Health officials warn not to use cotton buds to clean your ears.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said wax pushed further down the ear could damage the eardrum and ear canal, the Daily Mail reported. The Nice committee warns that buds could cause infections.
Ear syringing, a large metal syringe that is used to pump water into the ear to clear the wax out can also be very dangerous.
"The general advice given is not to insert anything into the ear canal as it is self-cleaning and the only cleaning needed is to gently wipe the conch of the external ear with a damp flannel over a finger," the committee is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
"Our draft recommendations can help improve care for people with hearing loss through better management of earwax and referring people with symptoms to the right service at the right time," Professor Mark Baker, director of the centre for guidelines at Nice told the Daily Mail.
A better alternative is ear irrigation. "Ear drops should be used to soften the wax, either immediately before or for up to five days before the procedure," Katherine Harrop-Griffiths, consultant in audiovestibular medicine and chairman of the guideline committee told the Daily Mail.
Another reason not to use cotton buds is because it is the most common type of plastic waste that is found on beaches.
