Reusable Cotton Swabs: A Review of LastSwab

Sustainability matters. Let’s talk about the latest movement in eco-friendliness: reusable cotton swabs. Keep reading for a quick review of LastSwab.

Picture this. You just bought a brand-new pack of Q-Tips or generic cotton swabs. You grab one to clean your ears, and then you grab one to clean up your makeup. Maybe you grab one to clean a minor wound, clean jewelry, touch up your nail polish, or use a cotton swab to assist with your art project.

Before you know it, that brand-new pack is empty, and every single cotton swab is making a temporary home in your trash can. Its final destination? The landfill.

Now, imagine that same scenario repeated for, let’s say, ten million people. How many cotton swabs are in the landfill now? We will let you do the math on that one. This imaginary scenario is reality, and it is affecting our environment.

Why the Need for Reusable Cotton Swabs?

Why are one-use products so harmful to our environment? Why do you even want to own a reusable cotton swab? Well, to quickly answer the second question, for moral reasons.

When one feels a commitment to the Earth and a need to do good by it, it hits home, realizing that a seemingly harmless daily activity is hurting the planet we live on.

Here are a few striking statistics about cotton swabs and relatable one-use items to make it a bit more impactful. AKA the answer to that initial question: why are cotton swabs bad for the environment?

According to our research, about 1.5 million disposable cotton swabs are produced every day.

It takes countless resources to pump out that many products per day. We are talking about land to grow the cotton and all the water, fossil fuels, and energy needed to turn a crop into something we clean our ears with.

Across the world, cotton buds sit in the top 5-10 list of marine debris found along the ocean’s shore.

To make things worse, plastic impacts nearly 700 species in the ocean. After the soft tip of the swab wears away, what’s left is a plastic stick.

The way we view throw-away products is part of the core issue here. It is easy to use something once, throw it away, and then forget all about its life cycle. However, companies focused on eco-friendliness are trying to disband the single-use concept.

LastObject – Inventor of LastSwab

One brand, LastObject, is taking a stand against wasteful one-use items. Their mission is to create products that can be used hundreds of times. By doing so, they hope to reduce the amount of pollution in landfills and in natural areas where no human-made objects should be found.

According to their values, they won’t create a product unless it has x10 environmental impact compared to the product it replaces. Aside from their famous cotton rounds and tissues, they created a solution to the disposable swab problem, and it’s called LastSwab.

Let’s give it a quick review.

LastSwab Review + Quick Look

So, what exactly is LastSwab? Is it worth it? Let’s review LastSwab and provide a quick look at what this revolutionary product is all about.

LastSwab is a reusable Q-Tip-like product that accomplishes the basic function of a regular cotton swab without all the waste. And apparently, it was the first of its kind.

This reusable cotton swab is made from TPE, PP, and comes in a bio-based case for easy carrying and cleanliness. One of these gems can replace 1,000 of its single-use counterparts. We’ve heard a lot of hype on the web, and the consensus is this: it’s great for makeup and general use, but the texture and absorbency can take some getting used to.

Honestly, when you’ve been using cotton Q-Tips your whole life, transitioning to a new product is going to feel strange at first. Digging deeper in customer reviews, we found that LastSwab does what it says it does. It’s just different.

It should also be noted that there is a “basic” and “beauty” version. Each one is shaped differently according to its purpose.

Shop Smarter & Ditch Single-Use Swabs

While transitioning to reusable cotton swabs might be challenging at first, it is possible. You can always ease yourself into the transition by cutting down your usage little by little over time. Every step you take in the right direction is a step worth counting.

Also, every action or decision we make has an impact. The next time you’re in the store reaching for a single-use product, ask yourself how you feel. This is NOT to make you feel guilty but to help you become more aware of your purchasing habits.

 In the end, do your part to be mindful and shop consciously to the best of your ability. Your wellbeing (and Earth) will thank you.