Your hearing is one of your most precious connections to the world. Because hearing health is vital to lifelong health, taking care of your ears is a fundamental part of healthy aging. Yet many of us grew up with cleaning habits that actually put our hearing at risk.

Hearing loss is more than a loss of sound. When you use cotton swabs or other tools to clean inside your ears, you can easily cause damage, push wax deeper, or trigger painful infections — most of it avoidable with a few simple habits.

LISTEN TO THIS is here to help you understand how your ears work and how to care for them safely. Here's what you need to know to protect your ears and maintain clear hearing.

Many people think earwax (clinically called cerumen) is dirty. In reality, earwax is a natural defense system. It acts as a shield for your ear canal by:

• Trapping debris: It catches dust, dirt, and bacteria before they can travel deep into your ear.

• Moisturizing the skin: It keeps the delicate skin inside your ear from getting dry and itchy.

• Self-cleaning: Your ear canal works like a tiny conveyor belt. Old earwax slowly moves from the inside of the canal to the outside opening, pushed by your everyday jaw movements like chewing, talking, and laughing. Once it reaches the outside, it dries up and flakes off naturally.

Since your ears clean themselves, you only need to clean the outside parts. Follow these three steps for safe, simple ear hygiene:

Wipe the outside: Use a soft, damp washcloth to wipe the outer ear (the parts you can see). Never push the cloth inside the ear canal.

Soften the wax (if needed): If you feel a slight buildup, put two to three drops of baby oil, mineral oil, or over-the-counter softening drops into your ear canal using an eyedropper. Tilt your head to the side for a minute to let it settle. Do this once or twice a day for a couple of days.

You may have heard of rinsing the ear with a bulb syringe to flush out softened wax. We don't recommend this as a routine step. Irrigation can be risky if you have a perforated eardrum, ear tubes, a history of ear surgery, an active ear infection, or a condition like diabetes that affects healing — and many people don't know their own ear history well enough to rule these out.

If softening drops alone don't clear things up, that's your cue to see a professional rather than reach for a syringe.

Hearing aids and earwax have a two-way relationship worth knowing about:

• Wearing hearing aids regularly can affect how well your ears clean themselves, which may cause wax to build up more than usual.
• Earwax buildup can also affect your hearing aids. It can block the microphone or receiver, muffle sound, or cause feedback, and buildup on the device itself can damage it over time.
• If you wear hearing aids, take them out for a few hours each day (overnight is often easiest) to give your ears a chance to clear naturally.
• See your audiologist regularly. They'll check for buildup at routine appointments and can clean both your ears and your devices safely.

If you've noticed your hearing aids sound muffled, whistle more than usual, or don't seem to be working as well, buildup is one of the first things worth ruling out with your hearing care provider.

Sometimes, earwax can build up and block the ear canal. This is called impacted wax. If this happens, you should seek professional care instead of trying to clear it at home.

Schedule an appointment with an expert in case of:

• A sudden change in your hearing or temporary hearing loss.

• A persistent feeling of fullness or blockage in your ear.

• Earache, itching, or an unpleasant odor.

A healthcare professional can safely and quickly remove the buildup using gentle micro-suction, specialized tools, or professional irrigation.