A cotton swab is a stick wrapped with absorbent cotton at both ends. Both the absorbent cotton and the sticks can be made of different materials. Today, the cotton swab is mainly used in cosmetics and personal care, but it is also widely used in other fields.
What is a cotton swab?
However, according to current knowledge, the cotton swab is not unconditionally suitable for ear cleaning. Today, they are mainly used in cosmetics and beauty care. A cotton swab refers to a seven-centimeter-long stick that is wrapped with absorbent cotton at both ends. The sticks are usually made of plastic or paper. More rarely, wood is used for this purpose. The absorbent cotton is often made of cotton and in some cases of plastic. In 1926, the US American Leo Gerstenzang, who came from Poland, developed the cotton swab for cleaning the ears of babies. However, according to today’s knowledge, the cotton swab is not unconditionally suitable for ear cleaning. Today they are mainly used in cosmetics and beauty care. One area of application is, among others, the application of eye shadow. They have been sold under the brand name Q-tips since the early years. The Q stands for “quality” and “tips” for tip or end. Thus, in the English-speaking world and beyond, the name Q-tips has become established for the cotton swabs.
Shapes, types and kinds
Cotton swabs have a simple structure. They are seven-centimeter-long sticks made of plastic, paper or wood, wrapped with plastic or cotton wadding at both ends. For the medical field, cotton swabs are sometimes handmade. Here, steel rods with roughened tips are used. The tips are then wrapped by hand with absorbent cotton. An advantage here is the possibility of using absorbent cotton pads of different sizes. Cotton swabs are also used in so-called swab kits in forensic science to determine the genetic fingerprint in DNA examinations. There, they are used to take swabs from surfaces or to collect saliva samples. Usually, rods made of plastic or aluminum and absorbent cotton made of viscose fibers are used here. The absorbent cotton is impregnated with a carrier liquid, a gel or a combination of gel with activated carbon. In this case, the absorbent cotton is wound only at one end of the rod.
Structure and operation
Today, cotton swabs are only used to a limited extent for the original purpose for which they were once intended. Leo Gertenzang had actually developed them in the twenties for cleaning ears. The sticks were intended to be used especially for babies’ ears. Today, however, the packages of Q-tips warn against this use because they do not remove earwax, but on the contrary, if used carelessly, press even deeper into the ears. However, the cotton swabs have not lost their significance as a result. New areas of application have been opened up, some of which support new promising technologies. In particular, their use in criminalistics for DNA testing has increased their importance. With the aid of cotton pads impregnated with liquids or gels, swabs can be taken from biological samples. In the laboratory, the samples containing DNA are extracted and subjected to genetic testing. In the home, Q-tips are now used primarily for beauty care. Their use has proven successful in the application of eye shadow. They are also suitable for external care and provide effective cleaning. For example, the ears can also be cleaned externally without having to insert them into the ear canal. In this case, the depressions of the auricles are cleaned by the cotton swabs.
Medical and health benefits
Today, hardly any household is without cotton swabs. However, their use no longer has any medical significance outside of hospitals. Today, they are mainly marketed for cosmetic purposes. In the past, the great market success of Q-tips was always due to their use for cleaning ears. Even today, cotton swabs are bought by many users precisely for this purpose, even though there is also an explicit note on the package stating that they are not suitable for this purpose.For external care, baby care and beauty care, Q-tips are still very popular care items today. However, they should not be used for cleaning the ear canal, because this pushes the earwax even deeper into the ear, which may cause it to become clogged. This can cause a plug to form, which in turn serves as a settlement area for bacteria. Thus, there is a possibility of the development of long-lasting ear diseases. Apart from this, ear cleaning is usually not even necessary, since the earwax itself takes care of the cleaning. It absorbs pathogens and moves on its own in the direction of the ear outlet. There it must be removed only by washing. For this purpose, of course, the cotton swab can be used as a swab, if it is not inserted further into the ear canal. Areas on the body surface that are difficult to access can often be easily reached and cleaned by the cotton swab. In addition to cosmetic use, their field of application has now expanded to include the cleaning of technical equipment. Here, too, the aim is to better reach hard-to-reach areas.
