These little things are very clever. They look like a standard cotton bud, but have liquid in the stem that is released into one end automatically when the other end is snapped. You can get them with a povidone iodine fill for sterilising small wounds or an alcohol fill for either wounds, or in our case precise cleaning applications.
Sounds easy enough, but the secret is in a unique gel that must have taken a lot of research to perfect.
Here's an ebay com search link for the iodine ones (typical price $4 per 100):-
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.A0.H0.X100pcs+iodine+cotton.TRS1&_nkw=100pcs+iodine+cotton&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_odkw=100pcs+iodine+cotton+stick&LH_BIN=1&LH_TitleDesc=0
And a search link for the cleaning alcohol ones (typical price $4 per 100):-
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=100pcs+alcohol+cotton&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_odkw=100pcs+alcohol+cotton+stick&LH_BIN=1&LH_TitleDesc=0
As requested I've done the iodine-starch test and used a swab to soak some grains of rice. They turned a dark black/blue suggesting that the contents are iodine based.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
Sounds easy enough, but the secret is in a unique gel that must have taken a lot of research to perfect.
Here's an ebay com search link for the iodine ones (typical price $4 per 100):-
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.A0.H0.X100pcs+iodine+cotton.TRS1&_nkw=100pcs+iodine+cotton&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_odkw=100pcs+iodine+cotton+stick&LH_BIN=1&LH_TitleDesc=0
And a search link for the cleaning alcohol ones (typical price $4 per 100):-
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=100pcs+alcohol+cotton&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_odkw=100pcs+alcohol+cotton+stick&LH_BIN=1&LH_TitleDesc=0
As requested I've done the iodine-starch test and used a swab to soak some grains of rice. They turned a dark black/blue suggesting that the contents are iodine based.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
been watching you for a few years. got hurt recently and was looking up how to use these for my wound. happy surprise to see its your video!
Looks like the same kind of gel they use to seal some fountain pen ink cartridges.
Providone iodine works well✌️
These would be brilliant for use in aseptic labs etc do you have single use sterile swabs!
Sold! OK, you got my dollar (pound), sonny. Where do I sign, Clive?
Ingenious but haven't seen the Chinese/ Thi/ India clone in our dollar stores yet.
Thanks and a good day, B.C.
Can i use it for my teeth?
Putting Chinese iodine on an open wound………hmmmm. I think I'll pass. Christ knows what is really in there.
Hello Clive and All, I clearly realise I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but have just bought both items on the 'bay'… What a genius solution! Totally sold to the man in the hat! Especially the IPA version. i.e. how much contact cleaner do I waste everytime I miss the cotton bud!!! Furthermore – Iodine is my goto antiseptic wound cleaning favorite. But I must add that some people can have a really bad reaction to it. So Conversely without an allergy pre-check I wouldn't advise it. Thanks again Clive for your brilliant knowledge and insights. Damo xx
so much plastic just to replace a glass vial with antiseptic and cotton pads. jesus. I hope the earth just explodes at some point
hat happens when you add it to starch? does it still turn blue-black like the iodine starch test?
"What do I use the other end for?"
Snap it all the way off, fluff the cotton a bit, use it to clean excess from wound. Source: My school nurse had something like this
Browsing YouTube?
Similar "goop" is used in other medical applications. E.g. there are prepared test-tubes, sold in bulk, with a special cap that have a viscous goop already proportioned at the bottom. The cap is special in that a syringe can be inserted through it to fill a liquid (e.g. blood) into the tube and then the cap retains a seal after the syringe is pulled out; and then the goop at the bottom is special in that it acts as a separator when the tube is run in a centrifuge where the liquid under test (e.g. blood) will be separated into different layers and the special goop has just the right density to settle and keep the separation between two layers of the liquid!
Similar to gel pen refills
I'm an above average clumsy dude. My sister got me these same iodine swabs months ago. Of course with no paper work or instructions. Your video was very useful for learning the correct way to operate these little buggers. Thank you for the "How to" as well as the in depth look into the swab itself.