I use them once in awhile, but I kind of have a phobia of Q tips to be honest. One time, one of the ends broke off in my dad's ear. It's too far in for him to get it out; I used a stethascope one time to look at it, its super far into his ear canal lol. I'm scared of that happening to me so I don't use them all that often, just whenever I feel like I'm plugged up.