This guide shows you the most effective way to clean your ears without running the risk of damaging your hearing.

Your ears usually do a good job cleaning themselves and don’t need any extra care. The only reason you should clean them is to soften or remove earwax from the outside of your ear canals.

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

Here are some tips on how to safely clean your ears, what not to do, and when you should contact a doctor. Symptoms of impaction Earwax , or cerumen, is a self-cleaning agent your body produces.

Especially if your pet is like most — curious and prone to getting into everything— not cleaning their ears regularly can ...

The use of cotton-tipped swabs to clean ears is “ubiquitous,” he wrote. Out of 100 patients that he surveyed at his office, 77 percent used cotton swabs, and nearly half did so on a daily basis.

How to Clean Your Ears. The topic of cleaning your ears has elicited a great debate. Many experts strongly suggest avoiding the inner part of your ears so you don’t damage your eardrum, or worse.

Cornell University's Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center outlines a three-step process to clean your pup's ears: 1. Add ear cleaner. Depending on your dog's ear type, hold it between your ...

Remove matted hair and clean the hair around the ear canal and ear flap. If the ear canal is also hairy, you can pluck a few hairs at a time to provide more airflow. Restrain your dog.

Medicare doesn’t cover routine ear cleaning. However, if you have a severe buildup of earwax, Medicare will cover earwax removal. We explain Medicare coverage, your options, and how to choose.

Original Medicare may cover ear cleaning if a doctor deems the procedure medically necessary. Medicare Advantage plans may also cover this. Learn more here.

In other words, earwax makes your ears naturally self-cleaning. In most cases, you don't need to dig into your ear canals or do anything to clean them out -- they'll do the job on their own.