A common cold, a common problem

Skylar and I are sharing a cold. I'm not sure who gave who the cold, but we are both hangin' out at home today. This leads me to a booger conversation. Could someone tell me how to use that little blue turkey baster that I received at the baby shower...I think it's called a nasal aspirator. How does one successfully use that? And what happens to the boogers when they are sucked into the wondrous orb of bacteria? As soon as Skylar sees that thing coming she frantically turns her head from side to side. It is almost impossible for a single person to get any prizes out of the little tiny baby nostrils. I have dropped to level of growing my pinky nail a bit longer and trying to swish the boogers out that way. Even worse, I know someone who sucked the boogers out with his own mouth. Yummy...What one would do for the sake of their child's comfort is truly astounding. Now that I have totally disgusted you, if you have a better solution I am all ears...
Another very difficult issue is how to clean it once you "think" you may have scored some good old fashioned mucus. Ever try washing one of those fun twisty straws...yes, that is what washing one of these is like. You can get the soap and hot water in there, but you can never see if the damn thing is actually clean. Again, if you can shed some light, I am all ears....