Warm compress Use clean face cloth soaked in warm water, as hot as your eyelids can stand. Rewarm the cloth if it gets cold. This makes the debris easier to remove, as below. Gently scrape off the debris moving the bud side to side. First try warm sterile water, that is boiled water allowed to cool but still warm.
Some people recommend a bicarbonate solution instead of plain water.
Use a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, available from a chemist or supermarket bakery sections, to a pint of water. You can use this solution for a few days, keeping it in the fridge. Use a small amount each time. Looking in a mirror, pull your lower eyelid down with the index finger of one hand, and gently but firmly wipe the bud along the edge of the lid to scrape the debris off. With your chin up try the same on the upper, but this is harder.