NHS warns 'never use' common item or risk permanent hearing loss

Ear experts have warned that people need to stop now

We have all heard that cotton buds are bad for our ears - but now the NHS is warning people to stop this before they make a mistake and risk losing their hearing.

On their website, the NHS warns people never "put your fingers or any objects like cotton buds in your ears, even if you think they might be blocked". This is because you risk damaging your hearing and you might not be able to get it back.

As well as warning people to never "listen to music too loudly", stating that "the volume should be just high enough for you to hear it comfortably", health experts at Ear View say that whilst "cotton buds may seem gentle and harmless" they are far from it.

They explain: "By inserting them into your ears you risk causing damage to your eardrums. This can eventually lead to more serious problems, such as a perforated eardrum, tinnitus or hearing loss. Cleaning the earwax out of your inner ear canal will leave your ears dry and itchy."

In fact, if you are trying to get earwax out, you are making it worse by using one. They further explain: "Using cotton buds in your ear canals actually have the opposite of the desired effect. Instead of removing earwax, more commonly they end up pushing the wax further into your ear canal where it can cause more serious problems such as hearing loss, dizziness, infection, earache or vertigo."

So what should use instead of cotton buds?

Ear View's experts suggest that you can gently wash your ears with warm water in the shower. This works and the earwax will soften thanks to the warm water, meaning it will be easier to rinse and remove excess. They also suggest applying a few drops of the oil of your choice to your ear using an ear dropper and leave it to be absorbed.