I use a pipe cleaner that I stick thru a straw with just the end of the pipe cleaner sticking out. I fold the pipe cleaner in half so that the "loop" part is out of the straw. It sure does grab dust & lint like a magnet..and I throw it away when it gets gunky. The first time I used it I was shocked by how much lint it found. I thought I had been doing a good job of keeping it clean on my own. =)