15 Unique Uses for Q-Tips Cotton Swabs

I guess I'm one that breaks the conventional rule, "Don't put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear" because I use cotton swabs to gently clean my ears. It's not recommended, but my entire family has done it for years, and none of us has suffered from any ear problems yet. But, besides cleaning ears, here are my 15 unique uses for Q-Tips cotton swabs:

1. Use Q-Tips to light hard-to-reach candle wicks. Simply dip one end of the cotton swab into rubbing alcohol. Light the cotton and then light the candles. Dip the burning end into water to put the flame out completely.

2. Q-tips brand cotton swabs that are dipped in rubbing alcohol have other uses too. Use them to clean electronic devices such as CD players, DVD/VCR players, cameras, radios and computers.

3. Dip the ends of cotton swabs into sudsy water and use them to clean small knick knacks.

4. Dip the ends of Q-Tips in olive oil and then run them along sticky zippers. The oil is an excellent lubricant that will make the closures open and close easier.

5. Clean out debris from a drilled hole with a cotton swab before you insert a screw or other fastener.

6. Apply glue to small model parts, craft pieces and other things by placing a dab of glue on a Q-Tips first. Smear the glue where you want it, then put the pieces together.

7. Use rubbing alcohol and Q-Tips, and you can clean the battery connections on cordless phones, cell phones, battery-operated toys, radios- anything that uses batteries to operate. Dip the ends of the swab in alcohol and squeeze out the excess. Then, clean off the contacts.

8. Another unique use for Q-Tip cotton swabs is to dip the ends in soapy water. Then, use the ends to clean the dirt and grime from the fins of furnace and air conditioning ducts.

9. When you're stripping the finish off of old furniture, use cotton swabs to get into intricate detailings, cracks and crevices.

10. Clean up nail polish goofs up with Q-Tips while the color is still wet and your hands will look like they were done by a professional! This unique use works on toe nails too.