Cotton swab
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Cotton swabs (British English: cotton buds) are used in first aid, other medical uses, cosmetics application, and a variety of other uses. They consist of a small wad of cotton wrapped around the end of a small rod, made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic. The most common type of usage is to dip the cotton end in a substance, then use the swab as an applicator for the substance. Sometimes swabs are also used for removal of substances.
The inventor of the cotton swab is supposed to have been one Leo Gerstenzang, in 1923 [1] (http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=2857). His product, which he named "Baby Gays", went on to become the most widely-sold brand name, "Q-tip".
The traditional cotton swab has a single tip on a wooden handle, and these are still often used, especially in medical settings. They are usually relatively long, about six inches (15 cm or so). These often are packaged sterile, one or two to a paper or plastic sleeve. The advantage of the paper sleeve and the wooden handle is that the package can be autoclaved to be sterilized (plastic sleeves or handles would melt in the autoclave).
These 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 any bacteria from the swab will grow. They are also used to apply medicines to a targeted area, to selectively remove substances from a targeted area, or to apply cleaning substances like Betadine.
Cotton swabs produced for home use are usually shorter, about three inches (7.6 cm) long, and usually double-tipped. The handles were first made of wood, then made of rolled paper, similar to lollipop sticks, but now are mostly tubular plastic. They are often sold in large quantities, possibly 300 or more to a container.
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 full of 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 (the cotton on the broken end is apparently there for the user's comfort when breaking the end).
Cotton swabs are mistakenly used for ear wax removal. One should not use a cotton swab, as this will likely push the wax further down the ear canal and, if used carelessly, perforate the eardrum or worse. A cotton swab should be used only to clean the external ear. Movement of the jaw helps the ear's natural cleaning process, so chewing gum and talking can both beneficial to cleaning.