My daughter has had T1 for 4 months. I am experienced enough to know that cleaning up test strips is a real pain in the butt. Those little things have static or something. They’re on the floor, I bend over to pick up a pile of 4, I come away with 2. They’re on the counter, I lean over to scrape off 10 and get 4 or 5. Sometimes I ask, “Is this new or used?” Is that crazy?
Anyway: this is the brilliant idea! A Strip Picker-Upper! A big sticky plunger, maybe like those lint rollers but better. Something sure-fire. Slap it on those strip piles and vacuum every piece up in one swoop! This invention will be huge! Bigger than Velcro or Snuggies even.
LOL I just got something called a a Bugzooka for stink bugs, sucks those suckers right up. Never thought of using it for test strips but it would work great! Google it if you want to see
If you’re seriously looking for a solution, here’s what I do.
I keep an empty strip bottle and store the used strips in the empty bottle. The blood dries in the bottle and doesn’t stick to or stain anything. Then when I finish another bottle, I toss the bottle that I had been filling up with used strips, and start over again. That way I always have a place to put my used strips, and I never leave my half-dried blood around, since it makes some people nervous.
I peel the label off the bottle I’m putting my used strips in, so I never think its full of new strips. And I keep one at home, one at work, etc.
This works great for OneTouch strips, should work for others too.
For used strips I keep a disposable pill pouch in my meter case. You can find em at any pharmacy. They come in a bundle so I always have good baggies around for raisins, jelly beans, nutz bolts etc.blah blah blah
LOL – I have a trash can right by my desk and they almost always hit the can when I toss them, but sometimes they sprout wings and end up on the rug. They are sneaky little critters.
Haha. They do! I think they are taking over my life. I’ll randomly see one on the floor/counter/chair/floating above my head/wherever and say “well, Gina has been here.” It’s like my trail of crumbs!!
What about the pokers? I know we are supposed to dispose of them correctly but when ur out and about what can you do? most of mine end up in the bottom of whatever bag I am using and sometimes I get poked with them! Do any of you have a solution for that?
With mine, you can use the tip from the new one as a cover for the old one, as you switch them out. Then I put the covered, used one into the zippered/mesh compartment of my meter case. At night, when I replenish my meter case with new lancets, I toss the used ones into my sharps container.
I use an alcohol swab every time I test and always stick the strip in the packet that the swab was in fixes everything all at once. It is getting hard to find the good B & D swabs at Walmart consistly.
