If you're still reaching for this common product to battle ear wax, it's time to try a better — and safer — method.

Every day, millions of Americans use cotton swabs to clean their ears. However, cotton swabs can push earwax further into the ear, causing wax blockage in the ear canal. Ear candling or ear coning can ...

An curved arrow pointing right. Many people think Q-tips help keep ears clean, but that isn't the case. NYU otologist Erich Voigt explains the proper way to clean wax out of your ears. Follow BI ...

Sticky yellow earwax. If you think you need to get rid of it to keep your ears clean, think again. Here's what the truth sounds like. Should I ever clean inside my ears with cotton swabs?

It’s essential for protecting and lubricating the ear canal, but occasionally it can build up to the point where you may feel the need to clean it. Everyone deals with earwax buildup at some ...

You guessed it – by going all out with a cotton bud in my ear canal. And despite knowing the risks, I recently fell off the wagon again, cleaning my ears so vigorously that I made them bleed.

So what’s the best way to clean our ears? And is using a cotton swab (or Q-Tip, the name brand that has become synonymous with the soft, fuzzy little tool) really as problematic as we’ve been ...