Anaerobic bacteria, that means the organism doesn’t require oxygen to thrive, tend to emit a foul odor that can make earwax smell bad. A bad smell can also mean an infection is causing middle ear damage. You might notice your balance is off and there is ringing or other phantom noises in the affected ear.
Moreover, how do you treat smelly ear wax?
Excessive earwax
- Soften the wax with an eyedropper of baby oil, hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, or mineral oil.
- A couple days after the wax has softened, use a rubber syringe to spray warm water into your ear. Tip your affected ear up when spraying the water. …
- Use a towel or blow-dryer to gently dry your outer ear.
Anaerobic bacteria, in other words, bacteria that do not require oxygen to survive, tend to emit a foul odor that will make earwax stink. That bad smell can also mean there is an infection causing middle ear damage.
Furthermore, why is my ear leaking clear fluid that stinks?
Pus or cloudy fluid coming from the ear can be a sign of an ear infection in the ear canal or middle ear. The ear canal is the tube that joins the outer ear to the middle ear. An infection of the middle ear, which doctors may refer to as otitis media, can cause fluid discharge from the ear.