Lifestyle

Six clever ways to use cotton buds

Apr 06, 2017

Everyone has cotton buds in their home, and while you may think their only purpose is cleaning ears (and of course denying it when your doctor asks!), we’ve compiled a list of ways this common household item can be useful and become an everyday hero.

Cleaning tiny spaces

For those frustrating narrow spaces in your house that a cloth and a hand just can’t reach, cotton buds are a must. Think that little grease filled gap between the stove top and the kitchen bench, the sliding tracks on windows and sliding doors, and that tiny gap at the bottom of your shower screen which is usually a Petrie dish of green slime. A cotton bud with a wipe or paper towel on the end is your answer.

Detailing your car

Car interiors are designed to collect dust and drive us mad; it is a fact. The gaps around the gear shift, the grimy depths of the cup holders, the spaces around all the knobs and buttons, and the air vents are all places a damp cotton bud will be your friend.

Makeup application

If you’re travelling and you’ve forgotten brushes for your eye shadow, brow powder, or lipstick, a cotton bud is an excellent substitute in a pinch.

Makeup removal

Yes, they can also remove what they’ve applied. Probably not for your whole face, but it’s great for those times you’ve smudged your eye liner, or your lipstick has escaped its lines (and not in a fashionable way). Spritz with a little makeup remover and you have yourself an eraser!

Making your mani / pedi look professional

We’re not all professionals, and we’ve all painted well outside the lines when we’re DIY-ing our manicure (especially when painting with our non-dominant hand). Saving money on going to the salon doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice the quality though. A cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover will clean up those mistakes nicely.

Getting the last bit of product from the bottom of a bottle.

One of the great bathroom frustrations is that long, thin bottle of potion that you paid a small fortune for and therefore was to get every last drop out of. When the pump has dried out and thumping the bottom doesn’t dislodge that last application of the miracle cream, a cotton bud will scrape it right out for you. No waste!