The General Chat Room

[Nick Armstrong]

Which a rather "refined" relative assures me is pronounced An-you-sole

[oddoneout]

Which a rather "refined" relative assures me is pronounced An-you-sole

The same refinement that has Americans referring to a planet called Urinous?

[ardcarp]

Which a rather "refined" relative assures me is pronounced An-you-sole

Arsenol in our less refined household.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Urinous?

Which is basically the chief ingredient of Otex, by the way. Olive oil - much better (and far cheaper) bet for dealing with earwax.

[Pianorak]

Cerumol or Otex, both work well. Ear-syringing or micro-suction probably the most effective.

[Dave2002]

Which is basically the chief ingredient of Otex, by the way. Olive oil - much better (and far cheaper) bet for dealing with earwax.

I think Otex is immediately more effective than olive oil, but contains irritants, and hydrogen peroxide, and maybe a few other things. There are warnings about skin conditions in the instructions. I do wonder also whether diet and vitamins might have an effect on ear wax build up. When I had my ears cleaned out a couple of years ago, the doctor who did the micro suction mentioned a lot of dead skin. Perhaps diets which improve skin condition will also reduce problems of dead skin in the ears, and hence reduce ear wax build up.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think Otex is immediately more effective than olive oil, but contains irritants, and hydrogen peroxide, and maybe a few other things.

I think you're right - it's the idea of putting one of the "other things" into my lughole that makes me stick to olive oil.

[Bryn]

I think you're right - it's the idea of putting one of the "other things" into my lughole that makes me stick to olive oil.

Since this is the Radio 3 Forum, perhaps the Beeb's advice might be relevant, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...an-out-my-ears .

[Boilk]

...Also, both my ears are blocked.

...I think this is the first time my room (which I shared growing up with my younger brother) has actually had a proper thorough clean, and as you can imagine, I have hoovered up a hell of a lot of dust.

There may be some connection between blocked ears and spending at least one third of your life in a room with a "hell of a lot of dust". Post-clean up, future likelihood of ear blockage (and maybe even breathing) might improve?

[Joseph K]

There may be some connection between blocked ears and spending at least one third of your life in a room with a "hell of a lot of dust". Post-clean up, future likelihood of ear blockage (and maybe even breathing) might improve?

Perhaps. I didn't mean it had gone entirely undusted, just that there were certain places that had done, e.g. under the beds - awkward places you'd probably clean once a year.

[Serial_Apologist]

Perhaps. I didn't mean it had gone entirely undusted, just that there were certain places that had done, e.g. under the beds - awkward places you'd probably clean once a year.

It's amazing how cobwebs accumulate in such hidden spaces. I wouldn't mind if house spiders did what they're supposed to do, ie deal with damaging insects I always thought they fed on, such as clothes moths.

[oddoneout]

I think Otex is immediately more effective than olive oil, but contains irritants, and hydrogen peroxide, and maybe a few other things. There are warnings about skin conditions in the instructions. I do wonder also whether diet and vitamins might have an effect on ear wax build up. When I had my ears cleaned out a couple of years ago, the doctor who did the micro suction mentioned a lot of dead skin. Perhaps diets which improve skin condition will also reduce problems of dead skin in the ears, and hence reduce ear wax build up.

I think it's more a case that if the wax system is working as nature intended then the debris will be removed in the wax, but where for whatever reason things don't move along then said debris adds to the buildup.

[Padraig]

I think it's more a case that if the wax system is working as nature intended then the debris will be removed in the wax, but where for whatever reason things don't move along then said debris adds to the buildup.

What next - waxbergs!

[oddoneout]

What next - waxbergs!

Well, some of the lumps I get I do wonder! I just wish my hearing would improve when another pea-sized chunk falls out
It would seem that wax problems are (yet) another thing to which advancing age contributes.

[Joseph K]

yes, the entire floor will have to be changed because of this, there's no other option.

… we've not long discovered that this, in fact, is not true.

Happy Pancake Day everyone!