Q-tips - History of Q-tips

Found stored in bathrooms throughout the country, the Q-tip is a widely used tool for applying cosmetics, cleaning ears, and assisting in numerous other applications. Although coming from humble beginnings, the Q-tip has spread into every grocery store and household in the Nation.

The first Q-tip was invented in 1920 by the Polish-born American Leo Gerstenzang. He noticed that his wife was covering a toothpick with cotton in order to clean her baby's ears. Obviously, due to the toothpicks pointed end, this was extremely dangerous for the child, with even one wrong move resulting in a serious ear wound. Therefore, Leo decided to create a much safer cotton swab for the same purpose.

Although simple in design, the development of the cotton swab took serious experimentation. First, Leo wanted to ensure the wood wouldn't splinter in the baby's ears. Next, he needed to guarantee the cotton would remain on the swab, and wouldn't leave residual particles within the ear. Finally though, he found the right formula for the cotton swab's structure. Now, all he needed was a name.

He chose Baby Gays as the name of the first cotton swab. Although this name would be considered quite unusual for today's standards, the baby gay was a huge hit! By 1926 he added "Q-Tips" in front of the old "Baby Gays" title to create the first "Q-Tip Baby Gays". The "Q" stood for quality. Eventually, however, the "Baby Gays" portion of the name was dropped, leaving the modern title of "Q-Tip".

Today, "Q-tips" are extremely common, and used for a number of various purposes in and outside of a bathroom setting. Since their invention in the 1920s, Q-tips have undergone various advancements, including ditching the wood for paper. One of the newest advancements in the use of the Q-tip is that of its use. Although once created for cleaning the ears, most doctors recommend that "Q-tips" should never be stuck into an ear canal. Despite this, the broad use for a "Q-tip" will allow it to remain a staple product found in bathrooms throughout the country.