The main components of a disinfected cotton swab include two parts: the cotton swab itself and the disinfectant solution.

I. The Cotton Swab Part

• It’s usually made of absorbent cotton or polyester fiber.
  • Absorbent Cotton: This is a kind of cotton that has been specially treated to remove fat. Its fibers are relatively soft and have good water – absorption. It can effectively absorb the disinfectant solution and is relatively gentle when wiping the skin or wounds and other parts, without causing much irritation to human tissues. Absorbent cotton is extracted from the fibrous material around the seeds of cotton plants and goes through a series of processing steps such as cleaning and degreasing to finally become the cotton – tipped part of a medical cotton swab.
  • Polyester Fiber: It’s a synthetic fiber made through a chemical polymerization reaction of organic dibasic acids and diols. Polyester fiber has a soft texture, stable physical properties, and a certain degree of elasticity and toughness. In some disinfected cotton swabs, polyester fiber is used to make the cotton – tipped part because it can maintain a better shape, is not easy to deform or shed during use, and may have better tolerance to some disinfectant solutions, which helps to maintain the overall quality and performance of the cotton swab.

II. The Disinfectant Solution Part

• The components of the disinfectant solution vary depending on the use and function of the disinfected cotton swab.
  • Alcohol (Ethanol): It’s one of the common disinfectant components. The alcohol concentration generally used for skin disinfection is 70% – 75%. Alcohol can denature the proteins of bacteria and viruses, thus playing a role in disinfection and sterilization. It has the characteristics of fast disinfection and strong volatility. When the skin is wiped with a disinfected cotton swab containing alcohol, the alcohol will quickly evaporate, taking away heat and giving the skin a cool feeling. However, alcohol has a certain degree of irritation to the skin and may cause dryness and redness of the skin. Moreover, alcohol is flammable, so it’s necessary to keep it away from fire during use and storage.
  • Iodophor: The main component is a complex of iodine and povidone (PVP). Iodophor has a wide antibacterial spectrum and has a good killing effect on many kinds of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Its disinfection effect is relatively mild, and it has less irritation to the skin and mucous membranes. Therefore, it’s widely used in wound disinfection, skin disinfection, and other scenarios. After iodophor disinfection, a light – yellow mark of iodine will be left on the skin surface, but it will gradually fade over time.
  • Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG): As mentioned before in the CHG – disinfected cotton swabs, chlorhexidine gluconate is a broad – spectrum antibacterial agent. It can destroy the cell membrane structure of microorganisms, leading to the leakage of internal substances of microorganisms and death. Moreover, its disinfection effect is long – lasting, and it can form a protective film on the skin surface to continuously inhibit the growth of microorganisms. It’s effective against many kinds of bacteria, fungi, and some viruses. And at a suitable concentration, it has little irritation to the skin and no toxic residue after disinfection.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide: Its disinfection principle is to release nascent oxygen to disrupt the metabolic process of bacteria, thus achieving the purpose of sterilization and disinfection. It’s more commonly used in wound disinfection, especially for wounds with the risk of anaerobic bacteria infection, such as deep puncture wounds and lacerations. When hydrogen peroxide contacts a wound, a lot of bubbles will be produced, which is the process of its decomposition to produce oxygen. However, hydrogen peroxide may cause a certain degree of irritation to the wound, and over – use may damage the newly – formed tissue.