Comparative study of the swabbing properties of seven commercially available swab materials for cleaning verification

This article compares the technical performances of several different commercially available swabbing materials for the purpose of cleaning verification. A steel surface was soiled with solutions of acetaminophen, nicotinic acid, diclofenac, and benzamidine and wiped with each swabbing material. The compounds were extracted with water or ethanol (depending on polarity of analyte) and their concentration in extract was quantified spectrophotometrically. The study also investigated swab debris on the wiped surface. The swab performances were compared and the best swab material was identified.