You can shower with swimmer’s ear, but you need to keep water out of the infected ear canal the entire time. Water reintroduces moisture to an already inflamed environment, which can slow healing or make the infection worse. With a few simple precautions, most people can shower normally and even wash their hair without setting back their recovery.
Create a Waterproof Ear Plug
The most reliable barrier is a cotton ball coated in petroleum jelly. Start with clean hands, then tear off a piece of cotton large enough to fill your outer ear opening. Spread a thin layer of petroleum jelly over the entire surface of the cotton so no dry spots remain. Press the coated cotton firmly into the entrance of your ear canal to block it completely.
Before stepping into the shower, tilt your head gently from side to side to make sure the plug stays put. If it holds, you’re good to go. Remove it as soon as you’re done showering, since leaving a damp cotton ball in your ear defeats the purpose. Silicone ear plugs designed for swimming also work well, and some people find them easier to keep in place under running water.
Adjust How You Wash Your Hair
Shampooing is the riskiest part of a shower when you have swimmer’s ear, because soapy water runs directly over and into your ears. A few positioning changes make a big difference:
- Tilt your head back while shampooing and rinsing so water flows down your back instead of over your ears.
- Use a handheld showerhead if you have one. It gives you much more control over where the water goes, letting you rinse the back of your head while keeping the stream away from your ears.
- Turn the affected ear away from the water flow. If only one ear is infected, angle your body so that ear stays on the dry side.
Soap and shampoo contain surfactants that strip away the ear canal’s natural protective oils. If any suds get into an infected ear, they can irritate the already-inflamed skin and interfere with prescription ear drops you may be using. Keeping your ears clear of lather matters just as much as keeping them dry.
What to Do If Water Gets In
Even with precautions, a little water sometimes sneaks past. Don’t panic, and don’t reach for a cotton swab. Swabs push water deeper into the canal and can scratch the inflamed skin, making the infection worse.
Instead, tilt your head so the affected ear faces the ground and gently tug your earlobe up and down, then back and forth. This straightens the ear canal slightly and lets gravity pull the water out. You can also try the palm method: cup your hand tightly over the ear, press in to create a seal, then pulse your palm gently in and out a few times to create a light vacuum. When you release, the trapped water often follows.
After draining, you can use a hair dryer on the lowest, coolest setting from a safe distance to dry the outer part of the ear. Make sure the air isn’t hot. A few seconds of gentle airflow is enough to evaporate residual moisture without irritating the canal.
How Long You Need to Keep Your Ear Dry
Most swimmer’s ear infections clear up within four to five days of starting antibiotic ear drops, and that’s the general window during which you should be especially careful about water exposure. Some doctors allow a return to swimming pools after two to three days if the infection is responding well, but the ear still needs to stay dry until the infection is fully gone.
These protective showering steps should continue for the full course of your treatment. If your symptoms are still present after a week, or if they initially improve and then return, that’s a sign the infection hasn’t been fully eradicated. Chronic cases lasting longer than three months can develop when bacteria are resistant, when there’s an allergic reaction to ear drops, or when a skin condition like eczema is complicating recovery.
Signs That Water Exposure Has Made Things Worse
Some worsening after accidental water exposure is worth watching for. Mild swimmer’s ear causes itching and slight discomfort, but if you notice severe pain that spreads to your face, neck, or the side of your head, that signals the infection is advancing. A completely blocked feeling in the ear canal, visible swelling or redness of the outer ear, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, or any fever all warrant prompt medical attention.
Pain that spikes after a shower, specifically, is a strong clue that water is getting past your barrier. If that keeps happening despite using a petroleum jelly cotton plug, consider switching to moldable silicone ear plugs that conform more tightly to your ear shape, or try bathing instead of showering so you can keep your head above water entirely.