Sorry, wrong method.  Shame about the pollution though.

They say not to put anything in your ears smaller than your elbow -- cotton buds just push what ever you have in your ear further in -- best to get the proper oil and leave in for a day or a few hours and it will wash out -- or get the Dr to do the clean for you

apart from washing in the normal way,    i put a couple of drops of CERUMAL in each ear,     need to put a bit of tissue in  each,  when you do,     as it may run out,    but cleans them out,     my doc went mad about 12 months ago,     i had a sore ear,    when he looked he said,   ;YOU HAVE BEEN POKING WITH A COTTON BUD'       yes ,  i had,      turns out i had bruised the inner ear,     and needed drops for that,     but cerumal drops do the trick,     and no need to poke, lol,lol,

Has anybody tried the Smart Swab ... currently advertized on TV ?

Don't clean my ears, I'm afraid something important might drip out.  Some might say too late it already has.  But i definatley can't afford to lose any more.

If you really are environmentally conscious kika, I hope you have taken care to use "organic" cotton wool to clean your ears, the non organic is detrimental to the environment, and while you're about it, those matchsticks are made from cutting down trees.

Here's an ear cleaning tip:

A tiny drop of coconut oil in ear, tilt head to one side, wait five minutes for wax to soften, and then clean with elbow.