What is this magic thing?
October 30, 2011 8:25 AM Subscribe
What in the heck is this mystery plastic tool type thing I found?
My husband brought home a Timbuktu bag from Savers, and this odd thing was in a pocket, along with a business card from the probable former owner, which just said she did some sort of craft business. We cannot for the life of us figure out what it does. The little gear thing at the bottom is metal, it can be encased in the little transparent plastic tube, and the side basket things can swivel out.
WHAT IS IT
SOMEONE MUST KNOW
BECAUSE ITS DRIVING ME MAD WITH WONDER
Thanks!
My husband brought home a Timbuktu bag from Savers, and this odd thing was in a pocket, along with a business card from the probable former owner, which just said she did some sort of craft business. We cannot for the life of us figure out what it does. The little gear thing at the bottom is metal, it can be encased in the little transparent plastic tube, and the side basket things can swivel out.
WHAT IS IT
SOMEONE MUST KNOW
BECAUSE ITS DRIVING ME MAD WITH WONDER
Thanks!
Seconding empath. When I wore contacts and had non-disposables, that's what held them while they were being cleaned.
posted by Brian Puccio at 8:28 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by Brian Puccio at 8:28 AM on October 30, 2011
empath is correct. There's one in my medicine cabinet right now, but it's my wife's so I can't give you a brand name. It's sold with an enormous bottle of cleaning solution.
posted by range at 8:29 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by range at 8:29 AM on October 30, 2011
Response by poster: Word! My husband refuses to get contacts so I have never before seen one. Thanks so much!
posted by kpht at 8:34 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by kpht at 8:34 AM on October 30, 2011
Response by poster: One other thing... what does the metal gear do?
posted by kpht at 8:35 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by kpht at 8:35 AM on October 30, 2011
For Aosept specifically.
Clear Care uses that kind of case too.
posted by fuse theorem at 8:36 AM on October 30, 2011
Clear Care uses that kind of case too.
posted by fuse theorem at 8:36 AM on October 30, 2011
As to the black metal "gear"--it's a long time since I've used Aosept and Clear Care is not necessarily identical, but ISRT there being some sort of catalyst disc in there. The Aosept system uses hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant and the catalyst makes sure it all breaks down (hell on your eyes if it doesn't). I'd say that's what the "gear" is.
posted by Logophiliac at 8:43 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by Logophiliac at 8:43 AM on October 30, 2011
Seconding Logophiliac: that was what my disinfectant overnight kit looked like when I had contacts. The disc/gear is replaceable.
posted by immlass at 9:16 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by immlass at 9:16 AM on October 30, 2011
Confirming Logophiliac. That's the kind of contact lens case I currently have. For certain types of cleaning solution (I have Clear Care), that disc is the catalyst that allows tiny bubbles to form for the purposes of "scrubbing" the gunk off dirty contacts. It's like a small vial of antiseptic champagne at work. The solution, which burns like hell if you get it in your eyes fresh, eventually breaks down into something perfectly benign, although I generally keep additional saline around to moisturize my lenses when I'm sticking them in or washing away any lingering grungies.
posted by Diagonalize at 10:02 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by Diagonalize at 10:02 AM on October 30, 2011
Response by poster: I have learned something today! Thank you all.
posted by kpht at 10:11 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by kpht at 10:11 AM on October 30, 2011
Clear Care and AOsept both use that case. The active disinfecting ingredient of both solutions is Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2), with enough salt to approximate the salinity of tears. The catalyst disc causes one of the oxygen molecules to break free on contact. Two of those molecules will bond with each other to make O2 (gaseous oxygen)... hence the bubbles.
Once the reaction is complete (no more bubbles), the solution left in the container is basically just saline (H2O + enough salt to approximate tears -- about 0.8%). You can put your contacts in without rinsing, but most people will rinse with fresh saline anyway.
People who have trouble/irritation with other disinfection methods tend to do better with AOsept. Clear Care is basically AOsept with a cleaning agent, so you don't have to do the rub-between-your-fingers step with a different bottle before putting them in that container for disinfection... but for some people, that cleaning agent is an irritant.
posted by toxic at 11:21 AM on October 30, 2011
Once the reaction is complete (no more bubbles), the solution left in the container is basically just saline (H2O + enough salt to approximate tears -- about 0.8%). You can put your contacts in without rinsing, but most people will rinse with fresh saline anyway.
People who have trouble/irritation with other disinfection methods tend to do better with AOsept. Clear Care is basically AOsept with a cleaning agent, so you don't have to do the rub-between-your-fingers step with a different bottle before putting them in that container for disinfection... but for some people, that cleaning agent is an irritant.
posted by toxic at 11:21 AM on October 30, 2011
"(hell on your eyes if it doesn't)"
Indeed. In a hungover stupor in college I accidentally used my roommates AOsept instead of my saline. That's not a mistake anybody makes twice.
posted by COD at 11:48 AM on October 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
Indeed. In a hungover stupor in college I accidentally used my roommates AOsept instead of my saline. That's not a mistake anybody makes twice.
posted by COD at 11:48 AM on October 30, 2011 [2 favorites]
Just wanted to chime in and say that toxic has it correct. I am a Clear Care user because other types of cleaning/storing my contacts led to too much protein buildup on the lenses before it should. That is what my cases look like that i get with my Clear Care (and yes, it starts out as hydrogen peroxide and ends as saline, but I don't know the chemistry behind it).
posted by MultiFaceted at 4:26 PM on October 30, 2011
posted by MultiFaceted at 4:26 PM on October 30, 2011
And I'd wager that the metal piece is a "gear" shape to maximize surface area contact for the liquid.
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 10:15 PM on October 30, 2011
posted by buckaroo_benzai at 10:15 PM on October 30, 2011
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posted by empath at 8:27 AM on October 30, 2011 [5 favorites]