I swear by the Q-tip (and the occasional pinky, if I can’t get a Q-tip on hand), but I’m too scared of the ear-spoon to use it any more. I find that even my mom’s gentle hand can be too much on my ear-walls.
I’m surprised at the amount of people who recommend against the Q-tip - a full, cottony one won’t fit very far into your ear, and as long as you take things slow and steady you won’t hurt yourself. Just ease it down until the tip is most of the way in, then turn it in a circle.
Oh good, one of my favorite topics, ear cleaning.
I don’t see why a primary care office can’t irrigate ears, except that it is labor-intensive and poorly compensated by insurance. And yet I do it. I’ll also remove easily-accessed cerumen with a curette, although if it’s been there awhile, you can irritate the canal by doing it. The cerumen sticks to the hair in the ears so I tell patients that removing it with an object (Q-tip, bobbypin, paperclip etc) rips off the hairs. It’s equivalent to waxing your inner ears.
Removing cerumen is much, much easier if it is softened first. I recommend the OTC drops because they are easier to use. Personally, I use peroxide and a syringe (got to be able to hear through the stethescope), but I recommend that patients dilute the peroxide to at most half-strength with warm water.
Q-tips are evil. Nobody has harder, more densely packed wax than a Q-tip user. I also commonly see abrasions on the canal and even infections from aggressive Q-tip use. Also, before using a Q-tip ask yourself “How embarrassed would I be if the cotton on the tip came off in my ear and I had to go to the doctor to get it removed?” If the answer is “Very” then don’t do it since I have seen and treated that situation more times than I can remember. (This also goes for using pens; imagine having to see the doctor to have the end of a bic extracted from your ear (yes, I’ve seen it and treated it).
The only patients I send to the ENT are those who have holes in their eardrums, have tubes in place, or have problems with dizziness where the suction is preferable.
In summary: Qtip-BAD, peroxide-OK, ear candling-INSANE
ETA: forgot to mention that IAAD but of course you should not consider this professional advice, see your own doctor, yadayadayada