Cotton swabs are great. You can use them to clean your ears, fix your makeup, and apply topical medication, among other things, in a way that’s very convenient. Problem is, they’re disposable and, very often, made from plastic, which means using them contributes heavily to the garbage situation the world finds itself in. LastSwab offers a more sustainable alternative.
Billed as an “easy to clean, sanitary, and reusable alternative” to the cotton swab, it can be used for, pretty much, anything you use a Q-tip for, from cleaning out wax from your ears and removing excess makeup in a precise manner to cleaning small objects and doing craft projects. Heck, you can even use it to sand tight surfaces, if you put sanding grit instead of cotton on the tips. It looks like one, too, so there’s no way of mistaking it for anything else other than that thing you stick in your ears to clean it.
Instead of a plastic stick with cotton on the ends, the LastSwab combines a stick made of nylon with medical-grade silicone at the tips, giving it an appearance that mimics the likeness of disposable cotton swabs. Of course, it doesn’t just look like a Q-tip, it works like one, too, with the silicone tips able to perform the same function as the cotton tips on traditional swabs. According to the outfit, the medical-grade silicone is delicate enough to be suitable for sensitive body parts while being very precise that you can use it to apply makeup in an accurate manner.
Two variants of the reusable swab are available. One sporting a rounded tip that’s padded with tiny domes on top of it for cleaning delicate areas, with the space between the domes likely to help you grab ear wax with some amount of ease. The other bears a pointed tip that’s meant to be used for applying makeup and performing crafts with detailed precision. That means, this should make it a perfect replacement for cotton swabs, whether you use them for hygienic purposes or the precision application of delicate materials.
Because the LastSwab’s tips are made from silicone, it’s easy to clean after each use, leaving it usable again for the next time you need it. According to the outfit, you can clean it by simply applying some detergent and putting it under running water, although you can probably also use something like a toothbrush to make sure you scrub off any dirt completely. From there, you just dry it and put it away for later use.
Each reusable swab comes with its own carrying case bearing a hole on top, so you can hang it on a key fob, making it easy to take along everywhere. That also allows it to stay clean when not in use, so you never have to worry about sticking a dirty swab up your ear the next time you feel some wax rolling around in there. Both the stick of the swabs and the carrying case come in multiple matching colors, by the way, in case you hate the boring self-same appearance of traditional cotton swabs.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the LastSwab. You can reserve a two-pack for pledges starting at $20.