In a video with over 2.3 million views, TikToker Hank (@hankyspankyyyy) holds up an empty box of Q-tips.“I know you’re not supposed to put Q-tips in your ear. But I just cranked through this ...

Schwartz emphasized that the main issue with Q-tips is that you really don’t need to clean wax out of your ears yourself, with a Q-tip or anything else—so why risk the potential complications ...

In it, he compares two 625-count cartons of Q-tips. One package commemorates the brand’s 100th anniversary, meaning that it was likely purchased at some point in 2023, Q-tips’ centennial year.

After taking a shower, Abby Hoffman, 27, proceeded to try to clean her ears with a Q-tip, but that was when she discovered something unexpected—a whole trazodone pill lodged inside her ear.