Ah, the lowly cotton swab (or q-tip to you) - good for so many things. I just used it to clean off the little nooks and crannies of a vintage instrument I was trying to recover from its years of dust and grime. It can be a paint brush, or a makeup applicator. Or use it to apply bleach sparingly on a spot.
Use your imagination - and always keep some on hand. (I have picked up huge bags of them at the dollar store - they last me forever.)
By Pam from L.A., CA
Have any more ideas for using cotton swabs? Post them here.
Alternative uses clean corners in Parakeets water dish A quick bookmark A tire deflater wet the end and pick up single seeds for planting use as pick up sticks (The Game) use as building material for minature trees keep in tool box to clean out drilled screw holes Keep a few in your fishing tackle box for first aid or close to shore bobber
I have heard of people using Q Tips to clean their ears!! Please don't; you are more likely to push wax back into the middle ear area than remove it thus causing a possible infection. They are the ideal tool for precision cleaning or application of liquid materials - outside the body!!
A neat trick I do with a Q-tip, when my computer mouse gets running slow, open up the back, and the small rollers can be cleaned with a q-tip! Also, you can put a little alcohol on the tip, and squeeze out access, and clean the "eye" of your game systems, or Cd player. (do this gently). Also, use q-tips for pets, when bathing, for their ears, and around eyes, and around nose.
Q tips are also great for drying in tight spots. I use them with my crafts. They are wonderful with watercolor paints, work better than brushes for small jobs. You can even use them with watercolor pencils, Use the pencil to "color" a spot then dab with a damp q-tip. It's great. I also paint with bleach on colored fabric (make sure not to drip). Your dark fabric will be faded a lighter color where the bleach went. I also use q-tips with bleach for touching up grout or caulk that is mildewed. Use one to clean the little crevices of a sippee cup or bottle. If it is mildewed just dab some bleach and let it sit for a few minutes before washing in the dishwasheer. In a pinch if you run out of q-tips wrap & twist a cotton ball around a toothpick. thanks, Ellen
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