Best Swimmer’s Ear Treatments: Home Remedies and Medications

Keep your ears dry

When you have swimmer’s ear, keeping your ears dry can help lower the risk of more bacteria and fungi growing in your ear canal. This can help your infection from getting worse. 

Keeping your ears dry can also make you more comfortable. Drainage from swimmer’s ear can be irritating and itchy. 

Plus, making sure your ears are dry can help prevent swimmer’s ear.

Remember that swimming isn’t the only way to get water in your ears. Everyday things like bathing and humidity can add moisture in your ears. If your ears are wet, try these tips to help prevent swimmer’s ear: 

• Tilt your head to the side to help water drain out of the ear canal. 

• Gently pat your ears dry. 

• You can also use a hair dryer on the lowest setting to dry out your ear. 

Take a break from swimming

If you have signs of swimmer’s ear like pain, itching, or redness around the ear, it’s best to avoid swimming for a while. This can help you avoid getting a new infection while your old one is still trying to clear up. 

Most experts recommend staying out of the water for 7 to 10 days if you have swimmer’s ear. 

If you can’t stay out of the water, take steps to avoid getting more water in your ears. Consider using a bathing cap or well-fitting earplugs to prevent water from getting in your ear. And pat dry your ears after you get wet.

Use drying eardrops

It may seem counterintuitive, but using eardrops can help clear and dry out the ear canal. 

You can make eardrops to prevent swimmer’s ear at home by mixing equal amounts of rubbing alcohol and distilled white vinegar. After swimming, put a few drops in each ear. This combination helps dry out your ear canal and prevents the growth of bacteria. 

Good to know: Don’t use homemade eardrops if you have ear tubes or a hole in your eardrum without first talking with an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist or a healthcare professional. Homemade rinses can increase the risk of serious infection in people with a hole in their eardrum.

Homemade ear rinses can sometimes help relieve symptoms of swimmer’s ear. But many people also develop skin breakdown inside the ear canal when they have swimmer’s ear. Alcohol, vinegar, and other rinses may cause further irritation. 

It’s best to talk with a healthcare professional before using a homemade rinse when you have swimmer’s ear. 

Apply heat

Gentle heat around the ear can help relieve swelling and pain from swimmer’s ear. Try applying a heating pad or a warm compress around your ear for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Keep the heating pad on low and wrap it in a towel to avoid burns. 

Try over-the-counter pain relievers

Pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin) can reduce discomfort from swimmer’s ear. They’re available over the counter (OTC). Here’s what to know about them:

• Acetaminophen generally starts working in 45 minutes. You can take it every 4 to 6 hours.

• Ibuprofen starts working within 30 minutes. You can take it every 6 to 8 hours. 

Make sure to follow the dosing instructions closely, especially for children. 

Antibiotic and steroid eardrops

Prescription medications are a common and effective swimmer’s ear treatment. They’re usually in the form of eardrops. A healthcare professional will prescribe the best medication for you based on whether your eardrum is involved and if you’re at high risk for complications.

Prescription eardrops for swimmer’s ear often include antiseptics, antibiotics, steroids, or a combination of these. Common swimmer’s eardrops are:

• Hydrocortisone / acetic acid (Acetasol HC) eardrops

• Neomycin / polymyxin B / hydrocortisone eardrops

• Ciprofloxacin / dexamethasone eardrops

• Ciprofloxacin eardrops

• Ofloxacin eardrops

• Cipro HC eardrops

Oral antibiotics

For a simple swimmer’s ear infection, it’s not recommended to use oral antibiotics. But there are some cases when a healthcare professional may recommend an oral antibiotic to help prevent a more serious infection from developing. For example, if you have a condition that makes you more prone to serious infections or it’s too difficult for you to use eardrops. Options can include:

• Levofloxacin

• Ciprofloxacin

Avoid garlic oil

Garlic has some antibacterial properties. However, studies show that garlic doesn’t work as well as antibiotics to treat swimmer’s ear. Plus, garlic oil can cause skin irritation or burns inside the ear canal.

Avoid hydrogen peroxide

Excess earwax can sometimes make you more prone to swimmer’s ear. That’s because wax can trap bacteria and water in the ear canal. 

You can use OTC products like Debrox. Or you can use a home mixture of equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water to soften and remove wax. This may help to prevent swimmer’s ear.

However, you should never use these drops if you have symptoms of swimmer’s ear. They can cause more damage to the ear canal. These drops should also not be used if you have ear tubes or a hole in the eardrum.

Avoid ear candles

Ear candles are a home remedy that some people use to remove wax and debris from the ear canal. However, ear candles can cause serious burn injuries and aren’t recommended for treating swimmer’s ear. 

Avoid cotton swabs (Q-tips)

Resist the urge to put cotton swabs like Q-tips (or any other objects) into the ear to try to clean it out. This can damage your ear canal and increase your risk for infection. 

Avoid essential oils

Various essential oils have been reported to help treat ear infections. One small study looking at a combination of three essential oils found that they worked as well as ciprofloxacin antibiotic eardrops to treat otitis externa. But the study was small. And essential oils can cause allergic reactions or damage the eardrum. That’s why experts don’t recommend essential oils for treating swimmer’s ear.

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