It says right on the box, don't stick Q-Tips in your ear. But many of us still do, and it's sending children to the emergency room pretty regularly.
A new study found that 263,000 kids went to the hospital for ear cleaning related injuries from 1990 to 2010.
That's an average of about 34 injuries a day. The majority of those injuries are to children less than 8-years-old.
Three quarters of those injuries were from children leaning their ears themselves without supervision.
Injuries ranged from sensitivity and pain, perforated ear drums, and soft tissue injuries.
Those injuries could cause permanent damage.
To clean your ears properly, doctors recommend using a warm, damp washcloth to wipe the ear.
Use a cotton swab only on the outside of your ear.
Earwax is needed for antibacterial purposes. It also keeps dust and bugs out of our ears.
