Surgical swab

Cotton swabs (American English) or cotton buds (British English) consist of one or two small wads of cotton wrapped around one or both ends of a short rod made of wood, rolled paper or plastic. Concerns about marine pollution are leading to some countries banning the plastic-stemmed versions in favour of the biodegradable alternatives. Cotton swabs (American English) or cotton buds (British English) consist of one or two small wads of cotton wrapped around one or both ends of a short rod made of wood, rolled paper or plastic. Concerns about marine pollution are leading to some countries banning the plastic-stemmed versions in favour of the biodegradable alternatives. Cotton swabs are commonly used in a variety of applications including first aid, cosmetics application, cleaning, and arts and crafts. Although physicians have warned for years that it is not safe to use cotton swabs for ear cleaning, that remains the most common use. The tool was invented in 1923 by Polish-American Leo Gerstenzang after he watched his wife attach wads of cotton to toothpicks. His product, originally named 'Baby Gays', 'Q-tips Baby Gays', and finally just 'Q-tips' (meaning Quality tips) went on to become the most widely sold brand name of cotton swabs/buds. The term “Q-tips” is often used as a genericized trademark for cotton swabs in the United States and Canada. The Q-tips brand is owned by Unilever and had over $200 million in US sales in 2014. 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). 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).