I use Q-tips for all kinds of things. Yeah, I clean my ears with them, but I also use them to soften the makeup around my eyes, and apply Orajel to my gums (I started wearing my retainer again, and my gums hurt).

Has anyone heard of a thing called ear candles? They're awesome. What they are is a long and slender cone thing that you stick in your ear, and you light the other end on fire. Then, the earwax gets sucked out of your ear. I know that sounds really weird, but it feels really good.

One thing though, you can't do it all the time, and you need a person there with you to do this so you won't get burned. My mommy did it for me when I had a really bad earache, and after she was finished, it didn't hurt anymore.