When you have to face a crisis, everything around you can become a useful tool. Even a tampon can be used in various improvised ways if the need requires it. Here are some ways in which you can use a tampon in an emergency survival situation.
Use A Tampon In An Emergency
There are many methods you could benefit from if you follow these pieces of advice. With an open mind and the right knowledge, a tampon could save your life. It may sound like a delicate topic for men, but there’s more to it. Read forward and discover how a tampon can become useful when SHTF.
Of course, the most obvious use of the tampon is to use it in the way it was initially intended, either for you or one of your companions facing the same situation as you.
As with any other skill development, you will have to practice ahead of time to get the hang of it and not ruin a good tampon when it’s the only thing you have. Practice makes perfect!
However, after you have read this article, take some time to think about what you may need if the SHTF, and try to acquire some other items that can be used. Although this is an article about using tampons, they are very valuable and still needed in every situation. However, what I would suggest is to keep a few in your bug out bag just in case any of these emergencies arise.
Water Filter
When you are thirsty, you can use the tampon along with the applicator as a cotton filter of an improvised survival straw. The cotton applicator should be made from plastic and you will put it end down on the water and use the cotton of the tampon as a filter. You will suck on the other end like a straw and you can be sure the debris will be filtered out.
Another way to use the cotton from the tampon as a filter will require you to cut the cotton of the tampon in layers and placed it on your improvised filter. You will need a sharp knife and a lot of attention not to cut yourself. Here are some methods on how you can build a water filter for which you can use the cotton.
The cotton from the tampon will not remove bacteria from the water. You still have to boil the water to make sure is drinkable.
Fire Starter
You can use the tampon to start a fire by pulling it apart and fluffing up the cotton fibers to help light a fire faster. Even the wrapper and applicator can help you get the fire going. You can add dried grass or small sticks and other burning material to get a good fire. While we do not recommend using the tampon to start a fire since it can be used for other emergencies, it can prove very useful when you lack the time and you are losing daylight. You can save your tampon and use these methods to start a fire.
Emergency Bandage
Tampons have been used as bandages for emergency trauma since the first World War. They were still being used in recent times, during Iraq and Afghanistan. They can become a proper bandage for a bullet or stab wound when nothing else is around. You can open up a tampon and place it on a wound. Tape it or keep it in place with any other means available to control the loss of blood.
It is highly recommended that you get some training in applying a bandage for trauma situations before starting to exercise with a tampon. Never count on luck and always be prepared.
Emergency candle
If you have access to wax, fat or oil, you can soak the tampon and string in it and use it as an emergency candle. You can burn it from the string as if it were a candle wick. You can test this method with various types of oil, including vegetable oil.
It’s better to practice and know in advance how to get it to light quickly and efficiently to provide an optimum amount of burn time. It can give light, warmth and you could even cook with it. Test with various tampons to know how much burn time and heat you get from each tampon.
Emergency toilet
If you are trapped or bugged in you can use the tampon whenever you need to take a leak. You want to avoid contaminating your surroundings with human waste.
You can place one or more tampons in a plastic bag (one with a ziplock will work great) and pee on the tampon to let it absorb the liquid. Not to mention that if you have a solar, still you could later evaporate the fluid in your still to turn it into drinking water.
Bottle cork
If you don’t have anything else around you can use a tampon to improvise a bottle plug. It will help keep the liquid from evaporating. A tampon can also help to keep the flies, mosquitoes and other pests from getting into your bottle.
It can become a good plug for any type of container. You could even cut it and spread it out for containers with larger openings.
Emergency compress
You can use a tampon to apply hot or cold compresses depending on the needs. You have to cut it in half and spread it carefully so that it covers are a larger area.
It can also be used as a substitute for cotton balls for applying ointment, alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. As long as you kept the tampons sealed in their original wrap and dry, they should work just fine as they are sterile.
Emergency Toothbrush or Dental Floss
You can improvise a toothbrush by using a clean tampon. Moisten it and scrub the surface of your teeth with it. You can even chew on it to keep your teeth clean until you can get or make a proper toothbrush.
The strands of fibers from the cord can make a good improvised dental floss to keep your gums clean. Learn from this article how to make a toothbrush and mouthwash, when you don’t have commercial products at hand.
Survival bait
If you soak the tampon in animal or fish blood, you can use it as bait for improvised traps. You can even attach it to a good and use it as a fishing lure.
Insulation
If you don’t have the proper gear and you have to face cold weather you can use a tampon to provide additional warmth. Use it to add insulation to your socks or gloves. You can cut it in half, spread it around and place it in your socks or gloves after you checked that your boots and gloves are dry. Aim to use them in your gloves before any other part of the body though, as you need to maintain some dexterity to survive.
Wind Tracking
If you hold a tampon by the string, you can use it as an effective method to know the direction of the wind. This will come in handy when you need to build a shelter that is not vulnerable to wind.
It’s also useful when you need to stay downrange of animals on the hunt for your scent. Also, when you need to use a firearm and you need to know how the wind will affect your shot.
A Gardening Aid
A tampon can be used to start sprouting seeds if time is on your side. If you slice a tampon, you can use the cotton pieces to keep the seeds moist so they could germinate quickly. This comes in handy especially when you are traveling or searching for supplies.
As a weapon
You can use a tampon to make a Molotov cocktail. You will need a glass bottle, a tampon, and some gas or lamp oil. Fill the bottle with the liquid at hand, you plug the bottle with the tampon and make sure the string is outside the bottle before taping it in place. Light the string and throw the Molotov cocktail at the chosen target.
A final word
Feminine hygiene products are a mystery topic for most men. They do not care much about this subject and they fail to prepare for the ladies in their lives. However, as you can see in this article, a tampon can save your life during an emergency. With its many survival uses, it can become a valuable commodity during a crisis.
Although I have said that you should try to get less valuable alternatives before the time they are needed, it would be smart to stockpile these products as they will have a high value when bartering comes back. When the brown stuff hits the fan, you can trade them for valuable items. The next time you see a tampon, think about the ways it can be used during a crisis.
Stay Safe and God Bless!
Other Useful Resources:
The LOST WAYS (The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us)
Blackout USA (Video about EMP survival and preparedness guide)
Bullet Proof Home (Learn how to Safeguard your Home)
US Water Revolution ( A DIY Project to Generate Clean Water Anywhere)
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to us, keep it up.
Thank you for the kind words.
A note on the Molotov cocktail… if you add soap shavings, egg whites, coagulated blood, shredded Styrofoam, diesel, etc it will be even more effective and thicker/stickier. Disassemble a book of matches, taping a trifolded row down past the strike strip on the book. Fold this over and tape it. Tape this near the top of the bottle. To activate, simply pull the exposed end of the strip to light the tampon or cloth of the Molotov. Just wanted to add my two cents. Blessings always.