this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2025
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submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
 
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[–] ComradeMiao@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] Obelix@feddit.org 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's kind of crazy - those plastic Q-tips are only better if you want to totally wreck your ears and every doctor is warning against that. For every legitimate use, those paper variants work perfectly well

[–] desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

how can a paper a tip grease a bearing?

[–] nahostdeutschland@feddit.org 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Why would you grease a bearing with a q-tip? Use a proper tool for that!

[–] desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] nahostdeutschland@feddit.org 5 points 1 week ago

The correct tools are those small plastic containers or a cheap grease gun. You can get the grease better into the bearing with them and don't have the risk of smearing cotton fiber in there. They are of course more expensive than a q-tip, but you can get one for unter 5€. Seriously, if you do this even a couple times a year, buy one.

(This is also a great example why environmental regulation is so tricky: It totally makes sense to prevent one of the worst polluting product to be phased out or replaced with a better solution. But then there are edge cases (how many people have even greased a bearing in their life?) where the new product might be worse, but that still is not an argument for mass pollution on our beaches or against that regulation)

[–] then_three_more@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think Americans call the q tips

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Yeah but a q-tips here are paper / cotton

[–] then_three_more@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Over here cotton buds used to usually have plastic sticks. They've all changed to paper because of this EU thing though.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Not anymore, they switched to plastic.

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I just bought some today at Costco and they’re def paper still.

When did they switch?

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 week ago

I can find both paper stick and plastic stick next to each other on the shelf at my local grocery.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

It must be the off brands then. I dunno, I don’t buy that junk but I have noticed it in other people’s bathrooms.

[–] thesystemisdown@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Unbranded Q-Tip