Your ears clean themselves. Cotton buds usually make things worse
Ear wax isn't dirt. It protects your ears, and it moves out on its own. Pushing it in is how most blockages happen.
Cotton buds are in nearly every bathroom cabinet, and one of the most common uses is poking around in our ears after a bath. It feels clean and satisfying. Ear doctors wish we would stop.
Ear wax isn't dirt. It is made by glands in the outer part of the ear canal to trap dust and germs, keep the skin moist, and protect it from infection. And the ear cleans itself: the skin of the ear canal grows slowly outwards, like a conveyor belt, carrying old wax to the opening, where it falls out or is wiped away when you wash your face. Chewing and talking help move it along.
When you push a cotton bud in, you often shove wax deeper, where it can pack down against the eardrum and cause blockage, muffled hearing, ringing or pain. Buds, hairpins, keys and matchsticks can also scratch the delicate skin and cause infections, or in bad cases, tear the eardrum. The standard advice from ear doctors is to put nothing smaller than your elbow in your ear.
Looking after your ears - Clean only the outer ear with a damp cloth. Leave the canal alone. - If you feel blocked, a few drops of olive oil or ear drops from the chemist for a few days can soften wax so it comes out on its own. - Don't use ear candles or have your ears cleaned by roadside ear cleaners. - See a doctor for ear pain, discharge, sudden hearing loss or a blocked feeling that doesn't clear. They can remove wax safely.
Where this comes from - Schwartz SR et al. Clinical Practice Guideline (Update): Earwax (Cerumen Impaction). Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2017.
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