Q tips are a great invention. With the long wooden handle you can reach quite deeply into a wound,. With the soft cotton end you can soak up some of the yucky stuff within the wound. A little hydrogen peroxide on the tip will clean out the dirty cuts. As the cut heals, stop the hydrogen peroxide (which can cause tissue damage) and put some soap on the end. If you’re careful, you can keep even the smallest of wounds relatively clean. You can treat eyelash infections by putting some of the antibiotic ointment on the end of the Q tip and carefully rolling the Q tip over the eyelashes.

Yet Q tips can break easily. What this means is that if you have a large, deep cut and you’re trying to clean it out, watch out! If that Q tip breaks, small wood splinters might remain in the wound and cause more problems.

By the way Q tips should never be used to remove ear wax anywhere but on the outer ear. Do not try to use the Q tip to dig into your or anyone’s ear canal. You can puncture the ear drum. The Q tip can and will break off-usually down deep, where you can’t even see anything. Then, guess what? You’ll end up in the emergency room, where removing that  2 cent Q tip will end up costing you much, much more.

In fact, removing ear wax should only be done by your doctor. You can try some ear wax softeners, but talk with your doctor first.