removing your ear wax and dirt - how?

i use cotton bud but i use it after shower so i dont think its any problem

I use a damp washcloth, and sometimes one of my larger fingers (when the nail is short) if the wax is not in that far. I put the washcloth over my largest finger and it can get it out. I do not have it in too far, and usually when I have a lot of it, I usually have a cold in the ear. I do not use cotton buds, because well it might not get it all out. I do not like wax in my ear, especially my left ear since I hear better out of my right ear (or the person beside me sings softer than I - she does)so I try to keep it clean as much as possible. I also think there are some stuff that can dissolve ear wax, but do not know the name of it.

Health experts say that NEVER NEVER use a cotton bud, hair grip or finger to remove wax from your ear. They simply compacts the wax, making it hard. http://www.strive4impact.com/massage_files/Articles/ear_wax.html Never attempt to clean out an ear that is painful and/or presumed to be infected. To do so could cause additional pain and/or ear damage. Second, you don't use Q-tips in the ears. Q-tips do not fit very well and will gradually pack the wax back against your eardrum (just like loading a cannon by tamping down the powder). If you want to use them to clean the ear opening, that's OK, but don't dig around deep in the ear canal. Never clean out an ear that has "tubes" or if the eardrum is known to be perforated. This is a big no-no. The safest way to clean out a wax impaction is with warm water -- either from your shower (just let a gentle stream hit your ears) or the gentle stream of an ear syringe (you can buy them at the pharmacy). If you use the syringe, remember -- just the warm water goes in the ear. Don't put the syringe in your ear, or you will surely have trouble. If you have a history of very dry and hard wax, you may need to use some wax- softening agents prior to the warm-water wash. You can by various brands at the pharmacy. Think about getting a home otoscope. Although you can't look in your own ears, you can train someone else to look in yours. Then you will know if the ear is "clean." After all, ears are self-cleaning (just like the eyes or nose). By gravity and body heat, the wax will gradually make it to the opening where you can wipe if off with a washcloth or rinse it away in the shower. That is all you really need to do with earwax.

I use Q-tips. I know you're not supposed to, but I get a lot of ear wax & it drives me crazy! Makes it hard to hear, and sometimes it hurts my ears!

I use cotton buds to remove ear wax and dirt after taking a shower each time. I don't have a better way to do it. I think that it is safer to use a cotton bud instead of using something else to remove ear wax and dirt.

The ear has a built in mechanism to trap dirt and then excrete it too. The ear is composed of the cerumen (ear wax) which works a s a trapping agent and moisturizing agent for the ears to prevent infection and accumulation of dirt. The cerumen traps foreign objects and usually becomes solid and is slough off or comes out of the ear on its own and be discarded even with out "cleaning". The ear is only "cleaned" manually when there is serious blockade of the opening. When one takes a bath, just swab the outer area with a soft towel to remove fallen off dirt and hardened cerumen. Don't insert any sharp object inside the opening.