Usage
The most common use for cotton swabs is to clean or scratch the ear canal and/or to remove earwax, despite this not being a medically recommended method for removing earwax. Cotton swabs are also commonly used for applying and removing makeup, as well as for household uses such as cleaning and arts and crafts.
Medical-type swabs are often used to take microbiological cultures. They are swabbed onto or into the infected area, then wiped across the culture medium, such as an agar plate, where bacteria from the swab may grow. They are also used to take DNA samples, most commonly by scraping cells from the inner cheek in the case of humans. They can be used to apply medicines to a targeted area, to selectively remove substances from a targeted area, or to apply cleaning substances like Betadine. They are also used as an applicator for various cosmetics, ointments, and other substances.
One recent innovation is to use a special type of double-tipped cotton swab for over-the-counter drug application. These swabs have hollow tubular plastic handles, which are filled with the medicine. Breaking one marked end of the swab breaks an air seal, allowing the medicine to saturate the cotton at the other end so that it can be directly applied with the swab.
Cottons swabs can be used to clean teeth in case of large edentation, young children or areas with difficult access.
Cotton swabs can be used in the dyne test for measuring surface energy. This use is problematic, as manufacturers differ in the binders they use to fix the cotton to the stem, affecting the outcome of the test.
Cotton swabs are also used for cleaning the laser of an optical drive in conjunction with rubbing alcohol.
Cotton swabs were also used widely to clean video game cartridges. Cotton swabs are also used to clean computer parts such as hard drives, optical drives, video game cards, and fans.
The American brand name "Q-Tip" is now owned by the British-Dutch conglomerate Unilever.
Read more about this topic: Cotton Swab
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