At some point in life, we all find our ears getting clogged which leaves us feeling irritated. This happens when too much earwax accumulates inside the ears, for some this can decrease their hearing ability.

Before getting on with cleaning your ears at home, you should first make sure that you don't have an ear infection. Cleaning your ears by yourself under these circumstances can be dangerous, so don't clean your own ears if you even suspect an infection.

Many people never need to clean their ears. However, for every rule there's an exception and sometimes wax can build up and affect your hearing. When earwax reaches this level, it’s called impaction.

Impaction could cause:

• Aching in the affected ear
• Fullness or ringing in the ear
• Impaired hearing in the affected ear
• An odor coming from the affected ear
• Dizziness
• A cough

Also, you may be more likely to develop excess wax if you use hearing aids or ear plugs.

So, how to clean your ears then if you experience an extra earwax?

Ear wax is produced in the outer third of your ear canal, and it’s the ear’s self-cleaning mechanism. The fine hairs in your ear canal move the wax outward, pushing the wax and dead skin cells OUT of your ear. Healthy ear canals will be able to clean themselves.

You could use:

Damp cloth

Cotton swabs may push wax deeper into the ear canal. Use cotton swabs only on the outside of your ear or, better yet, try wiping the area with a warm, damp washcloth.

Earwax softener

Many pharmacies sell over-the-counter eardrops that soften wax. These drops are typically a solution.

Syringe

You may also choose to irrigate your ears using a syringe. In this process, you’ll gently rinse out the ear canal using water or a saline solution. This method is often more effective if you first use some type of wax softener.

Finally, in case you have any doubts you'd not be able to do any of these methods yourself, then check with your doctor to be on the safe side.