Q-tips were originally invented in 1923 by Leo Gerstenzang, whose wife was wrapping cotton around a toothpick to clean the baby’s ears. I hear on the news that some people still use them for that.

Using Q-tips to clean the inside of your ear canal can lead to wax impaction, irritation, and even damage to the eardrum.

This is Explainer, a column that answers questions we all have (or should have). As someone who regularly “cleans” my ear canals with cotton swabs, a question hangs over me basically every day: How ...