Most ear cleaning solutions are alcohol or vinegar based. They tend to work very well to help break up dirt and grime. They also evaporate quickly thereby leaving the ear dry so an infection won' t set up. One word of caution though. If you don' t know what you are doing, home-made products can actually make things worse or even set up an infection. Commerical cleaners are a couple of bucks and you can pick them up just about anywhere that sells pet supplies. Never understood why anyone would take the risk just to avoid a couple of bucks. Doesn' t make sense. A $4.00 bottle of a generic ear cleaner will clean about 20 dogs ears.