It’s probably part of your daily routine – wash your face, brush your teeth, clean your ears. But you can clean your ears too often. While it is important to take good care of your ears to keep them healthy, over-cleaning can lead to problems. Here are some frequently asked questions about ear cleaning.

How often should you clean your ears?

You may be surprised to learn that the answer is just once or twice a week, not daily. Ears have a unique self-cleaning system that actually uses earwax to keep the ear canal free of dirt, debris and bacteria. The earwax naturally moves down the ear canal to the outer ear, taking dirt with it. Earwax is pushed out when you move your jaw.

How should you clean your ears?

You can use a dry or damp washcloth to wipe the outer ear to get rid of any excess earwax. Perhaps a more important question would be, “What should I NOT use to clean my ears”? The answer is a cotton swab. You should never insert a cotton swab into the ear canal. It may push earwax back toward the eardrum and lead to a blockage. The cotton may irritate the ear canal and dry it out, or worse, it could rupture your eardrum.

If you need to clean inside your ear canal, a small amount of warm water or a drop of mineral oil or baby oil can soften earwax.

What about earwax?

Earwax, also called cerumen, is water-soluble. It’s a substance that includes fatty acids, protein, cholesterol, and other compounds that lubricates and cleans the ears and provides protection.

What should earwax look like?

Earwax varies in color from yellow to light brown to orange. It’s usually lighter when it’s healthy. Darker earwax could indicate that it’s older or there is an injury. The earwax is darker because it has trapped more items over time. If it’s tinged with red, it may also indicate that there was an injury.

What if I have a build-up of earwax?

Some people produce more earwax than others and may need to use over-the-counter eardrops to help reduce earwax or clear a blockage. At-home irrigation kits also can be used. If you have pain, odor, itching or an ear infection, you may need to see a healthcare provider to have the blockage professionally removed. Before using an over-the-counter kit, make sure to contact your hearing care provider to ensure it will be helpful and not hurtful.

As people age, they generally produce more earwax. People who wear hearing aids or earplugs may also produce more earwax and should take care to avoid any build-up.

Earwax generally is not a popular topic of conversation. However, it’s necessary to know how best to keep your ears clean and healthy. Don’t let the answers to these frequently asked questions about ear cleaning go in one ear and out the other!