already feels blocked before you fly. Our guide to blocked ears after flying explains why.

If you are paying privately, our guide to ear wax removal costs sets out typical UK prices, and ear wax removal on the NHS explains what your GP surgery may still offer.