About two weeks my dog was scratching his ears and shaking his head, I found his ears were dirty. He was spending time outside and I thought it was from sweating and being in the desert because it lo...
A couple of drops of warm (body temp) mineral oil in the ear followed by a vigorous rub (outside of the ear) helps- the "massage" loosens things up...then wipe out with a clean cloth. I never use Q-tips as I'm afraid of poking one in too far.
I've also used peroxide on a cloth, but the dog must be tolerant to the "noise" peroxide produces when it contacts the dirt. Not all dogs are!