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Honey! I think I shrunk the…toilet paper stockpile. Don’t like it? Try this one for size: an empty toilet paper roll by any other name would smell as sweet. Welcome, weary traveler, to yet another kick-ass presentation on how common household items can save your life, “can” is the leitmotif of this here article.

Yup, you’ve guessed it – today I’m going to talk to you about the afterlife of TP rolls. You know those carton cylinders we used to stole as kids from the trash to make “spyglasses”? Well, believe it or not, even though they’re the ghost of TP past, they can still be of some use to us. Luckily, most of those purposes revolve around our favorite topic which is survival.

So, without further ado or a-pun, here are 7 clever ways to use empty TP rolls in SHTF situations.

  1. Keeping your important docs safe, sound, and dry

In any shit hits the fan situation, there’ll be a lot of running, climbing, digging, and falling. Clothes and footwear can be washed and hung up to dry; even most electronics have some sort of waterproofing. Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said about important documents such as driver’s license, photo ID, house deed or other things you may be carrying in your B.O.B. One easy way to make sure your precious docs don’t get totaled by water is to place them inside an empty TP roll.

Use some plastic food wrap or tin foil to seal both ends, and you’ve got yourself a weatherproof doc pouch. Well, it’s more of a roll rather than a pouch, but you get it. You can use the same trick to keep other things dry like headphones, lighters, matches or whatever.

  1. Hunting and trapping very small game

I know the perspective of gutting a small and innocent critter sounds horrific, but in an SHTF situation, you won’t have much of choice. If you’re hunting and trapping skills aren’t good enough as to allow you to create deadfall pits or body-gripping snares, you may be able to craft a small and very efficient one using an empty TP roll, some glue or double-sided tape, and something sweet.

Apply some double-sided tape to one of the openings and place the bait on the open end. Works great for small critters such as field mice. When Jerry sees the morsel, he’ll charge the tube to grab it. Once he enters the tube and takes the bait; he’ll try to get out the other end. As the double-sided tape is transparent, he won’t suspect a thing.  As for the killing and gutting part, I’ll leave that one up to you.

  1. Making a fishing box

Remember the part where I’ve told you that every heavy-duty B.O.B should contain some sort of fishing kit? Well, if you don’t plan on spending too much money on portable fishing kits, here’s how to make your own using an empty roll of TP. First of all, you will need to waterproof your container. For this, you will need some resin. Use a brush and coat the entire roll.  You will need to apply at least three layers of resin. Allow it to dry before proceeding to the next step.

Now, secure one end of the roll using a plastic or metal cap (go see your local thrift store for those). Apply some epoxy before putting on the cap. Now add a similar cap on the other end.

Don’t use epoxy because this will be the opening. Assemble your fishing kit: hooks, line, weights, small blade, flotation device, and place them inside the toilet roll. If you want to make the fishing kit look even more awesome, you can wrap it in paracord and add a small karabiner to the screwable cap (stop laughing). Enjoy!

  1. Voicing your concerns

In an SHTF situation, you may not be able to use your gadgets to make the rescuers aware of your presence. Although your B.O.B should contain at least one type of signaling device, like a whistle, signaling gun, flares or all three of them, it may possible to use an empty toilet paper tube to amply your screams for help. Yes, I know it’s sounds something a child may do, but every little bit helps. Remember that there are times when salvation comes not from intricate life-saving gadgets, but from a simple and silly thing like a TP roll.

  1. Gimme fuel, gimme fire

As you know, nothing’s more soothing than watching those dancing flames in the night. No matter how shitty things get, you can always rely on a campfire to make you regain your composure. In case you’ve lost your tinder box or have nothing else on hand to start a fire with, you can always use a TP roll as tinder.

  1. Prescription glass protection case

As a person who needs to wear glasses around the clock, I haven’t had much use for protective cases. Still, in a situation that call for protection, you can always place your prescription glasses or sunglasses inside an empty TP roll.

  1. Keeping your cords together

There’s nothing more frustrating than opening your bug out bag and seeing all those cords tangles. Even worse is the fact that you’ll have to spend hours on end to untangle them. Sure, that’s not a problem when you’re at home, but you won’t have the luxury of time during a potentially life-threatening situation.

A simple way of keeping your cords together and prevent tangling is to make a small crease on the side of a TP roll and to tuck the cord inside. Draw one end of the cord through this crease, and that’s it. You’ll never have to untangle another paracord again. You can also do the same with power cables and strings. Remember the golden rule: if it looks stupid, but it works, then it’s not stupid!

That’s it for my ways to repurpose TP rolls. Feel that something’s missing from the list. Hit the comments section and let me know.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

The Lost Ways (The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us)

Survival MD (Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation)

Backyard Liberty (Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns…)

Alive After the Fall (Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need)

The Lost ways II (4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis)

The Patriot Privacy Kit (Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps)

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Honey! I think I shrunk the…toilet paper stockpile. Don’t like it? Try this one for size: an empty toilet paper roll by any other name would smell as sweet. Welcome,

Where would we be today without mouthwash? Probably brushing our teeth several times per day in order to get rid of all those food pieces. Wouldn’t call it a marvel a technology, but mouthwash does have its uses and, some of them, go way beyond oral hygiene.

And because I was thinking the other day about reasons to stockpile even more mouthwash than usual, I ended up burning the midnight oil to see what that stuff’s good for apart from, well, using it to wash your mouth. Of course, I won’t bother you with tall tales about guys using mouthwash and mumbo-jumbo to summon otherworldly beings, but I did discover some very interesting facts about this stuff.

Did you know that there was a time when FDA was seriously considering blackballing mouthwash on account of a freak study that linked this substance to oral cancer? Of course, it was later proven that the study was a bogus and that the only severe reaction mouthwash can cause is the so-called black tongue – basically, the tongue grows tired of shedding dead skin cells which end up sitting there, is not pretty.

The black color is the result of a chemical reaction between an oxidizer commonly found in mouthwash and the dead skin cells. No reason for alarm, as it is not life-threating (just use a brush with soft bristles to scrape your tongue or chew some gum).

Anyway, back to the topic du jour – mouthwash in survival. As many common household items, mouthwash can also be used during an SHTF situation. Here are my choices in alternative uses of mouthwash.

Antiseptic

Let’s start by stating the obvious – since mouthwash was designed to kill bacteria responsible for tooth decay and bad breath, it’s safe to assume that it has strong antibacterial properties. If you don’t have anything else on hand, you can always pour a bit of mouthwash on small scrapes and nicks. Word of caution though – this stuff’s going to sting like hell.

Have you ever tried to disinfect a minor wound with medicinal alcohol? It stings even worse than that. Don’t forget to wash with clean water and flush the area with a saline solution – mouthwash contains other substances that really don’t belong inside the wound.

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Washy-washy the toothbrush

As I’ve said countless of times, oral hygiene’s very important, no matter how shitty the situation is. If you ever find yourself stranded in the field, it may be possible to sterilize your toothbrush with a little bit of mouthwash. In fact, it’s quite advisable to do so before putting that thing in your mouth, especially if you’ve been on the road all day.

If you want to make sure that toothbrush’s germ-free, I would advise soaking it in mouthwash – grab a zip-lock bag or small airtight container, put the toothbrush inside, pour a little mouthwash, seal, and stir.

No more stinky feet

Yeah, I know that this not qualify as an SHTF situation, but try sleeping in a closed tent after a day of walking, hiking, running or whatever. In case you don’t have any soap nearby, just drizzle some mouthwash on those mutton chops, rinse with water, and dry yourself with a towel. Yes, you’ll have less mouthwash, but at least you’ll get a good night’s sleep.

Itchiness and Accidental Poisoning

There’s nothing more thrilling than the feeling of tiptoeing through poison ivy or nettles. Don’t fret, don’t whine, and, most importantly, stop scratching. Put a bit of mouthwash on the sting, and you’ll be up on your feet in no time. Just be sure you use an alcohol-based solution – the other kind won’t be of any use to you in this situation.

Ensuring that your cooking stuff is germ-free

One thing hikers and backpackers fail to observe are keeping their food utensils clean. Yes, I know no one will be in the mood for washing plates and cutlery after a hearty meal, but this would mean extending an invitation to all kind of nasty germs.

Now, if you don’t have anything on hand to sterilize your plates, and that includes clean water, you can always use a bit of mouthwash. Shake the bottle for some foam – it will be easier to remove grease and anything sticking to the plate.

Makes body stink go away

Because no good deed should go unpunished, the result of pushing your body beyond its limits is a nasty smell. From where I stand, there are two options – either you wait until you find a source of water to take a bath or do something before the smell curls your toes.

If you have nothing else in your B.O.B, use a tiny amount of mouthwash to wash those stinky body parts. Works great for the armpits, chest, and legs, but I wouldn’t try it elsewhere.

No hand sanitizer? Not a problem.

Hygiene’s important but it becomes vital in a shit hits the fan situation. Apart from the fact that most of the environments you’ll be traversing are riddled with all manner of germs that would like nothing more than to take a bit out of you, your hands will be in permanent contact with icky stuff. I don’t know if your B.O.B contains soap or not, but it should at least have a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

In the event you run out of the stuff, use some mouthwash to sterilize your hands. Might not be as powerful as a regular hand sanitizer, but at least your hands are clean enough to handle food or tend a wound. I don’t judge.

And so, we come to the end of yet another entertaining piece of how everyday items can save our lives in a potentially life-threatening situation. Mouthwash is indeed a good thing to have around the home, regardless if you’re a hygiene freak or not. Just to be safe, you should throw in a couple of small mouthwash bottles in your B.O.B. Missed anything? Drop a line or two in the comment section and let me know.

Other self-sufficiency and preparedness solutions recommended for you:

The Lost Ways (The vital self-sufficiency lessons our great grand-fathers left us)

Survival MD (Knowledge to survive any medical crisis situation)

Backyard Liberty (Liberal’s hidden agenda: more than just your guns…)

Alive After the Fall (Build yourself the only unlimited water source you’ll ever need)

The Lost ways II (4 Important Forgotten Skills used by our Ancestors that can help you in any crisis)

The Patriot Privacy Kit (Secure your privacy in just 10 simple steps)

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Where would we be today without mouthwash? Probably brushing our teeth several times per day in order to get rid of all those food pieces. Wouldn’t call it a marvel