Alternative Uses of Items

Shemagh
Duct Tape
Vinegar
WD-40
Trash Bags
Aluminum Foil
Baking Soda
Hydrogen Peroxide
Petroleum Jelly
Aluminum or Tin Cans
Aluminum Can Pull-Tabs
Old Soap
Pantyhose
Nail Polish
Dental Floss
Tampons
Super Glue
Drinking Straws
Shotgun Shells
Hand Warmers
Coffee Filters

Shemagh:

back to top

Duct Tape:

Foot Blister Prevention With Duct Tape:

Prevent blisters by duct taping heels, feet before taking a hike with new boots. This really works!

Hiking Camping Hacks Duct Tape Blister Prevention

Some alternative uses of Duct Tape include:

Repair a tent: You open your tent at the campsite and oops — a little tear. No problem as long as you’ve brought your duct tape along. Cover the hole with a patch; for double protection mirror the patch inside the tent. You’ll keep insects and weather where they belong.
Make a rope: Twist one or several lengths of duct tape into a cord or rope. Of course paracord would be a lot better and you do have some of that, right?)
Make a clothesline: Twisting a long piece of Duct tape makes a great piece of rope to use as a clothesline.
Hold the feathers in your sleeping bag: If you have a hole in your down sleeping bag, you can patch the hole with duct tape. No more feathers flying out all over the place.
Reseal packages of food: Use duct tape to seal up partially opened packages of food. Fold over the top of the package and seal it tight with a piece of duct tape. Works for cans, too. Simply fashion a lid out of duct tape.
Hold your tent closed: A damaged zipper could leave your tent door flapping in the wind. Stick the door shut, and keep the bugs and critters out.
Splint a broken tent pole or fishing pole: Tape a stick to the broken area of your tent pole or fishing rod, and you might just get one last adventure out of it.
Catch pesky flies: Roll off a few foot-long strips of duct tape and hang them from a branch or your tent or cabin rafters. The DT serves as flypaper and when you depart, you can roll up the tape to toss it in the trash. No need to use nasty chemicals, either.
Repair your water bottle: Have a cracked water bottle or a pierced hydration bladder? A little strip of duct tape to the rescue. Be sure to dry the surface before you try to tape your patch in place since most forms of duct tape don’t stick to wet surfaces. You can also wrap plastic water bottles with duct tape to prevent cracking and leaking.
Make a spear: Strap your knife to a pole and you have a trusty spear to fend off beasts, or make one into your dinner.
Create a shelter: With some trash bags and some duct tape, and you have a survival shelter roof, or sleeping bag cover, a wind break, or well, there are kits of possibilities.
Wrap a sprained ankle: If you trip and sprain your ankle, wrap the ankle with duct tape to give it some support.
Make butterfly bandage strips: Cut two small strips of DT, and add a smaller strip across their centers (sticky side to sticky side) to create a makeshift butterfly suture.
Make a sling: Fold a length of DT down the middle, so that it is half the original width and no longer exposing a sticky side. Use the strap to make a sling for a busted arm.
Affix bandages: Place a sterile dressing over your wound, and strap it in place with DT.
Blister care: Cover the blistered area with a bit of cotton gauze, and tape over the cotton. Make sure that the duct tape fully covers the cotton and doesn’t touch the blister at all.
Create a splint: A broken ankle or leg can be stabilized with ample splint material, padding and duct tape. Pad the crotch of a forked branch with some cloth and duct tape to fashion a quick crutch to go with your splint.
Make a bandage: Fold tissue paper or paper towel to cover the wound and cover this with duct tape.
Make a temporary roof shingle: If you have lost a wooden roof shingle, make a temporary replacement by wrapping duct tape in strips across a piece of 1/4-inch (6-millimeter) plywood you’ve cut to size. Wedge the makeshift shingle in place to fill the space. It will close the gap and repel water until you can repair the roof.
Fix a hole in your siding: Has the stormy weather damaged your vinyl siding? A broken tree limb tossed by the storm, hailstones, or even an errant baseball can rip your siding. Patch tears in vinyl siding with duct tape. Choose tape in a color that matches your siding and apply it when the surface is dry. Smooth your repair by hand or with a rolling pin. The patch should last at least a season or two.
Tape a broken window: Before removing broken window glass, crisscross the broken pane with duct tape to hold it all together. This will ensure a shard does not fall out and cut you.
Mend a screen: Have the bugs found the tear in your window or door screen? Thwart their entrance until you make a permanent fix by covering the hole with duct tape.
Repair a trash can: Plastic trash cans that are blown over by a storm or frozen in an ice storm often split or crack along the sides. Repair the tear with duct tape. Just be sure tape over the crack both outside and inside the can.
Make a belt: Run a piece of DT through your belt loops and stick it to itself in the front. Overlap it about 4 or 5 inches and you’ll still be able to peel the belt apart when nature calls.
Repair your glasses: If your glasses break while you are out in the wilderness, tape them up. You might look a bit nerdy but at least you will be able to see.
Fix your rain gear: Keep the dry stuff dry, and keep the water out, by mending your ripped rain gear with a few strips of duct tape.
Repair your clothing: Repair rips and tears in your clothing by slipping a piece of tape inside the rip, sticky side out, and carefully pressing both sides of the rip together. The repair will be barely detectable.
Add extra insulation in your boots: Make your winter boots a little bit warmer by taping the insoles with duct tape, silver side up. The shiny tape will reflect the warmth of your feet back into your boots.
Hem your pants: No time to hem your new jeans? Fake it with a strip of duct tape. The new hem will last through a few washes too.
Make handcuffs: Create handcuffs for the bad guys by taping their hands together around a tree to prevent them from becoming a danger to themselves or others.
Mark a trail: Use duct tape to blaze a trail or signal for rescue, especially if your DT is brightly colored or reflective.
Make emergency repairs on your Bug Out Vehicle: Repair leaking hoses, broken tail lights, windows that don’t stay and even bullet holes with strips of duct tape.
Hang perimeter or security lights: String lights around your camp with a rope make of duct tape.

back to top

Vinegar:

35 REASONS YOU SHOULD NEVER BE WITHOUT VINEGAR

from backdoorsurvival.com:

Whether you are storing up supplies for hard times or just want to save a little grocery money on cleaning supplies, one thing you should never be without is vinegar.

People have been using it for ages – and not just for cooking or preserving foods. Vinegar’s versatility is virtually unmatched when it comes to having multiple uses.

There are literally hundreds of uses for vinegar around the home.

Check out below to see just a sample of how vinegar can be of use to you, hard times or not:

Disinfect wood cutting boards.
Soothe a sore throat; use 1 tsp of vinegar per glass of water, then gargle.
Fight dandruff; after shampooing, rinse hair with vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.
Remove warts; apply daily a 50/50 solution of cider vinegar and glycerin until they’re gone.
Cure an upset stomach; drink 2 tsp apple cider vinegar in one cup of water.
Polish chrome.
Keep boiled eggs from cracking; add 2 tbsp to water before boiling.
Clean deposits from fish tanks.
Remove urine stains from carpet.
Keep fleas off dogs; add a little vinegar to the dog’s drinking water.
Keep car windows from frosting up; use a solution of 3 oz. vinegar to 1 oz. water.
Clean dentures; soak overnight in vinegar and then brush.
Get rid of lint in clothes; add 0.5 cup vinegar to rinse cycle.
Remove grease from suede.
Kill grass on sidewalks and driveways.
Make wool blankets softer; add 2 cups distilled vinegar to rinse cycle.
Remove skunk odor from a dog; rub fur with full strength vinegar and rinse.
Freshen wilted vegetables; soak them in 1 tbsp vinegar and a cup of water.
Dissolve mineral deposits in drip coffee makers.
Deodorize drains; pour a cup down the drain once a week, let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.
Use as a replacement for a lemon; 0.25 tsp vinegar substitutes for 1 tsp of lemon juice.
Make rice fluffier; add 1 tsp of vinegar to water when it boils.
Prevent grease build-up in ovens; wipe oven with cleaning rag soaked in distilled vinegar and water.
Kill germs; mix a 50-50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
Clean a clogged shower head.; pour vinegar into a zip-lock bag and gang it around the shower head. let it soak overnight to remove any mineral deposits.
Shine patent leather.
Remove the smell from laundry that has been left in the washer too long; pour 1 cup of vinegar in with the load and rewash it.
Make propane lantern wicks burn longer/brighter; soak them in vinegar for 3 hours, let dry.
Act as an an air freshener.
Soften paint brushes; soak in hot vinegar then rinse with soapy water.
Remove bumper stickers and decals; simply cover them with vinegar-soaked cloth for several minutes.
Prolong the life of fresh-cut flowers; use 2 tbsp of vinegar and 3 tbsp of sugar per quart of warm water
Prevent Mildew; Wipe down shower walls with a vinegar solution.
Soften calloused feet; soak your feet in a mixture 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water for 30 minutes then scrub them with a pumice stone. The dead skin should slough off easily.
Treat Acne; start with a solution of organic apple cider vinegar and water at a ration of 1:8, apply the toner to blemishes and leave on a minimum of 2 minutes.

back to top

WD-40:

2000 Uses For WD-40

Some of the uses from the above webpage:

Buff out scuff marks on bumpers.
Removes road debris from license plate.
Cleans gummy buildup from steering wheels.
Removes scuff marks from cars caused by shopping carts.
Spray on suspension gaskets to resist deterioration.
Spray on a rag and wipe steering wheel and gearshift knobs to keep them grease-free and grip-able.
Cleans gunk from electrical contacts.
Removes carbon residue from spark plugs.
Cleans bugs.
Removes gum.
Removes grime from antenna to improve reception.
Cleans ignition wires.
Removes crayon.
Cleans gunk off snow chains.
Removes melted rubber from exhaust pipes.
Prevents oxidation on battery connections.
Removes pine tar.
Lubricates gears and sprockets on bikes.
Loosens chainsaw triggers.