[troutman]

Don't use Q-Tips. Don't stick anything up your ear canal.
https://www.healthyhearing.com/repor...b-hearing-loss

It's important to realize nothing should be placed inside the ear to remove dirt and debris. This is dangerous and could cause hearing loss or a damaged ear canal or eardrum.

The ear canal has specialized cells that produce cerumen, commonly known as ear wax. Ear wax accumulates much faster for some people than others. This can lead to wax build-up that causes decreased ability to hear and in some instances, pain. As an easy way to avoid seeing a medical professional, many folks resort to using swabs to remove the excess wax, causing more harm than good.

In most cases, the ear canal does not need to be cleaned. During hair washing or showers, enough water enters the ear canal to loosen the wax that has accumulated. Additionally, the skin in your ear canal naturally grows in an outward, spiral pattern. As it sloughs off, ear wax goes with it. Most of the time the wax will loosen and fall out on its own while you are asleep. The need for a cotton swab isn’t necessary.