Here's a tip if you're going swimming and don't have any ear plugs. You can keep a new can of children's Silly Putty on hand, to tear off a bit to put in your ears. To tear off enough so you'll be able to pull it out of your ear, once you're finished swimming. The reason to make sure it's a new can, you don't know what kinds of germs are in the ones they might have already played with. Be sure to use the putty that's not been played with yet.
Well, I bought a pack of Silly Putty and it clearly stated "Not intended for use as earplugs." It'll probably be too much of a risk, so I recommend you don't
I just read a long story on a blog about a woman who still has Silly Putty stuck in her ear from when she was 12. The hot sun melted it and caused a trip to the doctor, and the docs weren't able to extract all of it. My friend's doctor suggested Silly Putty, so I guess it's a common practice, but I'm going to stick w/ stuff marketed for use as earplugs...
NEVER EVER use these "earplugs" on your kids. the chemicals used to make silly putty can cause an uncomfortable skin irritation inside the ear. this may result in inflammation and infection for some unlucky folks if the compound remains in contact with skin for too long - especially if any residue stays in the ear canal after removal.
I was always taught that you don't stick anything in your ears. What if the putty goes in too far? Since putty will soften with the person's body heat, and there's no way to retrieve it, this could be a major problem--not to mention the cost of an ENT specialist. I think it might be better to delay swimming until you can get some ear plugs.
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