hehe this thread is perfect for me.. I think i will be the most experienced person to answer this question..
I have tried every single method mentioned in this thread..
I burst both ear drums during a scuba diving accident when i was young. Causing years of infections and deafness.
Infact i bet most people dont even know smokey is deaf
Well deaf is pushing it , i'm hard of hearing, really hard. I dont wear a hearing aid as my hearing dropped off at a faily slow rate as i learned to lip read.
Ok so i should start off with the most mentioned method ear wax candles..
If you haven't tried them stop telling people they dont work.. they DO work.. but theres a big BUT.. as mentioned they CAN cause more damage than they help
As jace mentioned , theres no mistaking ear wax for candle wax , candle wax is generally the same color as the candle and doesnt stink. Ear wax smells and is often discoloured.
But as far as results, ear wax is on the bottom of the list..
I will mention some general rules..
ever hear the saying " never stick anything smaller than your finger in your ear"
Thats prob your safest best.. not even q-tips, they arent to enter the ear canal they are for swabbing your ear not the canal.
If you want your ears cleaned go to a doctor have them cleaned , if you have frequent ear wax you have a problem make the doctor look into it..