Whether you are experiencing a lengthy power outage, a natural disaster or apocalyptic event, your stockpile is bound to dwindle sooner or later. I’ll tell you one thing – the folks who get creative with everyday items for survival will definitely be in it for the long haul.
Everyday Items For Survival: Your Life Depends On It
Improvising with these items, which you may not consider for a survival situation on a normal basis, could potentially be the difference between life and death. Lucky for you, these items are already lying around the house. Improvise, adapt, and overcome! Check out these everyday survival items.
1. Coffee Filters
You can use it as a disposable plate or bowl so you can just dispose of it after without having the need to wash. It’s a good way to eat on-the-go. A few uses for coffee filters include:
- Filter water or juice
- Glasses cleaner
- Emergency toilet paper
- Potting soil
- Gardening
2. Tabs
Forgot your fish hooks or maybe ran out of them? Pop a cold one and create a sharp, pointy edge using the tab. A pair of cutting pliers will help you do the trick. Place in your bait and your good to go.
3. Drinking Straws
Seal your petroleum jelly soaked-cotton in a drinking straw and burn both ends to make it airtight. Other uses for drinking straws are:
- Spice packets
- Ointment packets
- Medicine packets
- Liquid packets
- Survival fishing kit
4. Glass Bottles
In addition to transporting water or dry storage, broken glass bottles can be knapped down into knives, arrowheads, and scrapers and even use as a magnifying glass to start a fire!
5. Wax
In addition to candle making, wax can be used to make some of your items to become water resistant, serve as a lubricant or keep the rust off your tools! There’s just so many ways to make use of the wax when you come to think of it.
6. Hygiene Products
Tampons & condoms have so many uses than its universal use by people around the world. Tampons make excellent water filters and fire starters. Condoms can be used as tourniquets, part of a slingshot, and a water container just to name a few.
7. Dental Floss
Improvising to survive is a great way to put dental floss to good use when SHTF happens. It’s really small and very handy. It’ll help you secure your gear, make a trip wire, a wire tinder and a whole lot more!
8. Duct Tape
There are a million uses for duct tape. We love the idea of making survival arrow spines. As a matter of fact, there’s even an episode of the Mythbusters where Adam and Jamie are stranded on an island with nothing but duct tape.
9. Egg Cartons
Save your egg cartons and start your little seedlings. You can even make a mini greenhouse like the image above! This is a smart way to save space and even transport your seedlings indoors if need be.
10. Bandana
A bandana may be something that one has when outdoors. You can use it to make smoke signals, a bandage over your head, a holder of edible plants, a slingshot. A brightly colored one can be used to make things or yourself easily visible.
11. Tin Cans
- image from Glenn Moris via vimeo
Turn your tin cans into mini stoves or as some call it, the Rocket Stove! This will make you cook food faster even if it’s windy. Other than that, you can make yourself warm because of the heat emanating from the can.
12. Pantyhose
Water purification, mosquito net or food dehydrator! The good thing is it’s light and doesn’t take so much space in your backpack. You can opt to wear it if you’re a woman, that is!
13. Chapstick
A quick source of light should you run out of other sources of fuel. It’s compact and light. A fire accelerator solves the problem of a zipper that is stuck and temporarily patches holes in a tent.
Our very own will show you a video of 7 simple survival hacks using household items:
There you have it! Everyday items you can actually use if the SHTF! There are actually more you can learn about just by surfing the web. But if you think you need to spend more on packing your survival kit or bug-out bag, then consider these everyday items. Of course, nothing beats the real thing that really serves you for that purpose. Still, just in case you don’t have what you need, these items might just do the job for you.
Do you have any other everyday items for survival you have used in the past? Please let us know in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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