I'm glad I bought this, especially now that I've used it for a while and have figured out how it works related to cotton swabs. It isn't very effective to use out of the shower when I would normally swab my ears, so I do it at night before bed and it works very well. It is not as easy to clean as I'd hoped, but I've learned how to clean it more effectively so it isn't a pain anymore. A good rub with soapy fingers under warm/ hot water for a few seconds works well. One swab cleans both my ears well without having to clean after each ear. Compared to how wasteful cotton swabs are, this is a great product, but as usual it doesn't come with some drawbacks.