I seem to have this lump of wax built up in one of my ears. It has been there for a while now. It does not impair my hearing very much of the time. What is the best way to remove it safely?

Are you sure its wax? You should go to the GP and have him look in there with a light just to make sure. There are OTC products you can buy that will reverse flush out the wax but I would suggest seeing a doctor if you cant tell for certain its wax buildup.

Do this the next time you're in the shower (a doctor gave me this advice once)-

Position your head so that the shower streams shoot into your ear canal, with the water being as warm as you can stand (meaning NOT scalding hot, as that would suck). Then tilt your head over and get the water out of said ear canal. Do this for a couple of times, and do the same to the other ear.

It'll flush any and all ear wax out of your canals in no time. It's much safer than using Q-Tips (which you should NEVER put in your ears), and isn't as time-consuming, either.

Vinegar is fine, but alcohol and peroxide is NOT ok.

and I think you may need an anatomy class.