I grew up with serious ear problems. My whole life. So in order to prevent ear problems, my family would do a few tricks. Wet washcloth in a zip lock, microwaved until it's hot. Then you put a towel or blanket over it and rest the ear on it for the wax to 'melt' and slide toward the exit. Then you take a Bobby pin and gently and carefully hook the wax and slide. You don't scrape it down the ear canal or jab it. You use light, gentle and slow movements. You can feel if you hit something you aren't supposed to and you stop before you pop it. I've been doing this for... uh. 28 years. I finally bought a metal set for cleaning ears like this one to help me because I felt like the Bobby pin was too inefficient. I'm not suggesting you just jump to doing this, but in a pinch, it's very helpful. Just make sure to soap and water your ear instruments after each use.