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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 on 2005-03-13 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 on 2005-01-09 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 on 2005-01-14 I dont have a clue what makes this work but it does and literally in minutes   It really does work!!!! Comments By: Cathy on 2005-02-17 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 on 2005-01-30 This worked within minutes!   excellent tip Comments By: Janet on 2005-03-06 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) on 2005-04-02 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 on 2005-05-16 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 on 2005-05-18 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 on 2005-05-22 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 on 2005-05-23 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 on 2005-06-22 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 on 2005-07-04 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 on 2005-12-13 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 on 2006-01-06 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 on 2006-01-20 you would not think it would work but so far, i feel grate! 12:00 am   Numbs The Pain Away COOL Comments By: Tonya on 2006-02-21 ...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 on 2006-03-31 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 on 2006-06-11 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 on 2006-07-03 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 on 2006-07-09 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. on 2006-08-11 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 on 2006-08-15 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 on 2006-08-17 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 on 2006-08-20 Cool Mint listerine on a Q-Tip, pain went away IMMEDIATELY...Thanks at 4 am EST   Pretty impressive! Comments By: Eva on 2006-08-24 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 on 2006-10-14 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 on 2006-10-15 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 on 2006-10-22 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 on 2006-11-07 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 on 2006-11-27 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 on 2006-12-31 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 on 2007-01-21 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 on 2007-02-01 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 on 2007-02-09 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 :( on 2007-02-27 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 on 2007-04-09 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 on 2007-04-25 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. on 2007-04-21 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 on 2007-05-20 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 on 2007-06-17 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 on 2007-07-05 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 on 2007-07-27 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 on 2007-07-27 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 on 2007-08-01 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 on 2007-08-17 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 on 2007-08-26 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 on 2007-08-28 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 on 2007-09-04 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 on 2007-09-11 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 on 2007-09-15 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 on 2007-09-16 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 on 2007-09-22 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 on 2007-09-23 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 on 2007-09-26 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 on 2007-10-08 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? on 2007-10-26 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 on 2007-11-07 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 on 2007-12-06 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 on 2007-12-17 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 on 2008-01-08 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 on 2008-01-09 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 on 2008-01-11 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 on 2008-01-23 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 on 2008-02-08 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 on 2008-02-08 The mouthwash just made the pain even more unbearable! :( :( :( :( Hello extortinate Doctors fees! :(   don\t think so Comments By: christopher on 2008-03-09 it\s two in the morning and i'm dying here\   Bizarre, but works Comments By: Anon on 2008-03-13 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 on 2008-03-13 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 on 2008-03-26 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 on 2008-04-06 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 on 2008-04-03 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 on 2008-04-19 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 on 2008-04-19 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 on 2008-05-10 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 on 2008-05-15 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) on 2008-05-25 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 on 2008-06-07 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 on 2008-06-18 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 on 2008-06-22 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 on 2008-06-24 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 on 2008-07-11 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 on 2008-07-29 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 on 2008-07-28 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 on 2008-08-07 it made it worse!   You'll be glad you did within 15 min! Comments By: kirby- san diego on 2008-08-11 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 on 2008-08-11 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 on 2008-08-12 omg that was hurting so much thank you! i just tried it and its easing a little   HEAPS BETTER WAY!! Comments By: Doctors Son :) on 2008-08-18 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 on 2008-08-27 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 on 2008-09-04 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 on 2008-09-06 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 on 2008-09-12 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 on 2008-09-14 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 on 2008-10-03 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 on 2008-10-07 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 on 2008-10-10 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 on 2008-10-16 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 on 2008-10-20 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 on 2008-10-21 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 on 2008-10-22 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 on 2008-11-02 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 on 2008-10-30 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 on 2008-11-28 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 on 2008-12-02 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 on 2008-12-24 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 on 2008-12-30 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 on 2008-12-31 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 on 2009-01-26 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 on 2009-01-30 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 on 2009-01-03 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 on 2009-01-05 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 on 2009-01-08 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 on 2009-01-13 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 on 2009-01-13 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 on 2009-01-14 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 on 2009-02-03 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 on 2009-02-13 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 on 2009-02-15 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 on 2009-02-16 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 on 2009-02-17 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 on 2009-02-19 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 on 2009-02-20 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 on 2009-02-22 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 on 2009-02-28 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 on 2009-03-03 Yes, i had an earache all day and i used cool mint listerine and its gone almost instantly! Wow!   No Relief Comments By: Joel on 2009-03-06 I developed an ear ache after a bad cold/cough. This did not work for me at all.   This is great! Comments By: Dan on 2009-03-24 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 on 2009-04-10 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 on 2009-04-19 its a miracle! and jesus didnt even do it!   It's the alcohol Comments By: Reason it works on 2009-04-17 The alcohol helps to evaporate the water that is your ear.   off to sleep!!!! Comments By: i warington on 2009-04-17 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 on 2009-04-21 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 on 2009-04-24 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. on 2009-04-28 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 on 2009-04-30 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 on 2009-05-02 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 on 2009-05-07 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 on 2009-05-11 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 on 2009-05-14 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 on 2009-05-18 Tankyou so much gave me such instant releif i almost cried.   Awshome....but Comments By: Josh Decorah on 2009-05-19 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 on 2009-05-21 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 on 2009-05-24 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 on 2009-06-01 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 on 2009-06-05 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) on 2009-06-16 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 on 2009-06-17 It doesnt work at all, more pain than ever   Wow it works Comments By: Sarah on 2009-06-29 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 on 2009-07-04 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 on 2009-07-22 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 on 2009-08-04 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 on 2009-08-04 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 on 2009-07-31 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 on 2009-08-12 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 on 2009-08-17 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 on 2009-09-07 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 on 2009-09-11 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 on 2009-09-24 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 on 2009-10-08 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 on 2009-10-08 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 on 2009-10-11 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. on 2009-11-03 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 on 2009-11-05 Earache 3days tryd mouthwash WOW IT WORKS   Sceptical but helped!!! Comments By: Dee Compton on 2009-11-11 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!   Thank you so much Comments By: Bianca on 2009-11-28 I had a terrible earache and about every 2 minutes I would get a flash of pain and throbbing. It was so bad I considered going to the emergency room. I tried the mouth wash I had (crest) but I realized it didn't have alcohol so I added 4-5 drops of regular alcohol to the cotton swab and less than 5 minutes later it was 90% gone. I am very grateful and will pass on the information to family and friends.   Relief Comments By: tami on 2009-12-03 Wish I would have got up and read this on the internet instead of suffering all night. Within 10 minutes, I feel much better. Now I can make it through until my antibotics take effect.   OMG, I CANNOT BELIEVE IT WORKED Comments By: Kimberly on 2009-12-04 After 2 days of a severe sore throat and a throbing ear ache with ringing, I woke up at midnight with an ear ache that was so bad, I was going to call 911, and go to the hospital, I called my Dr. office and got the service who said they would call the Dr. on call. He did not call right back, and I was in tears it hurt so bad, so I went to the internet and looked up severe ear ache and found this sight. I had a small bottle of just plain mouthwash from a hotel stay and soaked a cotton ball and put it into my ear, within 30 seconds, the sharp pain was gone. It has now been about 5 minutes and I just have a dull ache now and the doctor has still not called. This is amazing. Thank you God   well.. Comments By: gina on 2009-12-08 im a 16 year old girl with an important exam in the morning. its now half oneand ive been trying to sleep since 10 but i havent had any luck at all because of this terrible pain. just used some mouthwash whish says 6% alcohol and my ear is burning like hell. not even joking. was hoping for some sleep but obv not now   Thank you soooooo much! Comments By: anon on 2009-12-14 Woke up at 5am with earache so bad it made me cry! I have suffered with bad earache for years and i knew i had to do something about it....last time it happened i ended up taking a trip up the hospital at 3am! In my pain i looked online and found this cure....normally if someone would have said to put mouthwash in my ear i would tell them where to go but i was desperate! 5-10 mins later and with a hot water bottle i was back to sleep with no pain! Thank you soo much to whoever worked this out...tho i would like to know how lol!   It does work but be careful Comments By: Rex on 2009-12-17 I've had an earache for a day following a cold and this morning I woke to find it had become severe. I reluctantly put a drop of mouthwash in the ear. It burned and hurt more for a minute, I let it drip out, then dabbed just inside the ear with a cotton bud. It stung a bit for a while, like minty freshness. Now it's more of a dull ache in the ear rather than a sharp pain which is more bearable, so it does reduce the pain, but I would be careful in how you try it.   Thank you!!! Comments By: Rick James on 2009-12-17 I just tried it for the first time. I used scope and didn't really think it would work but so far so good.   OMG Comments By: JAMES on 2009-12-21 WOW IT ACTUALY WORKS REALLY IT DOES IVE HAD EAR PAIN FOR THREE DAYS AND I TRYED THIS AND IT WENT AWAY IT TOOK A COUPLE SECONDS BUT NONE THE LESS IT WORKS   THANK YOU ! Comments By: Anon on 2009-12-26 I have been crying with pain, trying everything, now going back to bed 2 minutes after trying this. A little bit stingy but only because i got carried away and put a bit extra in, you only need a small amount on a cotton bud. xxx   SAVED MY LIFE Comments By: Aarin on 2009-12-28 All night I was crying like a baby with pain. It was absolutely unbearable until I found this remedy. The first swish in there subsided pressure, but not enough so I waited about ten minutes and did it again and after that the pain was gone and I slept soundly!!! :)   holla Comments By: em on 2009-12-30 this worked just to ease the pain so i can sleep. but yeah most people are right... get to a doctor if it's that bad :) xxx   works Comments By: anon on 2010-01-01 i believe this now- shouldve tried it an hr ago   Severe Ear Pain Comments By: June on 2009-12-31 My husband had severe ear pain-put Difflam in his ear and is alot better.Thanks for the tip about mouthwash but Difflam works better .   Thankyou! Comments By: Jordan on 2010-01-18 woke up at 3:30 am in agonizing pain....used some scope and within 10-15 minutes i was sleeping....i really appreciated this!   idea not so good Comments By: C.P. on 2010-01-25 I tried it and it go worse ALOT ALOT ALOT worsr and it burned realey bad   Amazing Comments By: Amanda on 2010-02-05 My boyfriend has had a very bad ear ache for 2 days now. I soaked a cotten ball in Listerine and squeezed it in his hear and he said that it immediately took the pain away. Absolutely amazing!!!   Evil ear Comments By: Angie Blair on 2010-02-06 I have been suffering from middle ear infection like forever. My doc has prescribed steroid ear drops and antibiotics yet again... I'm still in pain with my left ear... It's burning and painful to touch. This morning I woke up in pain , applied the ear drops but they ain't helping... Got desperate so decided to search google for a home remedy... Found this link and read most of the comments... Who would have thought something as simple as mouthwash would help with pain... I used a cotton bud and oraldene red mouthwash.. It's got clove oil and other aromatics in it...I have to say I was reluctant to try this on the worry that I might burn my ear... But hod it has eased the pain a little... Not completely but it has helped for now... I didn't use listerine cos I don't use that stuff it's harsh on my gums... But oraldene is good... Thanks fir the tip!!! My next move would have been hospital if this was gonna spoil my weekend...   Seems to work Comments By: MemphisP on 2010-02-08 I am usually healthy but have been sick with something for almost a month now. I thought i was better then i woke up this morning with terrible pain in my throat and ear. I tried this mouthwash trick and it had taken away some of the ear pain. I only left in for for maybe 10 seconds. I will try again in maybe 20 minutes. Definitely worth a try though.   Sorta worked yet feels way better Comments By: noname on 2010-02-10 I've had a ache for two days...I didn't know what to do...I tried hydrocodeine to make the pain disappear but that didn't work...I didn't sleep all night, then i came across this site and tried thisremedy and it surely eased the pain..I still feel pain pushes yet the throbbing stopped. It feels as if the mouth wash & ear bacteria are at war lol   Reduced pain Comments By: Naomi on 2010-02-10 I was very sceptical when i saw this but then i saw all the comments and thought i would try it as i was desperate and have a toddler to look after. i have tonsillitis and today it has infected my ear, i put some on a cotton bud (q-tip) and wiped it around just inside the ear, and it has reduced the pain to a bearable amount, but still lots of pressure, i have antibiotics from the doctor anyway for the tonsillitis so this will help until they kick in, i would say be careful about actually pouring it in your ear just put it on a cotton bud (q-tip) and use it to help reduce pains until you can get to a doctors or until antibiotics kick in. and take some painkillers as well. good luck!   Alternative when no mouthwash! Comments By: Sheila and Jimmy on 2010-02-26 I have experienced shooting stabbing pain of death all day. I tried earache drops which did not help, but later I chugged a litte rum and popped a vicodin. Twenty min later pain free like a dream!! will try mouthwash later if it returns.. or more rum!   some relief Comments By: Rachel on 2010-03-04 I took benadryl to help me sleep and woke up with what seemed to be a dry achey ear with pressure. I took this advise and did get some relief. If anything the menthal helped to ease the pain.   Tried the potato first now the mouthwash... so far so good! Comments By: Sue on 2010-03-11 I have to say, I think this did the trick! I've had this dull then sharp earache for about 2 days now and taking ibuprofen (advil 400mgs at a time) like it's going out of style and it hasn't even scratched the surface to helping relieve my pain. Even 600 mg motrin... nothing was helping! Now, after vanilla mint Listerine, my ears feeling snuggly soft, warm and clean! Hope this lasts! Thanks guys and gals! P.S. I soaked mine on a cotton ball and then dripped into my ear.   Ear ache + mouthwash = sleep for all Comments By: slepy Dad on 2010-03-22 My 6 y/o son woke me up at 2:45am basically screaming about his ear hurting. We tried a few of the normal remedies to no avail so I got on the internet and came across this mouthwash remedy. With a crying 6 y/o and a now awake 10 month old I was up for anything so we dipped half a cotton ball in some ACT mouthwash and put it in his ear. Within 1 minute of applicatio he said it was starting to feel better and within 5 minutes he was back asleep. Now to the task of getting the little one back to sleep. Great tip and one that actually works!!! Thanks, sleepy Dad   Like a Miracle Comments By: John on 2010-03-23 You bet...At first I thought it was some kind of jokes. Finally, I tried the listerine thing. Had earache for almost 2 weeks. Pain was so awful, couldn't withstand. Really Amaziiing...It works like a miracle. Earache gone completely within 10 mins. Thank for the great tips. Unbelievable.   THANX Comments By: LYN on 2010-03-30 This DOES work. Only got jaw ache left---SO happy I can get some sleep! You are a STAR!!!!   Crazy!! It worked :) Comments By: ilean ova on 2010-03-28 Today I went to blow my nose after like 5 min I got a crazy earache that hurt really bad...So I went online an found this website about mouthwash so I tried it my ear feels warm a numb an don't feel no pain. :)   I Applaud You!!! Comments By: Marco on 2010-03-30 My sister was in terrible ear pain, so I prayed for a solution. A few minutes later, I found this home remedy, and I tried it on my sister. Now she is sleeping peacefully, and I can get my homework done!!! Thank you so much!!!   10 minutes of mouthwashh Comments By: Lucy on 2010-04-01 I've had a painful earache for the past two days. I tried the oil and it didnt work. And the mouthwash just burns a little but it does feel wayyy better than it did. Instant relief. I figure this and some advil should do it so it goes away.   Blessed be Comments By: M on 2010-04-09 My pain started yesterday afternoon and went on all evening, getting worse to an excruciating level. I tried ear drops, acetaminophen, warmth and whatever else I could come up with. I missed a day of work because of the pain. I wish I read this yesterday, as the pain almost immediately eased and I can make it through until my doctor appointment. THANK YOU!   about to try :S Comments By: lou-a-bell on 2010-04-13 im about to try this and i really hope it works coz i have been up all might with this earahe :( hope it works :S   DISTRACTS ME FROM THE PAIN Comments By: Liza Galantai on 2010-04-14 its is 3.40am ive been up since 2 and then sleeping on and off iam finally trying this thing with the Qtip and so far i can still feel the pain there but the tingling is nice on my ear it helps me relax, ill keep posting when i awake to see if i get some sleep :(   THANK YOU JESUS! Comments By: ClndrGl on 2010-04-25 My 13 yr. old daughter was beating on the table and crying with an earache. I tried vinegar, olive oil, hair dryer, warm rag and NOTHING worked. Saw this and tried it and no more crying and beating on table!!! Im so glad I found this remedy because I dont know how much longer I could put up with her acting like that OMG!! Thank You Thank You Thank You....... :))   Oh Great ¬¬ Comments By: Phoebe on 2010-04-28 i'm a fourteen year old girl who had gromits put in when i was little. they have both fallen out now but i still suffer from severe earaches. it was around 4:30am this morning i woke up with a really bad earache in my left ear so i took some paracetamol which my mom gave me. it did nothing. so as i lay in my bed tossing and turning with pain i decided to come onto the internet to take my mind off it slightly. then i came across some remedies for earache. i've only tried the moist towel one.. but i am currently trying this one. i have stuck the cotton bud with CoolMint mouthwash into my ear for about a minute or so (i don't know whether this will be long enough). my ear now tingles but the pain is kind of gone. the pressure is still there and it feels like it needs to pop. has anyone ese got any remedies for earache?   Mouthwash Comments By: Laura on 2010-05-02 Oh my gosh! My son woke up with severe ear ache pain. It's 5:00 in the morning and he was hurting so bad! I tried everything! and then went on the Internet and found this site. I couldn't believe it Mouthwash!!! but I wanted to help my son get relief so I tried it and it worked in seconds. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I felt so good being able to help my son. I love the Internet.   Mouthwash for ear pain Comments By: Michelle on 2010-05-09 WOW is all i have to say, i have been having this pain for almost 5 days, and have tried everything, taking numerous extra strength pills, taking hot showers letting the hot water over my ears, which was only temporary, so i read this and went and got me some Scope Mint Mouthwas and soaked a cotton ball in it, put it in my ear and 5 minutes later, or not even 5 minutes later, my ear pain is gone, but still going to the doctor tomorrow, Thanx to the internet,   OMG this person should be knighted!!! Comments By: Dawnie uk on 2010-05-08 After suffering such immense pain in my left ear the crying the urge to cut my ear off and after just 5 mins the pain in subsiding. I hope it lasts!!!!! Who hooooo! Looking forward to some sleep   PERFECT Comments By: U4RIA on 2010-05-16 IT REALLY WORKED   Pretty Good, Sort Of Scary. Comments By: Rog on 2010-05-17 I woke up at four a.m. feeling like you probably do. I took some painkillers and then tried this. I think it works because your tubes are clearer to empty when upright. This plus the alchohol I guess did it! I'm off to bed now, just a bit wary about putting mouthwash straight into my ear instead of me mouth.   Thank you so very much. Comments By: John on 2010-05-21 I have to say thank you to the person that posted this, I have used rubbing alcohol to clear water from mine an my kids ears for years. Tonight while watching my nephew he was complaining of an earache, I first tried cleaning his ear with peroxide and q-tips but this provided no relief. I got on the Google and did a search for ear ache relief and found this site. Well needless to say after letting him sit with a q-tip and mouthwash for 5 mins he is asleep 10 minutes later. I will definitely make sure that I use tip in the future and will pass it on to those in need as well. Many thanks.   thankyou :]] Comments By: Reece on 2010-05-26 i was so sceptical of this as i thought it was just a really bad internet idea that you see floating around but i used listerine on a cotton bud and it doesnt make the pain go away completely but it does numb it enough for you to be allowed to think, just for a few minutes :) definately worth having a shot at if you have the stuff at home and youre in real pain   mehhh Comments By: Garf on 2010-06-08 done the mouthwash thing earlier, but still doesnt seem to be working :(   Amazingly true Comments By: DSG on 2010-06-10 My 9 yr old cried b/c of an earache and I couldn't get him to the doctor until the next day. I researched "earache home remedies" and found this. After reading all the comments I gave it a try and no joke, as soon as the Listerine dribbled into his ear, he signed from relief. He said it was like a big rock just gave way. The next day I bought prescription ear drops for pain and dropped them in. No visible response from him. Later he asked for the Listerine and again sighed from relief after I dropped it in. Save your money! Use the Listerine ! It's incredible and even funny but IT WORKS.   Alleviated the pain abit Comments By: Gaz on 2010-06-18 I have to admit I was sceptical about this, but I've been up since 5 and there's no chance in hell of getting to a doctor and I feel like going to A&E for earache I've had for a day is somewhat overreacting when there's more serious medical situations on the ho. I put a small amount of mouthwash in my ear and whilst it hasn't got rid of the pain yet, it certainly seems to have taken the edge off it...which is certainly better than nothing!   IT HURTS WORSE! Comments By: Mad Dad on 2010-06-23 My daughter has had an earache for a few days now. My wife is a dental hygienist and one of her patients is an ear doctor. She said we should mix white vinegar and yellow listerine together and put a few drops in her ear. This only made it much worse! My little girl is crying her eyes out! I would like to punch that doctor in her stupid ear until it bleeds out and she cries all night!! Thanks for bullshit advice, Doc!!   absolutely amazing!!!!! Comments By: anon on 2010-07-01 it is 1 am and i can't believe the relief i'm feeling. warm towel didn't work. tylenol only slightly dulled the pain. i didn't thing i was going to be able to sleep tonight. searched for earache relief online and found this site. didn't really trust it until i read all of the testimonials. AMAZING! i will sleep well before i go to the doctor in the morning.   Working for now... Comments By: westcoastmama on 2010-07-10 I have had the most painful earache for the last two days, went to the doctor, got cortisporin and pain medicine. The pain is/was unbearable. Saw this, read the comments and like so many had to try out of desperation. It feels so much better, but I'm nervous what will happen when I take the cotton bud out of my ear. In any case, thanks for the temporary relief.   THX Comments By: anon on 2010-07-19 can go to sleep 6:01 tingles a bit but feels wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy betttttter thx u millions   Help me! Comments By: Brooke on 2010-07-23 I have had a horrible ear ache (which i think is probably swimmers ear) for the past 5 days and i dont know what to do! I read all the comments and a lot of people seem relieved and a lot of people seem mad about the results!! Help me!   Wonders. Comments By: Jes on 2010-07-25 Had an earache for the past 3 days now. Tried numerous drops from Wal-Mart no luck. Tried Sweet Oil no luck. 7:00am on my summer vacation stumbled up this little article.Tried Crest Whitening rinse, Alcahol free. I dont think it has the same effects as listerine but it did help the pain quiet a bit. Thanks   Thank you so much Comments By: Jimmy on 2010-07-28 Oh my good this feels so much better:) ..........   IT WORKS Comments By: RENEE IN DALLAS on 2010-07-31 I JUST TRIED IT AND IT SURE DOES WORK.DONT KNOW HOW SAFE IT IS BUT I COULD CARE LESS IM OUT OF PAIN NOW!!!!   works! Comments By: Anon on 2010-08-05 I have had a earache for the last 4 days, went to the ER on the 3rd day and they gave me drops, haven't helped at all. The pain has been getting worse day by day and I have been popping 3 advil ever 4 hours with little relife. They pain got so bad tonight I was in tears and would have tried anything! I was worried it was gonna burn, which it did, but it felt better then the trobbing pain and after a few minutes I could handle the pain. The pain is not gonna, I still feel a huge amount of pressure and swelling but at least the trobbing is gone and I can fall asleep! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!   Thank you!! Comments By: ChristyBarb on 2010-08-05 Being 7 months pregnant I can not take any pain meds, I have a double ear infection, I have not slept in days, just tried this, yes my ear is tingly (I used cool mint listerine) BUT for the first time in 2 days I was able to lay down without crazy throbbing. i wish I could hug you!!!   Surprising Comments By: Jacklyn from Jacksonville on 2010-08-09 I'm probably the biggest skeptic of all, but seeing my husband in so much pain for 3 days had me driving to the grocery store for some stupid Listerine. We had tried everything, but nothing was helping with his pain. He was beyond miserable...And, this actually worked...He rinsed his mouth first and felt immediate relief on a minor level and then soaked a cotton ball in Listerine and put it in his ear for about 15 minutes...He said he still feels a little pressure and a minor pain, but he is a million times better. That was about 3 or 4 hours ago and he just slept for the first time in days. This actually works!!!!!! It's amazing.   Desparate Comments By: Anon on 2010-08-11 UNBEARABLE PAIN such horrible horrendous pain for AN EAR!! My sister thinks im crazy for complaining about an earache but I literally cant take it anymore, will try anything at this point. Wish me luck :(   Earache in the UK Comments By: Phil Boggild on 2010-08-12 I tried to syringe my own ears, and succeeded, but my left ear ended up becoming badly infected. Probably swimmer's ear. I got some antibiotics from the doctor, but the pain has been so so bad that I gave the listerine thing a try. I haven't gone all-out, and only used one or two tiny drops, but it does seem to have helped to ease the pain a little. It's very reassuring to know that if it gets too bad I have a quick-fix to make it hurt less until the antibiotics kick in.   Seems to work. But avoid useing rubbing alchohol. Comments By: Matt on 2010-08-27 3:30 am - I poured a little minty mouth wash with %21.6 alcohol content onto a q-tip and rubbed it on the near inside of my ear. A few minutes later the pain was bearable and i can sleep. Cheers. On a side note, according to lower posts: avoiding using rubbing alcohol as it can dry up and damage your ear drum.   Thank You!!! Comments By: Mari Cesani Garriga on 2010-09-04 I have been on medications for 4 days, including antibiotic, and tylenol whith codeine for the pain after being diagnosed with severe ear infection, and even the tylenol would not calm the pain for more than 2 hours, so last night I was looking for alternatives for not using this tylenol with codeine so often or so much and your mouthwash tip was fantastic!!!!!I took the tylenol anyways before going to bed, but skipped one dose which is great. Today I used it again and it was a little painful on one of my ears, but it worked on the other, so I will keep using it in smaller doses in that particular ear. I will keep listerine in a small dropper bottle from now on for emergencies. Thanks again for you tip.GBY   WOOHOO! Comments By: Anon on 2010-09-10 Yay it worked! Had hella sore pain in and around my ear, now its gone <3   couldnt beleave it Comments By: kevin on 2010-09-21 my daughter came in 30 mins ago crying her eyes out saying her ear hurts and since i was on the comp i thought let me look for someothing and i saw this so i quickly got her in the bath room got it in her ear and she was all smiles again   So much better Comments By: Ody on 2010-09-24 My 9 yr. old daughter has had this terrible earache for a couple of days now. Doctor says it's not an infection so could be sinus, puffs and pain killers were doing nothing. Then he said it could be coming from her tooth, daughter said her tooth does hurt but it was her ear that was bothering her so much. I took her to the dentist and he suggested it gets pulled out cause it's gonna come out soon anyway as it was one of the milk molars. Pain didn't go away so I went out to buy listerine as I had another brand and it didn't work. Shortly after administering listerine with cotton wool in her ear it stung a bit but in 2 minutes her pain was gone. HOORAY Thankyou everyone for all these positive comments as it helped me to give it a try and my daughter is pain free now. THANKYOU SO MUCH   Relief? Comments By: Billy on 2010-09-26 Have just tried some toilet paper soaked in Listerine.I think that the outer ear burning sensation that this gives simply takes one's mind off the inner ear pain.   Sort of works Comments By: rhiannon on 2010-09-27 Had a cold for about 4 days, then about midnight i get ear ache that went from 0 to 100 in about five minutes. So painful i couldn't sleep, but held out for 3 hours before looking up this remedy. I used rubbing alcohol as i had no mouthwash and the pain is about 50% of what it was. I'm cautious about putting more in, as i don't want to damage my ear at all, but this is bearable until i can see a doctor in the morning.   Vicks Salve Comments By: Amanda Smith on 2010-09-30 I totally believe that this would work...I have always used vicks salve by rubbinging it on the insde of my ear with my fingertip or with a q-tip...My grandma taught me years ago...Although it tingles some, it relieves the aching, tourturous pain inside the ear...So, it must be the menthol that is in both mouthwash and vicks salve that helps...   Amazing Comments By: Anon on 2010-10-08 Had earache as result of sinus infection. Tried the mouthwash and the severe crackling is gone after 15 min. Can still feel the pressure but pain is much relieve and crackling GONE! Love this.   SOMEONE PLEASE GET BACK Comments By: NEETZ on 2010-10-09 CAN U USE CORSODYL? IM SCARED TO TRY THIS EXPERIMENT   IT WORKS. I was a skeptic engineer. Comments By: Louisiana Boy on 2010-10-11 It really worked. With every heartbeat I could feel in my ear the pressure and the stabbing pain in my ear and jaw. Two nights without sleep. Felt like a marble twice as big as my ear canal had been pushed in there. Having had ear problems in the past I did not want to put anything in my ear, but when the pain is so desperating you'll try anything. I was already on antibiotics and pain meds. The first time I tried it I was able to sleep for two hours following the qtip application. After that, I put some drops and slept all morning. Thanks Tip giver.   Too afraid to try....But... Comments By: worried momma on 2010-11-07 My 15 year old has been up the last two nights with an earache. We did go to Dr but as you all know the pain will come back at night. He has an ear infection but when the pain came back I squeezed a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, it it bubbled out his ear and he had instant relief. It was temporary but it helps till his antibiotic starts to work.   It Works Comments By: mark on 2010-11-20 In agony for days and couldnt take anymore painkillers so to the mouthwash i turned and It Works!!!   will have to try it Comments By: enduring this pain until 3:30 today on 2010-11-22 can't wait to get home to try this!!!! my ear is killing me!   it was amazing Comments By: lardsgirl on 2010-11-23 I used the traditional listerine...two minutes and I timed it..the pain was gone!!! I then used a warm moist heat and sleep with it on my ear last night...it feels full but the pain..the kind of pain worst than having a baby kind of pain..the shoot me kind of pain...i am so relaxed now...thank you to the person who had guts enough to try this. the first time.....   thank god Comments By: very grateful on 2010-11-29 I've never had an earache like the one i had in my life. I was ready to tell my mom to bring me to the hospital, i was in tears. I put mouthwash on a qtip and gently rubbed it around. Although I still have the ringing, i would much rather have that then severe pain. Thank you so much!   Ahhhh... minty fresh ears! Comments By: Fresh Ears on 2010-11-30 Not perfect, but an improvement. I used a q-tip dipped in my store brand fresh mint mouthwash (20% alcohol by volume) and it took the edge off. I imagine because I have an inner ear infection (diagnosed by dr) that that's to be expected (mouthwash can't actually get to the infection), but it did take the edge off for sure. Now to round up some hot towels and see if that takes the rest of the pain away....   it's better -- immediately -- although not gone Comments By: Anon on 2010-12-05 i have some milder Listerine but it still helped. thanks!   Didnt help me...pity! Comments By: gem on 2010-12-07 Was really hoping this helped but it didn't :( docs it is x   Amazed. Thank you! Comments By: Niroku on 2010-12-07 I've been suffering with awful flu for nearly two weeks and this morning I woke up with a bad earache in my left ear. This is common for me as I perforated my left eardrum a few years ago and every time I have a cold/flu/hayfever, my ear hurts a lot for a few days. The pain had been gradually getting worse for the past few hours until the left side of my face and head were throbbing horribly. I took some cocodamol which helped a little but the throbbing feeling was still pretty intense so I googled for earache remedies and found this. I can see that it hasn't helped some people but for the most part people have had great results so I tried it. I soaked half a cotton ball (I have small ears so a whole cotton ball is too big lol) in Sensodyne Gentle Care mouthwash and settled it just at the opening of my ear and let some of the mouthwash run down through my ear canal. I'm amazed as the pain and throbbing has stopped almost completely, though I did have to remove the cotton ball from the outside of my ear as I have sensitive skin and it started to sting a little. I am going to let the mouthwash sit in my ear for 30-45 minutes and then settle the dry, clean half of the cotton ball I have spare at the opening of my ear and have a lie down on my left side for the mouthwash to run out. Will repeat this method again tonight to help me sleep if the pain returns.   This non-risktaker is AMAZED! It actually WORKED!! Comments By: Joyful Judi on 2010-12-08 Say whuuuuuuut?!?!?! I read every single word every single fellow severe ear ache sufferer wrote. I calculated, after speed reading in excruciating pain and agony, that about 92.8% felt absolute relief after trying the Listerine on the cotton ball in the sore ear. SO, I tried it -- albeit with fear and trepidation! And VOILA! IT FREAKIN' WORKED, PEOPLE!!! WOWWWWWEEEEEE ZOWIE!!!!! I think the one guy is correct in that your poor ear is more than likely in shock from being all minty fresh and tingly mouthwashy pure and so it "forgets" the deep pain for time and by then you are happily asleep. While at my doctors appointment this morning, I shared with Mrs. PhD what I'd discovered online and that it actually worked and her medical eyeballs nearly popped out of her skull. Looked like Pokey from the Gumby cartoon! HAHAHAHA! Thank you sooooo very much for the SUPERB TIP which I shall share with ALL the folks I know and love. ~Joyful Judi in Columbus, OH p.s. I have a scratched eardrum, not a pierced one, two ear aches, but just the left ear has a scratched eardrum (diagnosis swimmers ear) and I am now on pain meds and antibiotics so this was just a quick fix for the pain. Sort of like when you use Orajel for toothache pain but you still MUST go to the dentist. It only worked the first time before I went to bed and not the second time in the middle of the night when I tried it again. So, a quick fix, SCORE!! A way to avoid the DOC? NOT! God bless you all!   Miracle instant relief!!! Comments By: Relieved in California on 2010-12-12 I was having horrible pain in left ear associated with muscle spasms in my jaw (TMJ). I had been taking Vicodin and ran out so I thought I would try this. I was amazed how quickly worked. It feels a bit odd but the   HUGE SKEPTIC...HUGE BELEIVER!!!! Comments By: Lindsey Wilson on 2010-12-16 Ok so I have had an earache for about a week(yes I went to the dr. She gave me pain pills and a list of at home remides) due to a toothache and I'm pretty sure I've been grinding my teeth at night. I've tried the warmth thing, I tried the oil, not even my prescription vicodin would help!!! I have act restoring mouth wash, but its Alchool free. BUT it still worked!!!!! I just dipped a Q tip in and swabed my ear an the pain is WAY less than what it was! I can't beleive this worked but it did. Thank you sooo much!!!   awesome Comments By: Tammie Parker on 2010-12-24 my son thought i was mad to even consider putting mouthwash in my ear and to be honest i felt pretty stupid too BUT its xmas day (merry xmas) and its 2am and im in AGONY from earache. I googled earache as id tried pain killers, warm water etc wiv no affect but the mouth wash was instant! Totally amazing im glad i tried it now i can go to sleep nite nite   Quite cool! Comments By: xaminax on 2010-12-20 Had an earache due to a bad cold, tried this but using colgate mouthwash and it works a treat!   my sucky earache Comments By: Rebecca on 2010-12-21 i have had this earache for a couple of days now,my mom had an idea it worked!she had put vicks on my cotton ball after she had put eardrops in my ear,and put vicks around the outside of my ear-soothed it alot-IT WORKS!! thank you mom!! -12 year old daughter   i wont forget this one Comments By: ian on 2010-12-26 its 12.30am my 5 year old has been crying for 1 hour now looked on here tried it within seconds he said pain has gone and went straight to sleep. paracetamol wasnt touching him but this worked within seconds thank you.   GOBSMACKED! Comments By: Miss A Bennett on 2011-01-05 gob smacked that someone thought of this and totally gob smacked it worked! i still have jaw ache but my earache is about 90% better, its 5.10 and i have been up all night with this pain, so i guess it's night night! Thank you very much!!!   Significant relief! Comments By: Kristen + James on 2011-01-09 My boyfriend has had a sore throat and sinus problems for the past week. All of a sudden tonight he started to have a HORRIBLE pain in his left ear. I have never seen him react to pain this way. He tried OTC pain killers, I made him a warm compress, and he got some decongestant in him. It is almost 3a.m. and NOTHING was working. I saw this and asked him if he was willing to try sometime kinda crazy sounding. He put the bit of cotton with listerine on it in his ear, I went downstairs...checked on him about 10 mins later and I think he was almost asleep!!! I asked if it helped and he said "yeah, the listerine burns a little, but its nothing compared to the pain I was feeling" AMAZING REMEDY! Put the listerine by the side of the bed. Doctors in the morning. If the pain is bad enough, you WILL try this and hopefully it will work wonders for you too!   best ever Comments By: anon on 2011-01-18 My 4 year old has been crying for an hr over his ear hitting found the reamady tried it he's now fast asleep thank you sooooooooooo much   It Worked! Comments By: Sleepless in Scottsville on 2011-01-23 My 4 year old was screaming for hours with earache pain...I tried the traditional olive oil (warmed), the wet warm compress and finally the mouth wash. I did give her a dose of Benadryl to "make" her sleep. She woke up several times but each time said her ear was better. It's well worth the try if your in that much pain, mouthwash couldn't be much more agonizing and worth the try.   Incredible!!! Comments By: Annette in Australia on 2011-01-23 I don't "do" quack remedies. I'm a nurse and very sceptical about such things. However my 13yr old son was crying in pain just now. He had taken Paracetamol and then Ibuprofen for the pain but was still distressed. I soaked a cotton wool ball in Lysterine (the purple one - all we had). Two minutes later he is asleep. It's only a temporary fix and he still needs a doctor tomorrow but it has helped us tonight. Thank you!!!!   SWEET RELIEF Comments By: vanessa on 2011-01-23 Oh wow, it is cold and FABULOUS feeling in your ear, it's WONDERFUL, I used the alcohol free mouthwash and it definately made my ears feel more comfortable, hopefully the relief will continue!!!   pretty good Comments By: aDRIAN Enriquez on 2011-01-23 i still have pain but it almed down a bit GREAT IDEA!   Good Old Fashioned Remedies! Comments By: Valerie on 2011-01-27 I suffer with sinus problems and the infection tends to settle in my ears. Visits to my GP always result in antibiotics @£7.20 and the last time this happened, my GP changed my prescription as the drugs weren't working. Last Sunday, I woke at 0400hrs with the worst ever ear ache, so decided to look online for a solution. Listerine came to the rescue. Within 15mins, the pain had eased and a second application saw the pain completely disappear. I've used this remedy at intervals during this wk and it's still working! Long term damage - minty fresh ears, saving £14.00 on prescriptions. Thanks for the tip x   saved from lookin like van gogh!!!!! Comments By: mr happy as larry on 2011-01-29 a 5 rating for something that doesnt completly cure is a little suprising, but believe me i was in agony, first ever ear ache at 29 and no clue how to treat it, the pain relief in less than a minute was amazing, even better after ten minutes. the pain hasnt totally gone but can say the difference is like going from a terrible migraine, to a slightly naggin headache. magic.   Stopped my from going to the ER Comments By: erin on 2011-02-03 I was just in severe pain and used this technic and it got rid of the excruciating pain, but not completely. I'll try it again a little later.   Couldnt believe I tried this but it worked!!! Comments By: Anon on 2011-02-06 I would never put anything in my ears thats not from the doctor but I was in so much pain I needed something so I gave it a go and I cannot believe it worked. It doesnt completely go but now I can bear it until the morning THANKS!!!   Fantastic - I honestly thought I wouldn't work Comments By: Tony on 2011-02-07 My ten year old son has been complaining about an earache for over two hours. The shops are closed and it is a few miles away to drive to the all night chemist. I tried the hot towel and it didn't work. My last hope was the internet. I read the reviews and was sceptical. I took the courage to dab some mouth wash just inside his ear and he received instant pain relief. I still can't believe it and he's finally gone to sleep after 3 hours of discomfort. It's been 15 mins now, hence the time to pass on my thanks. Cheers   wasn't too sure but i gave it a go :) Comments By: anon on 2011-02-24 I'm 17 and the last two days I've had major ear ache so much that I can't sleep last night I couldn't bare the pain so kept a warm cloth on my ear most of the night that did help a lot but tonight the pain is just too much, I googled this and well was a bit unsure but I gave it a go and its worked I still have small pain but not as much as before off to the docs tomorrow thou have a proper look and see what's up, thanks thou tonight I can sleep pain free :)   IT WORKS. Thank you. Comments By: usmcvet on 2011-02-21 It worked very well. The pressure is still there and I need to see my doctor when the office opens but the serious pain is gone. Thank you.   THANK U Comments By: Autumn on 2011-02-22 Haha Thank you so much ive dealing with this terrible pain for over 2 weeks(no insurance) its amazing I felt like an evil genius for just trying it thank you sooooooooooo much, it really only took a minute to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!   EVIL GENIUS Comments By: Jay on 2011-02-28 i don't know who the insane evil genius was that thought it was a good idea to try putting mouthwash in their ear, probably just wanted this sever pain gone and didn't have acid, thank you, the pain has diminished significantly. will recommend this   Did not work! Comments By: Rose on 2011-03-01 Tried about 3 drops in my 8 year old's ear and she started screaming to stop, it was burning. I actually think it made the pain worse. It may work depending on severity of earache, but it aggravated the pain in my daughter.   Amazing Comments By: Kyle on 2011-03-01 Was in excrutiating pain with my right ear then tried this and it worked almost instantly thanks for the advice!!!!   Amazing Comments By: Kyle on 2011-03-01 Was in excrutiating pain with my right ear then tried this and it worked almost instantly thanks for the advice!!!!   No way Comments By: Anon on 2011-03-07 I have a realy bad ear ache and tryed this ... Now i have burning sensation in my ear and its ten times worse   still a little unsure Comments By: anon on 2011-03-08 It seem to have kinda taken my earache away but i hear some popping going on inside my ear so i don't know if that's a good or bad thing i tried the whole laying in the heating pad but it just seemed to make my face hot and was a little uncomfortable. But i ny earache does seem to be going away in a matter of minutes. So thank you! :)   It works, go slow, try the Q-tip. Comments By: Anon on 2011-03-08 It takes 10mins to work. I used a Q-tip, stuck it in and waited. It burns a bit, but goes away. Pain is 90% gone, only been doing it for 15min. Looked at other comments, I think it works for pain only with no damage to ear canal. Best to go slow with this. But it works. Has to be the alcohol that makes it work.   OW!!!! Comments By: granthay on 2011-03-09 im trying it and its burning is that suppost to happen??   Do you think it will work? Comments By: Jesus on 2011-03-09 I have got a virus not just an earache, will it still work whether what kind of illness I have?   Thanx Comments By: Vanna Krenz on 2011-03-15 I'm 15 and had my first track practice yesterday, im sore and tired and then got an earache at 11:00 took tylonol, didnt help.so i went on the net and found this, and it kinda worked.   DENTYL ACTIVE CLOVE FRESH WORKS Comments By: xbox fan on 2011-03-15 My 15 year old son had really bad earache and read about mouth wash on your site, so I used what we had Dentyl Active alcohol free Clove Fresh and he was pain free within 10 minutes.   Ear Wash, Mouth Wash? Comments By: Dannn on 2011-03-16 Just tried the mouth wash in my ear and yes it has reduced the discomfort so its deffinately worth a go. Im using it to get rid of the discomfort of my ear drops that are blocking my ears! Stupid ear drops!   Great!! Comments By: Michelle on 2011-03-17 I have never had ear Ach before so at 4am had no idea how to get relief!! It was agony! Thank god for the Internet as a bit of listerine on a cotton wool ball eased my pain so I could get to sleep!!!   Worked better than I expected! Comments By: strapple on 2011-03-17 I have a severe blockage but it managed to numb it enough not to hurt nearly as bad as it did before. Still hurts deep down in my ear and of course the headache from pressure remainds but I'll be able to sleep well.   OMG! thank god Comments By: andrew on 2011-03-18 thank god for the internet! been up for 2 hours with earache and just tried this! slight tingly sensation but much more comfortable feeling than the throbbing earache! i've had earache since i was young and this is the first thing that has actually numbed the pain!!   Peace Finally Comments By: Julia in Oklahoma on 2011-03-22 Heat, Puuulease !!My husband and I tried everything for our four yr old son, Until!, we found the Wonderful ear wash remedy, he relaxed almost immediately, and fell asleep soon after   Thank God For The Internet! Comments By: Melissa Wiley on 2011-03-23 I've been up for 3 hours with my 3 year old. I soaked a cotton ball in Listerine ans put it in his ear and 5 minutes later he's knocked out! No BS! It works!   Not Sure About This Comments By: Anon on 2011-03-23 In terrible pain with earache, so looked for wonder remedy on the internet as don't have a hope of getting an appointment with doctor. Gave it a whirl, but no good. Mouthwash did contain alcohol, but wasn't Listerine.   wow Comments By: rere on 2011-03-24 I'm 10 years old and this really work all though it wasn't a servere earache   Pain like NEVER b4... Comments By: M on 2011-03-25 i tried this remedy w/ 3D Whitening Mouthwash...i have been up with an earache like never b4 in my life since 2am...it is now almost 4am and i am almost to the point of relaxation!   IT DOES WORK! Comments By: Cindy, CO on 2011-03-31 after reading comments seems all severe ear aches happen wee hours of the morning why? but 1am for me & used an eye dropper to put the mouthwash in WOW instant swelling decreased & pain so bad I was in tears gone!!   It works Comments By: Amy on 2011-03-31 It worked. I was up till 3am crying with pain, next thing I know it's 7:30am and I slept the night away. Amazing.   saved by this remedy! Comments By: Anon on 2011-03-31 Woke up two nights ago with 1 - 3 seconds of excruciating sharp stabbing pain in my right ear drum, every 6 -10 seconds. Tried alcohol, olive oil, saline, and ice. Only ice worked, packed on my right side of my neck and over my right ear, coupled with vicodin. Called the doc on day 3 and got pain killing drops and antibiotics. Took an antibiotic and tried the drops and the pain escalated...non stop stabbing pain. Thought I was going to die. Poured ACT mouthwash in my ear and the stabbing pain is almost gone 15 minutes later. Icing my neck and vicodin still is the only thing that gave me total relief from the pain so I could sleep, but mouth wash kills the pain enough so I can work during the day.   help Comments By: amanda on 2011-04-01 i tried the mouthwash thing and it did seem to work slightly but not all the way to were i can to back t0 sleep. but it did go from chronic pain to acute pain.   Son of a Gun IT WORKED!! Comments By: Sharon on 2011-04-07 I was skeptical. But my 12 year old crying in the background, while I scanned the comments pushed me over the edge to give it a whirl! I am shocked! Within 5 minutes he was sound asleep!   DAMNIT!!!! Comments By: PAUL on 2011-04-14 WISH I WOULD'VE SEEN THIS 5 HRS AGO. BEEN UP ALL NIGHT AND HAVE TO BE AT WORK IN 2 1/2 HOURS. LISTERINE ON A COTTON BALL AND THE PAIN HAS BEEN REDUCED TO THE POINT WHERE I BELIEVE I COULD ACTUALLY GET SOME SLEEP!   Thankyou WOW! Comments By: Tilly on 2011-04-16 thanks so much i tried it and it didnt really work at first bt after a while it worked! :) i tried using a hot water bottle and put it on my ear it worked as well like a charm !ive been up all night with it and it was unbearable! :)   finally Comments By: mike s on 2011-04-21 its almost 3 o clock in the morning and everytime i swallow, the back of my throat and both my ears feel like theyre going to explode. I tried this and it actually worked but what could i use to relieve the throat?   So thankful! Pain is gone! Comments By: A mom on 2011-04-23 I was nervous to try this on my son, but desperation prevailed at 4am. Less than ten minutes later, he is ready to fall asleep. This severe pain had woken him up in the middle of the night. He has had a cold/runny nose, but no fever. The mouthwash was just a generic brand, but I made sure it had alcohol in it as an ingredient. I am so thankful this worked! I wish I would have found this idea before trying two different types of pain reliever meds!   SLEEP AT LAST!!!!! Comments By: Luke on 2011-05-22 I woke up at 2am with a raging ear ache. i was just about to get in the car to go to hospital, when i thought i'll have a quick look on the net to see if anyone else is suffering with the same. WOW! got the listerine & cotton bud out, and the relief was instant altough not completely cured but bearable to get some sleep.   Shocking! Comments By: Yesenia on 2011-06-03 I can't believe this... I tried so many other remedies and failed.I was desperate and this simple remedy did it in literally seconds:)   amazing Comments By: sarah on 2011-06-15 after 2 days of excruciating pain, and no sleep, i think i'd try anything. while it's not a complete cure (there is still a dull ache deep in my ear) it definitely helps keep me comfortable while i wait for antibiotics to kick in and clear this up. the cooling sensation of the listerine is very soothing.   I love you. Comments By: Geenafaceyo on 2011-07-18 I was laying in bed crying for two hours when I discovered this. I though it sounded like a terrible idea, but I was willing to try anything & thank God I did! Thank you soooooooooo much. I can't even begin to express my gratitude. You are my lifesaver!!! :D   Thank You Comments By: BreBre on 2011-07-30 I have no medical coverage, it worked for me.   Great for non infected ear pain Comments By: Vidalia on 2011-08-08 I had terrible pain in my ear that got unbearable if I moved my head even a tiny bit. Went to the doctor who examined me and said there was no infection or inflamation but recommended strong OTC pain killers. They didn't work. Now I just tried the mouthwash (Cordasyl) and the pain has gone within about 10 minutes.   Not for me Comments By: Anon on 2011-08-12 It's 3:28a.m and I just got done doing the mouth wash thing on a q-tip and it didn't work this would be my 3rd night staying up with this thing and I'm a single mother with two children and have work this weekend all it did was burn my ear so bad I had to wash it out a lot and now it's even more plugged up I've tride everything it's so bad that I can hardle open my mouth it's all most feels as if I have lock jaw any body have anything else I sure could use it   No way Comments By: bio on 2011-09-01 i had a sore earache all day and pain killers did nothing but trieing mouth wash just instantly relaxed my pain and it feels soothin. ITS AMAZING   It helped! Comments By: Wally on 2011-09-18 Cursed earache! Tried the garlic treatment for a couple of hours, and it helped a bit. Then I tried the mouthwash (Listerine on a cottonbal) and the relief was almost instant. Not 100% relief, but maybe 75%. Lucky me, also got rid of the garlic smell!   Ouch.. Comments By: bailey on 2011-10-24 Okay so now my ear hurts worse. It is 2:42 AM and i have school at 6:30. Someone please report this guy. OW OW OW.. Â