DORA: Ewwww! What is this gunk inside my ear?
WENDELL: Ear wax!
DORA: Of course! But why is ear wax inside my ears?
WENDELL: To protect your ear, my dear. Your outer ear, that big fleshy thing we call an ear lobe, catches sound waves or vibrations and funnels them down a long narrow passage inside your ear. Deep down, these sound vibrations cause parts of your ear to vibrate in a similar pattern and ultimately send messages to your brain.
DORA: My ear does all that?
WENDELL: All that and more! It's ear wax or cerumen that coats the inside of your ear canal -- that long passage that leads to your ear drum. After all, you wouldn't want gunk from the outside, getting inside there, would you?
DORA: Nope. No way!

DORA: Exactly what is my ear wax protecting my ear from?
WENDELL: Oh, all sorts of things floating around in the air. Dirt, dust, bugs! There's even a chemical in ear wax that helps protect against germs.

DORA: But where's the wax from?
WENDELL: Face it, Dora, the human body has glands everywhere! You've got 2000 special glands in your ear canal alone which manufacture this wax!
DORA: Exactly what is a gland?
WENDELL: A gland is a tiny structure of cells which, in this case, makes and oozes out wax! Not only is the wax sticky enough to trap all sorts of particles from dust to dirt to bugs, but the ear wax also helps kill germs! Clever, eh?

DORA: So, what happens to my old dirty ear wax?
WENDELL: Mostly it comes out by itself. Every day, new wax pushes forward the old. It dries up and falls out in tiny clumps or flakes all the time -- while you talk, eat, even sleep.
DORA: You mean instead of leaving cookie crumbs behind like Hansel and Gretel, I'm leaving a trail of ear wax?
WENDELL: You could say that! But not just wax. Flakes of skin, pieces of hair....
DORA: Wendell -- I don't know how to tell you this -- but that's enough!!!!
WENDELL: One more thing, Dora. I know some people clean their ears with cotton swabs -- but it's generally a lousy idea. Doctors are serious when they say you shouldn't put anything in your ear smaller than an elbow.

DORA: Why shouldn't I clean out my ears?
WENDELL: First, you might puncture your eardrum while you're cleaning, even with a cotton swab. Second, instead of digging out the wax, you might actually push it in further and create a wax plug.
DORA: Wouldn't that make it hard for me to hear?
WENDELL: Exactly, not only is an ear wax plug uncomfortable, but it makes it hard to hear. You might need to have a doctor soften it and remove it. Imagine a doctor removing a sticky orange plug of wax an inch long. Now that is yucky!