Ear beer

[bullfrog]

I use 80% alcohol 20% vinegar and it works for me the alcohol displaces the water and the vinegar changes the pH what you want to do is eliminate basic water in your ears. Since WD-40 stands for water desiccant 40 it should also work about somebody giving it a try letting us know how it works

[TraviTheDiver]

I'm a pharmacist and used exactly the same formula on my last year's Full Cave course in Mexico. 1/3rd of each (I have 70% Isopropyl Alcohol in my pharmacy and a 5% white vinegar at the grocery store available to me).
Apply few drops to each ear and lay down for 5 minutes on each side, twice a day, morning and evening, before and after day's diving activities. It worked like a charm (my previous visit in Mexico gave me a full blown ear infection after 3 days in caves).
I have also recommended that recipe for a nurse here, and he has used it with great success (previous history of ear infections after snorkeling).

I was told the important part was the 5 min that a few have mentioned. Apparently, it takes that long to change the pH enough to kill any bacteria. Never verified that, but I used to get infections all the time even with ear beer until I started letting it sit at the end of the day.

[michael-fisch]

I use:
- 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
- 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
- 5% White Vinegar

1:1:1 ratio. 5 drops into each ear twice a day (before and after day's diving activities). Lay down on each side for 5 mintues after application to allow solution to work it's way through.
Use regularly during diving days.

Thank you, that is exactly the info that I was looking for.

Michael

[divindoc]

Ear Beer after each dive, whatever percentage of alcohol/vingegar floats your boat. FWIW I use 50/50 91% isopropyl/white vinegar from Publix.

Oh, and keep the damn Qtips out of your ear canals. They may feel good, but tend to impact wax into your external ear canal (which has the profile of an hourglass) which then traps water behind the wax, inhibiting the ability of the ear beer to work. The protective coating of wax in the canal is very thin, and the tissue overlying the cartilageous portion of the canal very delicate as well, and easily abraded by the cotton of a Qtip (or bobby pin/Bic pen caps for the old school canal cleaners out there).

I've treated literally hundreds of cases of otitis external ("Swimmer's Ear") over the years and abrasive cleaning of the canal is a commonplace association with these infections.

Oh, and apologies to Johnson and Johnson for using their trademark (Qtip) but I don't know what else to call them

[Sludge]

Cotton swabs.

[rddvet]

Cotton-tipped applicators is the generally appropriate medical term


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[cmint]

Cotton swabs.

Two things I don't mind spending money on -- good toilet paper and REAL Q tips.


and to keep this on topic - I use the same recipe previously mentioned, 1/3 90% alcohol, 1/3 3% peroxide and 1/3 white vinegar. It works great. When I start to feel the itch of an ear infection, that'll knock it right out before it takes hold.

[Nitrogenius]

I used various types..
But for me simple 70% isopropyl alcohol applied for several minutes to each war At the end of diving day with flushing the ears with cleaned bottled water right after each dive works best for me..