I clean my ears as and when they need it to be honest it's not healthy to do it too often, you can actually damage your ears in the process of doing so (was born with a problem with my ears have had to be meticulous with their care since then) I've tried many products and agree that cotton swabs are pretty useless on their own.......I tend to get otex ear drops then use cotton swabs that or this product called "sonicare" which is essentally a spray to break the wax down.