Any updates on swimmers ear concoction?

[DandyDon]

Thanks for all the great feedback!

I decided to go with the 50/50 mix of vin and alc.

Does anyone know how long the shelf life is for that mix?

I believe that DocV said the vinegar starts losing it's acidity after 30 days. It's virtually free to mix up tho.

If 50-50 stings too much, use 33-33-33 with bottled water.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I believe that DocV said the vinegar starts losing it's acidity after 30 days.

Well it still smells like vinegar, even after years. So a capped bottle of 50/50 vin/alc would be something different a few months down the road? I guess that liquid is what I've been curing my ear pain with. If it doesn't really do anything then the placebo effect works for me! :shocked2:

 

[Louma]

Well it still smells like vinegar, even after years. So a capped bottle of 50/50 vin/alc would be something different a few months down the road? I guess that liquid is what I've been curing my ear pain with. If it doesn't really do anything then the placebo effect works for me! :shocked2:

I use the exact same mix and I treat mine the same way --- works for me.

 

[DandyDon]

Well it still smells like vinegar, even after years. So a capped bottle of 50/50 vin/alc would be something different a few months down the road? I guess that liquid is what I've been curing my ear pain with. If it doesn't really do anything then the placebo effect works for me! :shocked2:

You'd have to ask in Medicine forum to get an educated answer on how much acidity it loses in time. Since you're starting with 50% vinegar and not 33%, I suppose you'd have more residual, and even if all broke down, I suppose the alcohol would still be there. I've seen various reports on both ingredients used alone working.

But since it is virtually free to throw it out after a month or so and replace it, I'm sticking with the esteemed doctor's advice.

 

[alex_tx]

Here is a cross thread related to Preventing Swimmer’s Ear.
[Before a dive] Oil your ears
[After a dive] Wash your ears out with White distilled Vinegar
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/269454-ear-infections-4.html

 

[MarKon]

Also, if your ear starts to sting real bad, you should pee in it.

 

[highdesert]

My wife gets swimmers ear ALL the time, even from just showering. She loves to clear the wax from her ears... all the time. She will know way before there is pain to break out the solution.

Totally aside from the swimmer's ear issue, I recall reading in the last year or so that current thinking regarding ear wax is that unless there is an unusually heavy buildup of it that creates a bona fide problem, it should be left where it is (in your ear) to do its job of protecting you from the intrusion of small foreign bodies such as dust, bacteria, little critters, etc. Maybe earwigs too.

 

[DandyDon]

Also, if your ear starts to sting real bad, you should pee in it.

Very good point. You can read anything on the net, including here...!

Totally aside from the swimmer's ear issue, I recall reading in the last year or so that current thinking regarding ear wax is that unless there is an unusually heavy buildup of it that creates a bona fide problem, it should be left where it is (in your ear) to do its job of protecting you from the intrusion of small foreign bodies such as dust, bacteria, little critters, etc. Maybe earwigs too.

It depends on what your doctor says. They always look. Ask next time you see one.

 

[Splash-X]

Totally aside from the swimmer's ear issue, I recall reading in the last year or so that current thinking regarding ear wax is that unless there is an unusually heavy buildup of it that creates a bona fide problem, it should be left where it is (in your ear) to do its job of protecting you from the intrusion of small foreign bodies such as dust, bacteria, little critters, etc. Maybe earwigs too.

Absoutley correct, too bad she wont listen. We tease he because she, at times, shakes her leg like a dog when shes going to town on her ears.

All kidding aside, the mix works great. We don't keep it pre-mixed because we generaly use it at night. We mix in in the cap of the vinegar and pour it in to one ear while laying on a pillow. After 5 minutes put a cottone ball in, roll over and repeate.

Since using the solution I (nor my wife) has had a ear infection.

 

[slackercruster]

Has anyone tested the minimum one needs to use this stuff to get results? Can you get by with it once a day after your last dive? Or does one need it after every dive and snorkel trip throughout the day?