Itchy Ears from Maybe Not Cleaning Earbuds?

I use my earbuds for many hours day and night, and lately I've started having itchy ears, not deep like an infection but just inside the ear canal where the buds go. So duh, it occurs to me that I never clean them and probably am contaminating my outer ear with germs! Yikes. Any suggestions for what to clean the buds with and also how to treat this itchiness before it gets worse? And don't tell me to see an ENT because that's not on my agenda ever again. Thx!

 

sorry, but in this case go and see an ENT about it, he can clean your ears in a safe way - I would either have it done manually with instruments or air suction and not with a syringe and water. And don't try cleaning your ears on your own as you can cause much damage with that. especially with any kind of Q-tips. We must distinguish here between the bad experience we made when the ENT couldn't help us with the Tinnitus and other things the ENT can really help us with. Getting your ears properly cleaned, treat infections etc. is something we shouldn't do on our own to prevent damage.
BTW the itchiness can also be dryness because of the friction of the ear buds, in which case the ENT would give you cream to treat it.
what kind of ear buds do you use? do they have a removable silicone part? if yes I would remove that part regulary and clean it with a mild soap and water.

 

This is not inside my ear canal it's in the outer ear canal. I know not to do anything inside my ear. These earbuds can't be washed with soap and water....

 

I've got similar. About 4 years ago it started after using headphones a lot. My right ear was itching severely just around the entry to the ear canal, scratching gave momentary relief but then it felt worse, ie: the itching plus pain. I went to the Doctor and he found nothing abnormal and gave me some drops to apply. They were useless. After about 3 months of not using the headphones the itching went away. In the years since that it has recurred when using headphones for more than an hour at a time, sometimes fluid is in the ear when I poke my finger in to get relief from the itch. When there is this fluid in the ear it somehow affects my jaw and it is painful to move my jaw, making eating a sufferance and sleeping on the affected side. I can use earbuds for longer periods of time, sometimes weeks without any problem. Recently I've been using headphones & earbuds a lot and both my ears have been itching and my left jaw was in agony for three weeks. In this situation, I've also become sensitive to some unexpected sounds, ie: when the fridge boots up again after being quite for a while, I sometimes just about jump out my skin. I'm 64 so 'wear & tear' has probably got something to do with it. btw: I keep my headphones & earbuds visibly clean, before using. I've also noticed that the earbuds accumulate small quantities of wax after prolonged use. Also I keep the volume low, just loud enough to appreciate the quality of the recording.

 

Recently i have been checking my ears for wax, putting my finger in my canal but not to deep. Anyway i went to my gp and she checked and there is no wax but my ear canal looked a bit red, she prescribed a spray which has an otoxic antibiotic. Good thing i knew that, no way will i be putting that stuff in my ear. I will stop putting my fingers in my ear and i hope that will clear it up.