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. There are many methods you could benefit from, if you follow these advices. With an open mind and the right knowledge a tampon could save your life.

Of course the most obvious use of the tampon is to use it in the way it was originally 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!

The first use of a tampon – 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 to not 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 so you still have to boil the water to make sure is drinkable.

The second use of a tampon – 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 time and you are losing  daylight. You can save your tampon and use these methods to start a fire.

The third use of a tampon – Emergency Bandage

Tampons have been used as bandages from emergency trauma since the first World War and 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 over a wound. Tape it or keep it in place with any other means available in order 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.

The fourth use of a tampon – 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 easily to provide an optimum amount of burn time. It can provide 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.

The fifth use of a tampon – Emergency toilet.

If you are trapped or bugged in you can use the tampon whenever you need to take a leak and 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 liquid in your still to turn it into drinking water.

The sixth use of a tampon – Bottle cork

If you don’t have anything else around you can use a tampon to improvise a bottle plug and keep the liquid from evaporating. It 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.

The seventh use of a tampon – 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 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.

The eight use of a tampon – 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.

The ninth use of a tampon – 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.

The tenth use of a tampon – 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 and 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.

The eleventh use of a tampon – 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, when you need to stay downrange of animals on the hunt for your scent, or when you need to use a firearm and you need to know how the wind will affect your shot.

The twelfth use of a tampon – 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 sprout easily, especially when you are traveling or searching for supplies.

The thirteenth use of a tampon – 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. You 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.

Source:prepperswill.com