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Mouthwash Relief For Severe Ear Ache

Submitted by Eddie B

Apply a tea spoon of mouthwash into the infected ear. I don't know if any one will do but I used a store brand of Blue Mint Antiseptic Mouth Rinse. It worked like magic.

Visitors comments

wow Comments By: zac its 230 in the morning and im falling apart with a horrible sore throat and a bad ear pain but half a cotton ball in listerine and its all better, the pressure is still there but lets get real people its not gunna take away drainage too. but for a quick fix until morning this is amazing, THANK YOU!   It Works!!! Comments By: Sue from Delaware My 17 yr. old daughter woke up Christmas morning at 4 am with severe shooting ear pain. I soaked a cotton ball with mouthwash and put it in her ear. It took her pain away immediately! I have told everyone about this. I few days later I took her to the doctor and she had swimmer's ear but this remedy did take away her severe pain.   WOW!!! Comments By: Ginnifer I dont have a clue what makes this work but it does and literally in minutes   It really does work!!!! Comments By: Cathy I have had a nagging earache all day!! Read this and tried it, it's gone!! Almost instantly! Thanks!!   I will surely pass this along Comments By: vanessa charles This worked within minutes!   excellent tip Comments By: Janet I would have never thought of this or even tried it except the mineral oil thing didnt help and when the dr's office is closed need to do something to avoid a er fee. Thanks!   Its the best thing Comments By: DALLAS -(Ohio) It really works it better than going to the doctors and paying all that money when it works better than any medacin out there!!! THANKS   It's Magic! Comments By: Hopi My daughter had a terrible earache that was keeping her up all night. I read this and wahla- the earache is gone and she is sleeping soundly. Thank you!   very sad Comments By: Ashley Headley I don't know if I somehow did this wrong, (although it dosen't seem like there could be too many ways to put mouthwash in your ear) but I still am in alot of pain. It's 4:09 in the morning and I'm crying because I want to sleep!   Wow Works Comments By: Chris This amazingly worked on my wife. However her ear stung after a couple of mins due to her sensitive skin.   Hey, it worked! Comments By: Anon I had a nagging, intermittant, stabbing pain in my left ear. I dipped a cotton ball in some listerine and put it in my ear, and the pain isn't totally gone, but it is MUCH less than a few minutes ago.   didn't work as good as i thought it would Comments By: Kayla After reading these comments i figured it would work wonders but now i have this burning sensation in my ear that won't go away.   FINALLY Comments By: anon Im a 12 year-boy who constantly gets ater in my ear. I have finally found something to help me get through the night with water in my ear.   Why it works Comments By: Mercer The reason this works is it contains alcohol which, when applied drys the ear. Your best bet is to ues a drop of rubbing alcohol:)   ??? Comments By: Laci I'm scared about putting alcohol in my ears. Is there any such thing as good bacteria in your ears? If so wont it kill them?   how the hel(%$#@)!!???? Comments By: tj you would not think it would work but so far, i feel grate! 12:00 am   Numbs The Pain Away COOL Comments By: Tonya ...At least thats how my 12 year old describes it! He woke up at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep! Tried this @ 6:20 and by 6:40 he was just fine.   Testing it right now!!! Comments By: nellynel21 I've been up since 3am trying to lose this pain, i treid the garlic....no luck. I tried warm towel...no luck. now I just treid mouthwash, and it seems to be working..thank god for the internet....   Tryed it 10 mins ago Comments By: Angela It doesnt hurt anymore but is the relief just temporary? I hope not, its sunday and i go on vacation tomorow. i dont know if ill be able to get to a dr and get a prescription filled in time... *sigh*   Mouth wash..not so sure Comments By: NATALIE Its 1 30am. I have water in my ears and my ears hurt bad...they have been all day. I tried crest pro health mouth wash non alcoholic. Now!! My ears are minty fresh now and i feel a stinging numbing feeling. Before you try this RINSE YOUR MOUTH WITH MOUTWASH...IF ITS TINGLY AND STINGING THATS WHAT THE INSIDE OF YOUR EARS FEEL LIKE....NO GOOD! LOL JUST CALL YOUR NEIGHBOR ASK IF THEY HAVE SOMETHING....LOL GOOD LUCK....   Wonderful!! Comments By: Jess I was extremely surprised this one would work. I've had an ear ache for the past couple days now, and I've tryed everything I could, oil, towel, etc. Nothing helped until I did this, now my ear ache is gone, and my ear is all nice and pepperminty. Thank you so much! I owe you everything right now, you made my anniversary wonderful.   I Can't Believe It Worked Comments By: Traci H. I read ALL the comments on here & I was very skeptical about the Listerine deal. I have a severe left earache & when it comes on, it comes at full force. I have tried all the traditional things for relief but nothing worked. The pain I get in my ear usually runs all the way down the left side on my face. I have been to so many doctors & no one can tell me what is wrong. But I am in pain. This can last for up to 6 hours & then suddenly go away as quickly as it came. I decided to try some Listerine. However, I didn't have any cotton balls available in the house & it is 12:15 AM. I am not driving to the store (5+ miles 1 way). I did however have some Q-Tips. I drenched one end of the Q-Tip with Listerine. While rubbing the Q-Tip just slightly into my ear a small ways in, I immediately got some relief. About 15 minutes later, 95% of my pain is gone. Even if it doesn't fully go away, at least I can sleep now. Thank God for the internet.   weird but it worked Comments By: Ana A After having a sinus infection for a couple of days I woke up with a severe ear ache. Not wanting to go to the doctor I ended up online trying to figure out what to do for my pain. My ear may smell like vanilla mint listerine but my pain is gone. Thanks to whoever figured this out!   Hm Dunno what to think really! Comments By: Jen It's just past midnight and this is my second day without any sleep! I went to the doctor and he said it's red, it's inflamed, and it hurts to touch so he gave me some ear drops. I have tried everything that i could find on the internet. so i thought this was my last resort. first i tried that new citrus listerine with a cotton ball, that didnt really work. i dunno if it was the cotton ball or the listerine so i tried the original with a Q-tip and its feeling cool in my ear. it still hurts to touch but i dunno i might be able to sleep. if i can THANK YOU! if i cant well... thanks for trying!   A Bit Skeptical, but IT WORKED Comments By: Anon Cool Mint listerine on a Q-Tip, pain went away IMMEDIATELY...Thanks at 4 am EST   Pretty impressive! Comments By: Eva O.K., I used a Q-Tip instead of just pouring it in, but I am very impressed! My ears are kind of numb but I can swallow without wanting to die. Thanks for the tip!!   mouth rinse Comments By: Ken Will Natalie please tell me where she gets the Crest Pro Health mouth rinse. I can't find a stockist anywhere.   !!!!! Woah... Comments By: Daelaeyni Eddie B, you are a genius!! I put a cotton ball soaked in listerine (yellow) only three minutes ago and already, the pain is going away! Granted it still hurts and there's a slight burning sensation but I am very optimistic that after a while, the pain will fade. Again, THANK YOU! PS: I checked with my doctor about the "putting rubbing alcohol in your ear". He said "Don't do it." Apparently, some people with more sensitive eardrums can actually cause them to dry up and rupture! Be careful.   amazing Comments By: oonagh my dad had a crippling ear ache read this site at this stage would have tried anything, Miracle. Gone instantly, slight burning, but my dad has sensitve skin.   IT WORKS! Comments By: serena haller I was on the verge of tears last night when i found this remedy. I had already tried the onion thing and taken advil and was still in pain. I soaked the cotton ball in listerine, stuck it in my ear, wrapped a towel around my neck and in minutes i was asleep. it's the menthol and eucalyptus as well as the alcohol that do it.   Wait! be careful you could make it worse! Comments By: Kate I was desperate in pain at 4 am and so I tried this. I put some listerine on a cotton ball and placed it in my ear. It did take the pain away briefly but I didn't leave the cotton in and the pain returned just as bad. When I told the nurse what I did the next day she said it is a very dangerous idea because if you have a perforation (which I do!) you could make the situation worse! So be careful...   New Years Eve NO M.D. available Comments By: KevyC It works don't no how it just does!To put a little back try rubbing inside of Banana skin on Warts it works too!   stings a little Comments By: lupe its 230am and i just got home from hanging out with friends and as i lay down my sinus' start clogging up again and a sharp pain starts in my right ear. just last night i was telling my boyfriend how terrified i am of ear aches/ear infections. this pain i wish upon no one. i did the listerine thing and it just feels really hot and the pain is still wandering but not as fierce as before. how long do i keep the listerine soaked swab on there? took 1500 mgs of tylenol...hope i could get sum sleep...but for now, this website was a big help. thanks:)   Thank You. Comments By: Diego Its 3:45 AM I been awake since 12:00 with a killing pain in my ear....ive tryed the towel, the olive oil...ntohing works...then i ceom on this site andf find this mouth wash thing....u know whats my only regret??? no finding it like 3 hours ago hahaah Thank You Very Much...   I totally just put mouthwash in my ear... Comments By: Halfpint I can't belive I actually tried this, but it worked amazingly!! I have some problems with my jaw..Well, I have TMJ, and, I manage it pretty well on it's own. The problem is, if I have any other health issue from the neck up, it causes my jaw agony..Earaches are the worst though, and put my jaw in unbearable pain, pretty much to the point where I can't function aside from curling up in a ball and moaning occasionally. I started to get an earache when I got out of work, and I figured I'd check the net before it got really bad, and see if there was a home remedy I hadn't tried yet, cause, not much has ever helped up til now... I was more than a little skeptical when I read the mouthwash remedy...But, then two hours went by,the earache, and jaw pain actuallymade me cry, and at that point, I couldn't think of a good reason not to try it...It wasn't exactly instant relief, but, after a little bit, it completely eased the pain of my earache....Now, all I gotta do is conquer the jaw!!! Thanks for the tip!!   Finally!!! Comments By: tired :( I usualy dont get earaches but this one is killer. Im in high school and have to wake up at 6 so I cant be up all night, but then again the pain is so bad that I cant sleep, and I took 2 tylenol PMs an hour ago. but Thankfully this actually worked!!!! the pain is literally gone now and I put it in 2 minutes ago!!! THANK YOU!!   I dunno Comments By: /misty Well I know miracles don't work in seconds but it is 3:40A.m. felt it comming on before bed, been up since 2:00 a..m. still hurts dont feel the difference   works for me!!!!!!!!!! Comments By: Anon went here 5:00 in the morning with pain in my ear. this worked like a miracle! no more pain   How 'bout that?! Comments By: suzzette a. I just tried it 10 minutes ago and my earache is not gone, but atleast it is bearable now. Thank you so much! BTW....the person that said they used non-alcohol mouthwash and is wondering why it didn't work: DUH!!! You need one with alcohol in it!   I don't know....... Comments By: Anon I am in so much pain and this is not working, I used listerine and the pain did not go away.......I truly hoped this would work but it didn't.   Amazing Comments By: Shannon Wow! I'm kind of a non believer when it comes to home remedies...but i've had excruisiating ear pain for 3 days now. And no time for the doctor. I get ear aches about 4-5 times and year and nothing seems to help, but I was in desperate need. This actually worked...it still hurts a bit, but not nearly as bad as it did 5 minutes ago!! Thank you sooooooo Much!   fabulous fix for ear ache!!! Comments By: simon says omg I thought I was dying and got on the site and found the mouthwash solution and thought what the heck...I have nothing to lose. I had tried the peroxide and it burned and didn't help at all...the mouthwash thing was amazing!!!! Im impressed and have told everyone ty ty!   I don't think so. Comments By: dude I have had a severe earache for 1 day now. I have tried ear drops, sinus medication and even mouthwash on a cotton ball...NOTHING. I'm now going to go to the hospital to have it taken care of. I can't take the pain anymore.   Even down under in NZ this works Comments By: Anon Have had earache for 12 hrs (thru the night)but didnt want to go to doctor. Read this remedy, had the Listerine and wow my earache has gone. Hope it stays away as I have to fly Monday.   Hmm.. Comments By: Lynette Soaked a cotton ball in mint mouthwash I dunno if its working, there has been a slight ease up of pain which isn't saying much since whatever is happening in my ear is causing extremely severe pain I have been crying since 12am its now 5:22am I am a bit grateful for the burning sensation on my outer ear as its kinda taken my mind off the inner ear pain haha, but I don't see much difference, maybe its the brand of wash I can't be sure.   THANK YOU THANK YOU Comments By: Lilsuzq I've had my earache for three days. Drops didn't work, Needless to say I haven't slept. Luckilly I found this site! At first I tried it with a q-tip and it brought a little relief as long as I was laying down. As soon as I stood up, the pain was back. I decided to soak some cotton in the mouthwash instead and try again. Within seconds the pain was gone. A million thanks!!!   I don't know Comments By: anna i have a horrible ear ache and the first day of school is tommorow i dont wanna miss it should i try it   Not bad - Worth a try Comments By: Chris I've been suffering from a throat and ear infection for a week. I thought I'd give this a try, because Im trying to get it to go away before I go away at the weekend. I first cleaned my ears of wax with a Q-Tip, then inserted a Q-Tip soaked in Listerine Cool Mint. Quite a strange tingling feeling, and there is some pain relief. The actual internal part of the ear still hurts because its behind the eardrum, but worth a try if you want some fast, effective relief.   not bad Comments By: mike well i woke up at 1 o clock then laid in bed restlessly and fidgeting every 10 seconds then started paseing up and down the landing, i then thought i cud go on my computer and play some games to take my mind off it but then i went on the internet and found this home remedies site and saw all the possitive feed back from the mouthwash and thought what the heck ill try it, it jus felt better becaus of it being cold but then the like stingyness kicked in it didnt really make a difference tbh but thanks anyway :(   15 minutes of pain Comments By: Vargz After 15 minutes the pain has reduced considerably. Its 1am, will try and get some shuteye. Sanks vezy much!   Wow - thats amazing Comments By: Leah I have had ear ache for 3 days. I have been given otosporin by the nurse to try which made the pain worse! Have not slept in 3 nights but after putting the mouthwash in I can feel nothing.....bliss. Thank you so much!   Thank You Comments By: Russ Jones I have suffered for 20 years with ear infections. 48 hours of non stop pain over this weekend. Found this remedy and within 5 minutes 90% of the pain had gone. Slept for 5 hours before pain returned. Repeated procedure and pain went away again very quickly. Not sure what my doctor would say .   I thought you were all NUTS!! Comments By: Sherri i get ear aches once a year, and they are bad! I have dont oil to hair dryer and then this time, found this mouth wash forum..LOL so i tried it. No freaken way is this gonna work...well its been 10 minutes, pain is GONE!! im soo gonna remember this one. Thank you all.   Amazing! Absolutely Amazing! Comments By: Steve Just tried this as my ear pain was so severe that I was squirming about in agony. I have a long history of ear infections but had never heard of this before. My pain has gone, slight burning at first but now I feel human again. I don't care how this works - it just does and that's all I'm bothered about. I can now see the doc in the morning withut pain - but thre is a load of fluid in there - you should hear it squelching around, especially when I hold my nose and blow and my ear drum struggles against it. Yuck!! Thanks so much mate - you are a star!   Excellent Comments By: Anita I have had earache all day so bad been crying all afternoon. I have been to the Doctors and have an ear infection so have antibiotics. No painkillers were working with the pain though. So thought I'd give it a try. (cotton wool soaked in mouthwash - pushed just slightly ino ear.) Fantastic. Can now get some sleep. Thank you all soooo much.   IT'S WORKING Comments By: anon I still feel a little throbbing but the pain is bearable. I can definitely go to sleep now. I soaked a cotton ball with a generic listerine but I didn't keep it in there long. I'll try it again later if the pain comes back. THANKS.   yipeeeeeeeeeeeee Comments By: phil(i ear sounds & have no pain anymore? dude your a legend,had earache for 3 days been to doctor ondistaclor MR antibiotics not doing a thing read these comment drove to the supermarket got my listerine cool mint & cotton ball,soaked the cotton ball in the mouth wash.......amazing pain has gone,ear is still muffled a little but as least the pain has gone & i have most of the sound back,you should copy right your amazing find you would be a millionaire within a year lol many thanks   Worked Like a Charm! Comments By: naya22 Well, I have been getting these agonizing earaches each morning when I wake up. They last for a couple of hours and then they leave just as quickly as they came. I was looking on the internet for home remedies, and I stumbled across this one. Mind you, at first I thought that it was just ridiculous. I mean, Come on, mouthwash in my ear? But, because I was in so much pain this morning, I tried it. The pain is not completely gone, but it's better. My sister says that I smell minty fresh, so I guess that's a good thing. LOL A tip: Wear something over your ears to protect them from the cold wind After washing your hair, pour a couple drops of peroxide in your ears. This wil dry the ear out and prevent bacteria from growing in your ears which would cause an ear infection. :-)   Don't know Comments By: Anon Despite being on a codeine/paracetamol painkiller my earache (which developed last night after a cold) is still excrutiatingly painful. I tried the mouthwash trick. I used Listerine Freshbreath. Apart from the cold sensation, which numbs the pain a bit, it hasn't helped. I think I must have used the wrong flavour mouthwash. I'm now counting down the minutes before I can hit the paracetamol again.   It works! Comments By: TKT I have had a slight earache for 2 days I dipped a q-tip in mouthwash & stuck it in my ear. Then i put a hot wash cloth to my ear and slept on it - I woke up an hour later and was fine. It is now 5 hours later and the pain has still not come back!!   You are a Legand! Comments By: dugdug03 Today when i was playing my Xbox 360. i was eating some wierd sweets which hurt my jaw, then over a period of 5mins i get ear ache!! I've had Man Flu all week so i wasnt best impressed to get a bad ear ache! I seen this home cure so to speak and though u was all nutz! i had no cotton wall, so i used carefully folded toilet paper and soaked it mint listerine. the mint warms up your ear for a few mins but its well worth it, with in 10 mins i felt all the rubbish in my ear break up and my ear was 90% better, its still slighty blocked but no paid anymore! I can hickup and burp and yawn with no pain. who ever though of this is a legand! P.S DONT DO THE BELOW I TRIED THIS AND IT MADE IT LOAD WORSE.......... i was advised to have a warm bath and sock the effected ear in the water for 10mins, i did not work at all, made it feel 100x worse.   Painful ear ache gone in minutes Comments By: Ras Woke up 5am with an agonising pain in my left ear. found this site through google. tried the mouthwash trick and it worked. Pain is still there but better then before. Thank you Google   Yes, it really does work- amazing Comments By: alex I had a very severe middle ear infection, and was awaiting the antibiotics to work-very nasty pain. This worked- lessened the pain and I think the cooling sensation of the mouthwash alcohol also helps. It does not clear the ear, but really does help with the pain. I used Listerine. MANY THANKS.   WOW Comments By: mimi I was at my wits end, with my three year old son screaming and my 16 month baby making lots of noise. I was in sheer desperation to find a remedy for this pain. I tried the olive oil and put a hot cup of tea near my ear to soothe the pain, but to no avail. I clicked on google and truly needed help, so listerine soaked cotton wool ball did the trick. Thank you for saving my sanity!   dangerous Comments By: kate the listerine did not take the pain away - a hot gel pack did help a little - and the next day when I went to the doctor he said I had burnt a tube in my ear. He was incredulous that I had tried such a thing   Not Impressed Comments By: Lewis The mouthwash just made the pain even more unbearable! :( :( :( :( Hello extortinate Doctors fees! :(   don\t think so Comments By: christopher it\s two in the morning and i'm dying here\   Bizarre, but works Comments By: Anon At 1 a.m., it was the emergency room or mouthwash. I tried this, and it worked after about 15 minutes. It was quick and easy, and I was able to get some sleep!   kindaaa Comments By: sal well i tried the alcohol on some cotton and put it in my ear at first it felt good then it started to burn im not sure about this   No F-n way Comments By: Impressed I thought for sure I would only wind up with a better smelling ear canal and a slight cooling sensation at best. Whoever posted this remedy is a GOD SEND. Now my ear feels 1000% better AND I don't have to be self conscious about the horrible bad ear breath :-) THANKS!   ugh Comments By: tired I have been up for 12 hours it is now 6 am, I am 19 weeks pregnant and cant handle this pain any longer believe it or not i have tried everything from urine to now this mouthwash I used Crest even though it doesnt have alcohol in it it still helped with the pain the eucalyptus really did the trick, but the pressure is still there i really want that to go away. I have enough discomfort being pregnant :(   wow oh wow Comments By: Katie i have had a bad pain in my ear all day and once i tried this i could feel my ear numbing!!!!!!!!   blown away Comments By: MsOwie Ears I cannot believe you crazy fools tried this, however after being up all night (it is now 4:43 a.m.) I decided, what the hay... and wow. I know that my earache is because of my sinus infection and I blew my nose too hard, I didn't think this would do anything... but wow... I am amazed... if I hurt anything oh well... the relief is so worth it!   RELIEF Comments By: Anon Saturday Night with an earache. Went on line for a remedy to get me through the night. Tried the Listerine. Wow, it stopped the pain and was comforting to my ear. Thank you, I can wait until morning to go to the ER.   giggling Comments By: painfree it feels so much better i cant stop smiling and laughing :o) Thanks. so tingly and warm. did that girl a few posts up say she tried pee? i think that was a friend playing a joke when he said that   God Bless you Comments By: Ani I read each and every story and all i can say who never had it does not know how it hurts. I tried q tips and it's seems that my ear is getting warm and tingly better than before. If it works who ever figured this one i will name them SAINT ! I hope it works for everyone ...   It's give a strange warm feeling Comments By: G.Thorne. (UK) I tried everythink to numb the pain of my earache this seem to taking the pain away slighly maybe I should of used JD instead of mouth wash then I could also drank a glass.   this works! Comments By: steph Ok i have have a ear aches for like 2 days and i hate it But then i tryed this and it really works thanks   IT DONT WORK!!!!! Comments By: Aimee IT DONT WORK! IT HURTS MORE!! I MIGHT HAVE BURNED MY EAR DRUM TRYIN IT!! I HAVE TO GO DOCTORS NOW CUZ THE PAIN IS UNBEARABLE AFTER PUTTIN MOUTHWASH IN MY EAR! THANKS A BUNCH!   nope Comments By: bree 7:06 am. I have never had an earache this painful in my entire life, all i want to do it sleep. I tried the onion, hot towels and this..NOTHING worked..i just stuck part of a kleenex in vicks vapor rub and shoved it in my ear..it is FINALLY bearable. thanks to whoever mentioned that somewhere around here.   Not sure ? Comments By: Cody it's 18:29 and i have just placed the mouthwash and cotton bud in my ear. 18:40 (11mins later) nothing happened. It seemed as though my ear was worse. Maybe it needs a little more time ? Im not sure. My ear just feel full with liquid! And it feels as though its ringing. ??? Anyone help?   It relieves the pain Comments By: Vera It worked but not right away. I can see if it was only tried once it may not work. Soaked a q-tip with cool mint listerine mouthwash and put it slightly into my ear. Since the ear canal is very sore and inflamed I could feel stinging from the alcohol so I could not keep it in. I kept reapplying the q-tip with mouthwash at intervals.. on each application after the initial stinging there was a noticeable improvement from before.   A Pleasant Smelling Relief Comments By: Nana Judi Like everyone else, it was in the middle of the night, after my grandson had been up and crying for about four hours that i finally decided to do a search for "severe ear ache pain." Much to my surprise, and delight, I came across this remedy. I didn't have Listerine, but hoped my Scope would do the trick. It took a little convincing for my 6 year old sweetie to agree to let me put mouthwash in his ear, but finally, success!! He dozed off at about 5:30 AM and I too was finally able to close my eyes. I did notice that this condition seems to be more prevelant in the left ear vs. the right. Does anyone have a valid reason why that might be??   Wow.. mind blowing! Comments By: Jan I had dental surgery a week ago and had been suffering jaw and muscle pains since. This evening the pain moved into my ears and it was brutal. I tried painkillers, nothing worked.. no relief. Found this site online, and thought I had nothing to lose by trying. I dipped a Q-Tip in mouthwash and simple wiped it around inside both ears, it was IMMEDIATE relief. Not sure why or how, but it worked!   dude Comments By: Faris badwan it made it worse!   You'll be glad you did within 15 min! Comments By: kirby- san diego left ears been killin me for a few hours (think the pain may stem from an impacted tooth??? not a dentist)- first used a generic mint mw with no results before realizing it was alcohol free- daaa- then put some vanilla mint listerine on a cottonball and stuck it in my ear (squeezed it a bit to let the listerine actually go down my ear canal)- held my head sideways for a bit and PRESTO, its been about 10 or 15 minutes and the pains almost entirely gone! a miracle! thank you so so SO much!!!   omg Comments By: james francis it's 1:38 am and i've ran out of pain killers!! the stupid doctor only gave me spray which hurts even more!! decided to try this, my ear feels hot and full and the pain's a bit bearable... i'll see if I can get to sleep, thx   thank you Comments By: :D some random person omg that was hurting so much thank you! i just tried it and its easing a little   HEAPS BETTER WAY!! Comments By: Doctors Son :) The alcohol in the mouth wash numbs the pain for about 2 - 4 hours. But when it wears off, you'll be in pain again. So to fix the problem completely put a few drops of Olive Oil into your ear (about 4 drops). Then leave your head tilted to one side for about 30 minutes, just lay in bed on your side so the ear you put the Olive Oil in is facing up. Then wait... After about 30 minutes, turn your head around the other way and thickish sort of browny gold stuff will come out. 90% of the time, pains in the ears mean that there is a big lump of wax deep in your ear, and it irriates the walls of the inner ear, and pressure builds up between the Ear Wax and the Ear Drum which causes severe pain, the Oil is lighter than the Wax so it sinks to the bottom and frees up the Wax, and it just slides out. And if anyone is Interested as to how I know all of this, my dad is a Doctor and I get ear bad ear aches occasionally. Thanks. :)   Try a q tip soaked & excess sqeezed Comments By: SandyRaz i opened this site obviously coz i have an earache..taking the time to read thru the comments certainly reduced the ache(lol) ie read, laff at minty fresh smelling ears, & forget the pain...best remedy I got(double lol)..but hey mouthwash contains (apart from alcohol & menthol)substances called eugenol & thymol extracted from eucalyptus, Thyme, clove, ie several 'warming' spices & herbs...these are natural antiseptics & pain depressants..they act as counter irritants by numbing sensation in the peripheral nerves, so no matter how wacky it may sound, it's probably worth giving it a try..only use a carefully applied q tip & dont soak it to dripping poin..only a little moist..touch the areas & leave it to do its work..let dry & repeat application after a while if neccessary...it should work in stages...However if pain is persistent, throbbing or doesnt subside...pls be sensible & see a doctor!   Can't believe this works!!!:) Comments By: sara WOW, Tried everything else, nothing worked. Couldn't afford to go to Doc. This seems to have worked. Thank you   aren't you the clever one? Comments By: Louiza I used mouthwash dipped in ear bud (im british so i don't call them q.tips) and after it tingling for 2 or 3 mins it really does feel better. I have also been resting my ear on a hot water bottle with a snuggly blanket wrapped around it and i feel much better. I know its not cured, but it doesn't make me want to bang my head on the wall like before. I feel very calm and soothed. Thankyou xx   hmmm, lets read on... Comments By: Kayleigh its 3am here in good old england and of course i have the ear ache.... as you do... so i thought of coming on the net to look for a remedy and stumbled on this site. With the amount of good responses i've read on here i thought i might give it a go... so off i went in search of a cotton wool bud and the mouthwah and i did the task... its now about 5 mins later and my ear ache is still kinda there... as well as a burny/ stinging minty fressness feeling.... was all good but not really good enough, thanks anyway though!! =D   Totally Amazed! Comments By: Mrs Roberts I read this today 14/09/08 in bonny Scotland and I am amazed at how quick it works - thank you so much!!   SNORING 15 MINUTES LATER Comments By: GRATEFUL MY HUSBAND WAS HAVING SEVERE EARPAIN FOR SEVERAL HOURS,ADVIL NOT HELPING,I FOUND THIS SITE,IT'S 10:30PM.WORKED AFTER 15 MINUTES, HE WAS SLEEPING LIKE A BABY. WE USED THE Q-TIP.GREAT FIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!   ear ach Comments By: melanie this really does work, i was worried at first that it might make it worse, but instead, it felt better intantly!   Wow! It worked! Comments By: Mim My daughter woke up with a terrible earache. I searched the internet and found this tip. I put a small amount of Listerine on a cotton ball and put it in her ear. I had her lay her ear on a warm heating pad and she was asleep within a minute. Thank you!!!   worked for me Comments By: joe from england Ive had ear ache all day saw this on the net and i gave it a go, I was in so much agony that I had nothing to lose. Wow, most of the acute pain has gone ,it works.   Amazing!!! Comments By: James My wife has been laying here crying and suffering saying she cant take the pain. i found this tip and tried it, she felt sudden relief. she even went to the doctor today and got drops that did not work. now she's up piddling around the house. Oklahoma   Gotta love the internet! Comments By: MulletGoddess23 Two days without sleep due to terrible ear ache pain! I couldn't take it anymore. I found this website at 5:30 in the morning and tried the cotton ball soaked in listerine. The pain isn't completely gone, but I'm not dying slowly from it! haha thanks for the tip! Now, back to bed.   This SKEPTIC tried it and I couldn't believe IT WORKED! Comments By: denicecmc I had a sore throat for a couple weeks and then my left ear starting hurting too. Eventually, after a couple days, my right ear got such a severe sharp pain that I thought I was going to cry. It didn't just hurt when I swallowed but it hurt just opening my jaw. I knew I had issues. I looked up the symptoms for severe earache on the Net to see if it was something much worse than the normal earache associated with prolonged cold. I read ALL the reviews about using Listerine Blue and I figured I had nothing to lose. I use it daily as mouthwash anyway. I used it on a big cottonball and kept dropping drops in my ear and then leaving the cotton ball in for about 30 mins. It worked after about 15 mins. Almost all gone. The next morning I woke up with absolutely no pain in either ear. It's already half way through the next day and there is still no pain. This is unbelievable!!!   TWICE!! Comments By: Ron This has happened twice to me... I couldn't chew food... couldn't do anything it throbbed so bad.. so my mom seen this and called me at my home and told me about it... guys it works... if it doesn't work for you then i really feel your pain... try this and some pain medication ever how many hours you have to wait.. be timely on it... every time you take the meds put more listerine in... pain doesn't completely go away but so much relief you will be very happy... i took ibuprofen 800 or 4 x 200... Had to post comment because I was so happy I found something that worked...   wow. Comments By: Rachel I was in severe pain last night around 3:30 in the morning, crying from the pain (and I have a high pain tolerance after 5 years of migraines), trying to wait up until I could call my dad when he woke up to tell him I was headed into the ER and to expect a bill. I tried this as a last ditch effort, and was completely surprised. I'm a health professional and was very, very skeptical. But it actually works, and well. Thanks for putting this out there!   An Idea Worth Trying Comments By: Kristi I have never had earaches before, until yesterday. I woke up several times with pain in my jaw, ear and head. When I finally decided it wasnt going away, I tried this. So far it feels tingly and better. I hope i lasts!   Worked for me Comments By: Tired of pacing Not sure if it was the Ibuprofen, the Tylenol or the Benadryl (I took them all as my pain was so bad and lasted for what semed like days) but the pain went away just 10 minutes after trying this. I used a no name brand mouthwash and it seemed to work. I finally can get some sleep. Thank you to whoever posted this idea.   Not bad! Comments By: NattyNoo it is 4.32AM on christmas morning (and also my birthday) have been awake all night with awful earache the pain was unbearable have tried this and its eased a little but not gone completely but i have stopped crying now so will try to get some sleep!thanks to whoever discovered this!!x   bad ear ache please helpp !1 Comments By: AnOON ive had a really BAD earache for 3 dayss !! its rally unbearablee pleaasee helpp mee ! im too scared to try the mouthwashh as it only seems to work on 50% of the people here !! any other wayss ! pleaaaaase HELP ASAP !   weird but it seems to work! Comments By: mum2b Well its new years eve,11:15pm,the worst time to be poorly with a severe ear ache ! i'm 12 weeks pregnant so can only take paracetamol but it had'nt worked and the pain was getting worse ! felt like my ear just needed to burst ! I rang the nhs direct helpline and they advised me of the normal things you can do to help with the pain but still nothing was helping.Then in desperation i typed in severe ear pain into google and this site pops up ! i thought it could'nt possibly work but was so desperate i tried it.half a cotton ball with some regular mouthwash and almost instantly my pain is almost non-existant !!! i really can't beleive it's working ! i hope it lasts the night at least.yes !! weird, but it seems to work !! thankyou ! x   wowowowowow Comments By: lizzie well i had ear ache for a week then i tried this and the pain had gone within minutes!!!souds silly to try sumfin so insane but if ur in pain i suggest you give it ago!!   Who'duh thunk? Comments By: Valerie Unbe-friggin-believable!! My 7 year old step daughter started ear pain out of nowhere and within an hour and a half she was out of her mind, hyperventilating and literally screaming in ear pain. We tried Tylenol and Motrin and she was almost physically out of control with excrutiating pain. I'm a doctor's daughter and we don't DO weird things like put mouthwash in our ears. Except that when your kid is screaming in pain and there is nothing you can do, you try it. We took a little medical measuring syringe, and squirted about a teaspoon in each ear. Literally - within one minute she had totally stopped crying and within 5 minutes she was playing bubblebreaker on my husband's phone and laughing and having a great time. Who'd uh thunk it? MOUTHWASH - we used Listerine - the yellow horrid stuff. Hmmm - not so horrid after all!   Dangerous!! Comments By: Anon Alcohol is a drying agent and it can dry out your ear completely not recommended to pour down your ear at all...   Thymol/ aka= thyme/ in Listerine/antibacterial/anesthetic/ Comments By: Mary Listerine has thymol in it and this is old school antinflammatory and antibacterial agent/ also used as preservative and would benefit many kinds of painful situations, to include fungal and bacterial infections. Function:Aches and pains, acne, arthritis, asthma, boils, bronchitis, bruises, burns, catarrh, cellulite, colds, coughs, cuts, cystitis, dermatitis, diarrhea, dyspepsia, eczema, edema, flatulence, gout, gum infections, hypotension, infectious diseases, insect bites, laryngitis, lice, obesity, oily skin, pharyngitis, scabies, sinusitis, sluggish circulation, sore throat, sports injuries, sprains, stimulates CNS, stimulates immune system, tonsillitis, urethritis Actions:Carminative,Anti-microbial,Anti-spasmodic,Relaxing expectorant,Astringent,Anthelmintic,Applications Dyspepsia,Sluggish digestion,Externally as lotion for infected wounds,Internally for respiratory and digestive infections,Gargle for laryngitis and tonsillitis,Bronchitis,Whooping cough,Asthma,Childhood diarrhea,Enuresis,Body Systems Digestive, Integumentary, Respiratory,anthelmintic, antibacterial, antibiotic, antimicrobal, antioxidant, antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiputrefactive, antiviral, antivenomous, aperitif, aphrodisiac, astringent, bechic, cardiac, carminative, cicatrisant, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, hypertensive, insecticide, narasiticide, rubefactient, stimulant, tonic, vermifuge. Medicinal Uses: It is safe to use thyme as a seasoning during pregnancy, but strong medicinal doses should be avoided if there is any possibility that you are pregnant. Thyme was grown in monastery gardens in southern France and in Spain and Italy during the Middle Ages for use as a cough remedy, digestive aid and treatment for intestinal parasites. A solution of thyme's most active ingredient, thymol, thyme's most active ingredient, is used in such over-the-counter products as Listerine mouthwash and Vicks VapoRub because of its well-known antibacterial and antifungal properties. Thymol apparently also has a therapeutic effect on the lungs. Ingesting or inhaling the oil helps to loosen phlegm and relax the muscles in the respiratory tract. In Germany, concoctions of thyme are frequently prescribed for coughs, including those resulting from whooping cough, bronchitis and emphysema. Thyme extract was included in a popular cough syrup, Pertussin, that is no longer on the market. Thyme is used in herbal teas prepared for colds and flus. In addition, thyme has antifungal properties and can be used against athlete's foot.   Sleeping child Comments By: Some girl I dipped a cotton ball in generic mouthwash and squeezed out the excess. I placed it gently in my four year old ear and it seemed as though the relief was instant. It worked! My son has had many many ear infections since birth. I dread the nights of seeing him in pain crying and both of us utterly exhausted. This night was almost one of those nights. I've been steering further away from main stream medication and was glad I found this tip. It sounds like those of you who are experiencing pain are pouring it directly into the ear and/or have a ruptured ear drum.   IT WORKED TO START WITH ! Comments By: mum2b Hi, i tried this and it worked for me to start with,for about an hour infact.after that though i got worse and worse with my ear infection and my ear drum finally burst.then 2 days later i ended up in the hospital because my ear drum needed to burst a second time ! the pain was like nothing you've ever known !! still on antibiotics now and totally deaf in the ear concerned.this was all on new years eve when it started.after all that i'm a bit unsure about repeating the mouthwash method of pain relief as i'm not sure if it did'nt make things worse.just to let you know anyway ! .xx   alcohol and not the liquor Comments By: Anon I put a little rubbing alcohol on a q-tip and just sort of set it barley inside my ear and let the alcohol just seep in. It tingles a little but it sure beats the pain.   crazy but true Comments By: jimmy you've got to be in quite a lot of pain to try something that sounds so crazy and i was,i had an earache all day, pain kilers had fought a good fight but not workin anymore? tried a few drops of corsodyl mouthwash and instantly got 90% relief! a slight throbing still but well worth it, corsodyl doesn't contain alcohol so i'm guessing it's the ethanol and peppermint oil that numbs the pain? brilliant!! can dry sensitive skin though so weigh up the ods.... good luck   Ahhhh, how to spell relief. "Listerine" Comments By: C Smith I was in so much pain and tears. The pain was going down my face and in my jaw talking was so not happening. 800mg of motrin, tea tree oil, olive oil,heating pad, flushing it out.. Nothing! Tried the listerine and its not totaly gone, but I can stand it now and the tears are no longer. So for now I should beable to sleep and I wont have eargivitis. "LOL" Thank You so much for this little tid-bit   From a skeptic: it REALLY DOES help !!! Comments By: HGFielsch If you've had the pain I felt, then you know what I'm refering to, if not, there aren't any words to describe my discomfort. I tried the Q-tip/mouthwash and the relief wasn't instantaneous, but with 15 minutes I'm able to sit and type and not squirm in agony or contemplate driving a nail through my ear just to end the pain. I have a 90% reduction in pain right now and that makes it manageable. Plenty good enough for me, thank you!   Why It Works Comments By: Terri Mouth Wash has a very high alcohol content, and alcohol has a very low latent heat of vaporization (meaning it evaporates quickly even at room temperatures). Putting a small amount of alcohol in your ear helps alleviate pain from swimmer's ear because it evaporates out the water. I am a chemical engineer, not a medical doctor, but my mother who is a registered nurse used rubbing alcohol in my ears as a child and it worked every time. I think it is probably a good idea to use rubbing alcohol as opposed to mouthwash if possible.   some relief Comments By: hopeful ok so i tried the hot rag and well it worked for 2 minutes but now i've tried the mouth wash and i'd have to say it kinda works but the pressure is so bad. i tried so over the counter ear drops i got for my kids and that made it 10x worse....hope the pain goes away soon.   Umm Comments By: nathan I tried this at 01:00, not sure if it's working or not yet but it's doing something.   excellent. what do the quacks know huh!! Comments By: Vicki After the doctor said that I had to wait up to 6 weeks for my ear to be surringed this was an instant fix for the pain. halleluja!!   Amazed & So Relieved! Comments By: Steph, 25, UK I'm shocked, but having been in severe pain, (seriously, on par with the early stages of labour-pain!) - my husband gently poured a little mouthwash into my ear and i now feel 100% better. Thank God   Thanks mate. Comments By: jonas-australia Just tried this with A ALDI supermarket brand of mouthwash, Worked great! Very pleased. THANKS   I don't believe it; it works! Comments By: Jon I thought it was funny to use that of all things but my son was complaining bad about his ear ad I read all these comments about how it work, so I tried it. I'm amazed that it actually did work.   earache is gone!!! Comments By: Unasha Lace Peterson Yes, i had an earache all day and i used cool mint listerine and its gone almost instantly! Wow!   No Relief Comments By: Joel I developed an ear ache after a bad cold/cough. This did not work for me at all.   This is great! Comments By: Dan Typing this at 2:30 AM, and this is working amazingly! I am frequently bothered by nighttime earaches so this is incredibly useful. Who knew?   THANK YOU! Comments By: Meg Volker this worked wonderful! i was crying all evening because if the ear pain and my doctor couldnt see me. thank you thank you thank you!   It works! Comments By: hashbrick its a miracle! and jesus didnt even do it!   It's the alcohol Comments By: Reason it works The alcohol helps to evaporate the water that is your ear.   off to sleep!!!! Comments By: i warington 1:00pm woke up with first ever ear ache "ouch" drives you mad. discovered this site at 2:30pm down to asda ,buy listerine appied to ear whilst still in car park,drove home "2 min max" pain completly gone for now. 3:21pm try and get some sleep before pain comes back .   OMG no more pain. Comments By: Jim Ok I have been up in severe pain, almost tripping over myself. I searched the net and found these comments so I decided to try nothing else was working. I did not have listerine I had a mouth wash antiseptic and tried it and in only a minute the pain subsided I still feel pressure but not the pain now I can lay down. I only pray it does not come back all I can say is thank you for letting me know about this, thank you, thank you, thank you.   Not Bad At All Comments By: Akiya Gday. Yeah from Aus and I can tell ya now it works ey. A bit burny and tingly mate but nothing I couldnt handle ey. The pain seems to have eased up but still a little throbby ey. Probably not a bad idea to do this one then the olive oil trick ey. Well mates thanks for the tip I can have a good lazy day ey.   Working so far. Comments By: Helen, UK. Left work an hour early because a 2 hour old earache was driving me out of my mind. Got home, took a couple of painkillers, and googled. Found this page. After trying a bit on a cotton bud, it has really helped. Definately still got an earache, but can function normally. Not expecting the pain killers to kick in for another half an hour or so, so definately down to the mouth wash. (Oraldene Ice Mint in case you were wondering.) One question - how the heck did someone discover this works??? TipKing says: I know! It make you wonder.   OMG!! This is genius. Comments By: Tanya My 10 year old had a really bad earache and while my hubby was fumbling through the bathroom trying to find ear drops, I opened my laptop and found my new best friends. I grabbed the listerine a cotton ball and bam, my son's ear ache better in a matter of a minute. Thank you internet!   YESSSS! Comments By: anon i'm shocked by how well this worked. i would usually never try something like this but i was really desperate. my ear started to ache around 1am, by 2am the pain was almost unbearable. i was ready to give up and go to the emergency room but i hit google first. cotton ball in listerine, immediate relief. reduced the pain by about 50%, but the stuffiness remained. it's about an hour later and the pain is completely gone, it just feels like a little pressure. thanks so much!!! now i can finally sleep!   THANK YOU Comments By: Jessica So im 19 and ive allergies my entire life. They've been really bad lately and today my ears were stopped up and they popped and started hurting. I woke up around 12:30 with a severe pain in my left ear It was so bad i was crying about to wake my mom up to take me to the emergency room. Well I got online found this listerine remedy and it's already helped alot...I didn't have listerine but I had mouthwash from bath and body works and it helps too!!! Thank you whoever figured this out!   AMAZING Comments By: Anon ever since my ear ache started in school, i could not stand the pain. I took so many things for it to try to help, pills, heating pad..you name it. then i tried this, and at first i was skeptical, but then i gave it a try and i'm glad i did. Now i am earache free after only 5 minutes after doing this.   thankyou :) Comments By: April the past week ive been suffering from a cold/flu. since about 9pm last.. and is now 5am i had extreme ear ache in my left ear, id tried the usual parcetamol even codine and still there.. put the mouthwash in... gone!! i owe you. thankyou so much   I love you Comments By: James Tankyou so much gave me such instant releif i almost cried.   Awshome....but Comments By: Josh Decorah Like you said, a quick fix, but like halfway through the next day it came back, twice as hard and hurt more, is this common?   Really really works! Comments By: Chris Atkinson Only made it to 1.30am before getting desperate and giving it ago. I wish I'd done it before getting ready for bed, it works like a charm! Honestly, just do it. It was instant relief. Thank you to all for suggesting this!   Nice one!! Comments By: Chris Bird Couldn't get to sleep last night had really bad ear ache. Tried this as a last resort and it relieved the pain. I would be careful about putting too much in there, but cracking pain relief!   its definatly doing something Comments By: hanaseebs been up since 2.30am crying with earache so in desparation I am now sitting here with mouthwash cotton buds in my ears. I have to say something has worked- a combination of the mouthwash numbing the pain and reading everyone's commments to take my mind off it! Definatly not a 100% cure but it'll do me til I see the Doc in the mornin Thankyou!   i dont know??? Comments By: xox clo xox i am 13 and have bad ear ache i dont no what to do or how to make it go away al of yous are sayin stick mouthwash down there but MOUTHWASH watt! ?? HELP PLZ!   Had two days of the worst pain in my 86 years. Comments By: Houston Tuel, Colonel, USAF (Ret) Yesterday my doctor cleaned the wax out of my ears with a high pressure jet of water. It hurt like the dickens. After- wards, I had the worst earache I've ever had and it kept getting worse until to- night when I decided to Google it. Saw the long list of testimonials re mouth wash, so gave it a try. I simply can't believe how well it worked. -- An old fighter pilot.   NO Comments By: anon It doesnt work at all, more pain than ever   Wow it works Comments By: Sarah Well massive earache going 2 my jaw typed in earache and jawache in2 google and I come across this site, strange but I'd try nething once. It's only temporary but will do til I get 2 drs so I can carry on without crying like a big baby!!!   Needed a fix fast Comments By: victoria My boyfriend had a horrible ear ache, and i didn't know what to do, i looked it up on here, and we tried this, and it worked untill we could get him to the doctor, whoever came up with this is amazing.   alcohol to remove water in ears Comments By: Sarah I used a little alcohol poured from the lid of the alcohol bottle to remove water from my kids ears when they were young. My children do the same thing with their kids. Just pour a small amount into the ear canal after swimming, hold for a couple seconds, then turn your head so that the whole mess runs out. You can actually feel the warmth from the water that was trapped in the ear when it drains. Helps prevent earaches.   I can't believe it works! Comments By: Lindsay I have had an ear ache for the past 3 days and its is horrid. My ears are pounding. Yes I said ears...I have the ear ache in both ears. It hurts so bad I can barely stand it. I decided to get on the internet and found some remedy to help me, and I found this. I have tried several different types of ear drops and none of them worked. I tried this and it helped out a lot. My ear burns but I can deal with the burning. Its better then the sharp shooting pain in my ear. Thank you so much!   it works to relieve the pain! Comments By: Hendra Tamblin Hi, I got a swollen ear n some pain. since yesterday I've used ear oil to no avail. And today I just thought about using listerine since it works for throat infection, the strep thingy, and to confirm whether I could do it I searched the net and was amazed that I came up with some hits, tried it and the pain is gone, hopefully the swelling will too in time... thanks!!!   Thank the lord some relief at last!! Comments By: Scotty Why the hell didn't I try this before! A million thanks to whoever thought of this! The pain in my ear has been driving me to insanity for a week now. The whole right side of my face was causing me so much pain I was curled up punching the floor and swearing like some deranged lunatic. I thought it might have been my teeth and this morning I had 1 bad tooth removed and a filling done. I thought that had fixed it but when the novacaine wore off the pain returned with a vengeance. Only after looking on here did I try the mouthwash trick. I didn't have any cotton wool so I just put some mouthwash on some bog roll and dripped it in, rolled up a corner stuck it in and gave it a wiggle. Out popped a pea sized lump of ear wax and almost instant relief! Afterwards try dripping in some olive oil, it takes away the stinging of the mouthwash. OK it didn't stop it 100% but it's certainly bearable now. I'm going to go and see the doctor to see if there is any underlying problem with my ears as I have had ear wax problems before. Syringing worked pretty good for me a few years ago but that was mostly down to brick dust building up in them as I'm a sparky and I do a lot of drilling. Anyway this is turning into a right waffle so I'll just finish up by saying thanks once again. x   It does work! Comments By: Russ I've had an ear ache for a few days, and I just walked into the bathroom and saw the listerine, and decided to Google wether or not it works. Well, you guys said it did, so I tried it, and so far, it's working pretty good.   owww!!! Comments By: Amanda this really sux it didnt help at all i cant breathe now and im crying hysterically I HATE U SOOOO MUCH   THANK YOU!!! Comments By: Andrea After almost 24hrs of my 9 yr old son crying, and screaming in pain, this took away almost all the pain. We knew his ear wasn't ruptured because we went to the Dr but ibuprofen just wasn't enough to take care of the pain, but this worked in minutes! He his finally sleeping and I think I will too. Thanks again!   What a Result Comments By: Soosiewoo Another sleepless night with earache. Decided to look on the internet and came across the 'Mouthwash Cure'.Tried it about 5 mins ago and already feeling the difference. Lovely cooling sensation and the pain has definately lessened already. Thanks. You have probable saved me from a life of painkiller addiction!!   AMAZING BUT TRUE Comments By: KATIE MY DAUGHTER WAS SO DISTRESSED WITH HER EAR ACHE LAST NIGHT,I DID THE OIL NO LUCK THEN CAME BACK TO COMPUTER AND FOUND THIS REMEDY AT THIS POINT I WOULD HAVE TRIED ANYTHING, WITHIN TEN MINUTES SHE WAS ASLEEP.I PUT THE MOUTHWASH ON A COTTON BALL ONLY AND INSERTED IN THE EAR AND IMMEDIATE RELEIF.THANKYOU SO MUCH I WILL TELL EVERYONE I KNOW!   earache Comments By: tahni i have a horrible earache its been going on for ages i am 13 years old and i have tried the half vinegar and half water and i seem to feel much worse i dont know what to do as i have no listerine mouth wash are there any other remidies i can try???:(   Felt like a fool to even consider Comments By: Chad can't believe it worked ut i am telling you the pain is gone! took seconds   Probably good for bugs in the ear, too. Comments By: SurvivorGal154 @ Twitter If an ant or other small creature like a roach or spider gets into the ear canal, you could flush it out with mouthwash without harming the ear and sterilizing it at the same time. (see YouTube video of a roach in a guy's ear)   Um Hello?? Comments By: Anon. Ok look I realise this was posted as a home remedy but seriously, go to a doctor! You don't have a clue what this will do and alcohol IS a drying agent, it WILL burn your inner ear if you aren't careful and if your ear is perforated and/or very infected then doing this will only serve to cause more damage and make you look like an idiot for doing it. Remedies that involve putting un-natural chemical agents and things whose affect you have no information on are dangerous and part of this self-diagnosing bullshit thats suddenly sprung up in society. Honestly don't be lazy, don't cause yourself more harm AND DON'T POST ABOUT THINGS YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE ABOUT! You're only serving to harm others and yourself. You are not doctors. Suck it up and go and see one.   Had earache Comments By: Lisa beard Earache 3days tryd mouthwash WOW IT WORKS   Sceptical but helped!!! Comments By: Dee Compton I wasn't too sure but as I've been up for the last hour at my wits end thought I'd give it a go, I haven't soaked the cotton ball just made it moist, had it in my ear for about 15mins and the pain has lessened enough for me to try and get some sleep. I know it's a bit dodgy doing something like this but when your up and climbing the walls in the small hours, anything to ease the pain is welcome! I'm now going to try and get back to sleep!