17 Ways to Clean Your Home with Cotton Swabs

This tiny tool is the perfect thing for cleaning just about everything, from baseboards to vents.

Cotton swabs, such as Q-tips, are most often associated with personal cleanliness, but they're also a handy tool that can be used around the home to get into nooks and crannies that rags and scrub brushes can't reach. They're also gentle enough to use to clean delicate or easily damaged items, from jewelry to ear buds.

Ahead, we've rounded up 17 clever ways to incorporate this tiny tool into your cleaning arsenal, from eliminating an accumulation of dust between buttons on your remote controls to cleaning crumbs from a refrigerator gasket.

1. Grooved or Intricate Furniture

Furniture with carved, grooved, or intricately designed features can be difficult to keep clean with regular dusting or polishing because dirt, dust, or crumbs can become embedded in design flourishes. Use a cotton swab after all-over cleaning to pick up anything left behind.

2. Baseboards

There are plenty of ways to clean baseboards, but once the all-over cleaning is done, stubborn dirt, dust, and other buildup may remain in tight corners. Use a cotton swab to pick up any buildup that remains after cleaning the baseboards to leave them looking truly spotless.

3. Light Switches and Fixtures

Light switches and fixtures are touched all the time, and should be cleaned regularly to prevent the spread of germs—especially if someone in your home has recently been sick. A cotton swab is the perfect size and shape for cleaning light switches and fixtures.

4. Showerheads, Drains, and Faucets

In the bathroom, mineral deposits, bacteria, and other buildup can gunk up showerheads, drains and faucets. Use a cotton swab to detail these areas after regular cleaning, or when performing deep cleaning jobs.

Related: How to Clean a Showerhead Using Basic Pantry Ingredients

5. Window Tracks and Sills

The sills and tracks of windows and sliding glass doors have plenty of tight corners where dirt, dust, and other outdoor particulates accumulate. Use a cotton swab to lift dirt from hard-to-get-at corners, as well as to clean around locking mechanisms.

6. Hair Dryers

Hair dryers have a filter that needs to be cleaned regularly to ensure that the airflow isn't blocked, which can make the hair styling tool at less effective or even a fire hazard. Clean lint, loose hair, and dander out of the filter by wiping it gently with a cotton swab.

7. Coffee Makers and Other Small Kitchen Appliances

Small kitchen appliances we use every day, like the coffee maker or toaster, should be cleaned regularly to keep them free of bacteria and in good working condition. A cotton swab is the perfect tool for detailing the space around buttons and any grooves or lips that are part of the appliance's design.

8. Detailing Large Kitchen Appliances

After deep cleaning major kitchen appliances like the refrigerator or oven, use a cotton swab to perform detail work. They are especially handy for cleaning the accordion-style folds of gaskets, and the lip between the oven and its door.

9. Musical Instruments

Musical instruments are rife with small parts, grooves, and other design details that can be tricky to clean. Cotton swabs are gentle enough to use on delicate musical instruments, and are the perfect size for cleaning small and oddly shaped spaces.

10. Headphones and Earbuds

While cotton swabs aren't ideal for cleaning your ears, they're just the thing for removing the buildup of dead skin, sebum, and ear wax that accumulates on headphones and earbuds.

11. Gaming Equipment

Gaming equipment like controllers, consoles, and gaming keyboards should all be cleaned regularly to ensure they work properly. If pressing the buttons on a controller or gaming keyboard requires more effort, or they can’t be pressed down at all, cleaning is overdue. Use a cotton swab to get in and around buttons and keys.

12. Keyboard

The tip of a cotton swab is the perfect size for cleaning in between the keys on a keyboard. Use it dry to pick up dirt and dust, or wet it with water or isopropyl alcohol to remove stuck-on grime.

Related: How to Clean Desks and Other Office Items That Are Pretty Germy

13. Jewelry Care

Clean intricately designed jewelry using a cotton swab, which can get into tight spaces to remove dead skin, dirt, and other buildup that can lend jewelry a dull appearance.

14. Car Detailing

Your car is chock full of tight spaces where dirt, dust, hair, and stray French fries accumulate. After cleaning the interior of your car, use a cotton swab to bring a detailer's touch by cleaning knobs, vent slats, and the tight corners of the console and side pockets.

15. Remote Controls

Much like keyboards, the space between the buttons on a remote control can become home to a buildup of dust, crumbs, and hair, making it hard to operate. Use a cotton swab to detail remotes to keep them clean and in good working order.

16. Vents

Cotton swabs are perfect for cleaning car vents, but don't limit their use just to your vehicle. They can also be used to remove buildup from just about any venting system, from air conditioners to radiators.

17. Medicine Cabinets and Vanity Drawers

Medicine cabinets and vanity drawers also typically have tracks, where dirt, dust, and residue from personal care products like makeup or dry shampoo build up over time. Cotton swabs can be used to clean those tracks, as well as tight corners and grooves.

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