What is the best way to clean your ears?

Try ear drops. To help your ear with its natural self-cleaning process, Dr. Schwartz recommends over-the-counter ear drops. These tend to be best for people with naturally drier earwax, he said, because they work by softening the earwax, making it easier to remove.

Some people don't find drops effective – or as effective as using water drops – but because they are generally safe, experts recommend ear drops instead of cotton swabs.

Avoid DIY tools. In addition to cotton swabs, experts warn against using homemade or store-bought tools that help you scrape, pick, or scoop the wax from your ear. They can be as simple as paper clips, but also small curets, brushes or picks with a camera tip that you can buy at the drugstore or online. These tools are just as dangerous as cotton swabs, said Dr. Schwartz.

He also advised against ear candling, which involves placing the unlit end of a hollow candle in the ear canal and lighting the other end. This should create a suction that pulls the earwax out. But “candles are both ineffective and dangerous,” said Dr. Schwartz. They can lead to burns; and the visible leftover earwax, which some people might take as proof that the technique worked, is actually just wax from the candle, not earwax.

If you can't resist cotton swabs, use them responsibly. Still, some people feel the urge to use cotton swabs despite their risks, said Dr. Hwa. “If you use them to soak up a little fluid around the opening of your ear, that's probably fine,” she said.

But it shouldn't go deeper than that. And if your ears hurt, itch, or feel clogged, see a doctor who can diagnose a blockage and remove it safely. That's “the least risky approach,” said Dr. Hwa.

Caroline Hopkins is a health and science journalist based in Brooklyn.