Why You Shouldn't Use Alcohol & Wintergreen to Clean Your Ears

No. Alcohol with wintergreen should never be used to clean your ears.

Wintergreen is an essential oil that can be toxic if used improperly. It can cause skin irritation, eye irritation, and respiratory problems. In some cases, it can even be fatal.

It's also not effective for cleaning your ears. In fact, it can actually damage the eardrum and lead to hearing loss. Alcohol dries out the ear canal and kills natural oils that protect the area from infection. This also slows the healing of any current ear infections.

If you need to clean your ears, use a cotton swab with warm water only. Never insert the cotton swab into the ear canal.