I'm glad this subject came up....I have swimmer's ear in BOTH ears right now. I recently put a pond in my backyard, and trimmed it out with masonry work, Well, naturally, when setting the stones, some of the mortar and grout went into the pond. So, once I had it all done, I got in there with a mask and a pool vacuum, and cleaned all the cement/lime residue out the bottom of the pond. I was stirring it up with my hands while I was vacuuming, so, I'm sure some of it went in my ears. I'm thinking the high pH from the lime might be part of the problem, it may have irritated my ears. I tried some drops that I bought from the pharmacy last night......still hasn't cleared it up. I definitely want to clear it up before it becomes infected. So, I'll try the boric acid.