There are certain everyday household items that may not seem like anything special now but that will prove to be lifesavers due to their multitude of uses following an SHTF disaster.
Vaseline (or petroleum jelly) is one of these items. Petroleum jelly has been around since the late 1850s. It was discovered by accident as an oil by-product, when it began being used by factory workers to heal burns and scrapes.
In 1870, it was officially branded as Vaseline. Since then, Vaseline has become a staple household item, with many homes having at least one container of Vaseline stashed away somewhere in the kitchen or a bathroom cabinet.
If you haven’t started stockpiling Vaseline, you’ll want to soon. Let’s find out why.
Here are the most important survival uses for Vaseline:
Healing Bug Bites
If you have any irritable bug or mosquito bites, apply a small amount of Vaseline over the affected area. It will help make the sting or the itch from the bite to go away.
This was one of the earliest uses for Vaseline and remains a critically important application for it today.
If you have sustained any kind of open wound, scrape, or burn, applying Vaseline over the affected area can help for two reasons. The first is to help relieve the pain created by the wound.
The second is to create a barrier over the wound that will help to moisturize it and ensure that bacteria and germs from the outside are kept out.
Decreasing the likelihood of infection becomes crucial in a post-SHTF world, where access to professional medical care might be limited. Nonetheless, if you do happen to contract an infection, you can use this natural antibiotic tincture.
Perhaps the most obvious use for Vaseline is as a lip balm or chapstick. This is already one of the most common uses for Vaseline in everyday life, and it will continue to be used as such in a post-disaster scenario.
This is another common use for Vaseline. If your skin becomes dry from working outside, simply rub Vaseline onto the affected area. This is most effective if you do so before you go to bed and then allow it to rest overnight.
If you run out of shaving cream, you can use Vaseline as an alternative. It may not have quite the same effect, but it will work wonders to protect your skin from a razor’s blades.
This is a classic survival trick for getting a fire started fast. Simply take a cotton ball and cover it in Vaseline.
Then, store the cotton balls in a Ziploc bag for safe keeping.
When you need to get a fire going, you can take the Vaseline-covered cotton ball or Q-tip out from the bag and ignite it with a match, lighter, or a striker.
The cotton ball or Q-tip will ignite very easily, at which point you can add more kindling and fuel onto it to get a good fire going.
Apply a coat of Vaseline to the surface of your knives, hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, and other metal tools you have.
The Vaseline will create a barrier in between the metal surface and the outside world, preventing moisture or humidity from rusting the blades.
You can utilize Vaseline as an alternative to gun oil or lubricant. When you field strip your firearms to clean them, apply a thin coating of Vaseline to the inside of the slide, frame, and other moving parts.
The only part of a gun that you should not apply Vaseline to is the inside of a bore. Since Vaseline is much thicker than gun oil, you don’t want to run the risk of it obstructing the path of a bullet.
Create A Makeshift Candle
Take a tin can or bowl and turn it upside down. Simply cover the top of the surface with a good amount of Vaseline, and then use a piece of yarn as the wick.
Light up the wick and you’ll have a makeshift candle. It won’t be as nice looking as a store bought candle, but it should work just as well.
Alternatively, take a container of Vaseline and stick a match vertically into it so that the top part of the match protrudes out of the top. Light the match and it will act as a candle wick.
If you have any door hinges that are squeaking, you can use Vaseline as an alternative to WD-40. Simply rub a small amount of Vaseline onto the outside surface of the door hinge, and then move the door back and forth to move the hinge.
This will allow the Vaseline to work its way into the hinge, and any squeaky noises you were hearing should start to go away.
You can use Vaseline to remove stains created from markers or wax. Simply soak a washcloth in some water and then apply a small amount of Vaseline directly to the site of the stain.
Proceed to vigorously rub it with the washcloth. Then to remove the residue from the Vaseline, soak your washcloth in dish soap and rub the affected area again. The entire affected area should go back to normal as it was.
Shine Your Leather
If you have a holster, belt, pair of boots, or anything else made out of leather, you can rub a small amount of Vaseline over the surface to give it a cleaner appearance.
One more benefit to Vaseline is its long shelf life. While most Vaseline containers have an indicated shelf life of three years, it can last for ten years or more if stored in a dry environment at room temperature. It’s also very affordable and can be bought in large quantities without breaking the bank.
Vaseline is an item that you’ll want to stock up on if you haven’t already. When disaster hits, it’s an item you’ll get even more use out of than you already do.
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