All of these suggestions are good and I've used all of them. The main thing is to do
something after after water exposure. I, too, have been plagued most of my life with ear aches. My mother always had to use cotton in her ears when showering. I inherited her ears I think.
When I need to get going somewhere after being in the water I use the "Swimmers Ears" that I have to use for the dogs daily. I have my own bottle for me that I keep in the bathroom separate from the dog cabinet in kitchen. It is an antiseptic drying gel (and deodorant --- mostly needed for dogs of course). Vet told me to NOT use the dog drying powders. He told me why but I can't remember.
The three floppy eared dogs have had two bouts of ear infections from not drying them well (it is really hard to do since dog ear canals are so deep and they are in and out of the pool from early morning till dusk) after being in and out of the pool. I'm supposed to do it twice a day but I get lazy. That laziness can be expensive. The infections are really expensive to treat (we get the antibiotics cheap but the antibiotic ear drops are very expensive) and it sometimes takes a couple of months to totally clear up. BTW.... Vet warns to NOT use the Swimmers Ear for the dogs if there is any indication of infections starting.
Vet's tech also told me that they have a hard time getting it in the winter so to be sure to stock up in fall. The dogs still swim in Oct. Not me though. :lol:
I had some fancy ear plugs, custom made, and cute swirly colors. After two years I still can't get into the habit of using them.
My ear canals are real narrow and deep (I'm part dog) so the adult OTC ones are too big and the children's ones are usually too little. :grrrr:
gg=alice
