[jtheory]

Eh, they really don't work well for cleaning the ear canal, though.

I have ear canals that I thought needed to be cleaned regularly, until I stopped using Q-tips. Now they only seem to need to be cleaned once every 4 years or so (if I notice sound getting a bit muffled), with a syringe and sink full of warm water. I had thought the Q-tips were cleaning them, but were definitely causing more problems than they solved. (Ditto for ear drops, which didn't seem to help much. Just taking the time with a syringe & warm water is better).

My pediatrician uses little metal tools to clean out the kids' ears if needed. Better than a blunt, soft thing that can't easily get wax out rather than push it in, though of course you'd better hold still.