I stopped using q tips and had so much wax buildup that I could barely hear out of my ear. Was a terrible week or so before I finally got it cleared with a softener and water administered through a flared syringe. I went right back to using q tips as I had for decades before. All it takes is a bit of sweeping at the entrance of my ears for me to avoid that crazy buildup, so it's well worth it.
I have a gentle ear cleaning tool that is designed to use warm water to clean your inner ear, and then you clean the outer area with a q-tip. They're great tools, just not for your inner ear. If your ears aren't prone to infection I highly recommend a water cleaning device for your ears.
minnieo@kbin.social to 
Yeah, well, there's also a warning label on Q-tips to not stick em in your ear canal.
You also shouldn't do that. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/why-you-really-truly-should-not-put-q-tips-your-ears. Thats just proven bad. Unlike my losing battle elsewhere. Which, trust me, it was a big deal if you held on. Everyone can argue it. But all I'm seein' is a bunch of bar grabbers.
I stopped using q tips and had so much wax buildup that I could barely hear out of my ear. Was a terrible week or so before I finally got it cleared with a softener and water administered through a flared syringe. I went right back to using q tips as I had for decades before. All it takes is a bit of sweeping at the entrance of my ears for me to avoid that crazy buildup, so it's well worth it.
I have a gentle ear cleaning tool that is designed to use warm water to clean your inner ear, and then you clean the outer area with a q-tip. They're great tools, just not for your inner ear. If your ears aren't prone to infection I highly recommend a water cleaning device for your ears.