13 Basic Household Items You Can Use For Survival

It seems that zombie-themed storylines are quite popular in the TV industry these days. You have to wonder, if the zombie apocalypse does happen one day, will you be prepared to survive?

But let’s talk more about the real catastrophic events such as heavy flooding, earthquakes and extended periods of power outage—are you ready for it? Do you have what it takes to survive days or even weeks with only basic items you can find lying around your house?

The thing is, even everyday items you find in your home can be used to help with your survival in troubled times, so long as you know how to improvise and be creative.

1. Drinking straws

Who knew that straws can be such a useful survival item? It can be used as a spice system, a fire starter and even as waterproof pill storage. Check out the video below and be amazed at the clever uses of straws.

2. Dental floss

Dental floss in the case of catastrophic events are better off used as a survival item, since it’s the least of your concern to observe oral hygiene. Check out the many uses of dental floss in the video below.

3. Duct tape

If there’s one awesome household item, it has to be the duct tape. This form of adhesive is proven to be very useful in any situation. We’ve seen wallets and book covers made of duct tape, but guys over at Year Zero Survival shared 25 uses of the item, including arrow spines.

4. Coffee Filters

Someday, you’ll appreciate coffee filters even more as it can be used in different ways during disastrous situations. Thanks to Backdoor Survival, you’ll find over 30 uses of coffee filters for survival.

5. Tin cans

You’ll be surprised that tin cans can actually be used as a mini stove. Check out the tutorial from The Owner Builder Network.

6. Pull tabs

When you Google it, there are actually soda can tabs or pull tabs for sale. Why not? They serve as perfect items for survival. Check out the instructions on how to turn pull tabs into a fishing hook here.

7. Glass bottles

You should be thankful for those drunken nights you’ve had for the beer bottles lying around in your house might just save your life. Aside from using it as a container, beer bottles can be turned into arrowheads and even knives. Check out the instructions here.

8. Wax

Wax is not just great to use as candles, but it can also protect the skin and your gear. Check out this helpful article from Survivalist.

9. Egg Cartons

Don’t throw them away! You can use them to start your gardening.

10. Pantyhose

It’s more than just a piece of clothing item; it can also be used for hunting and for food storage. Check out more survival uses of pantyhose here.

11. Chapstick

The Chapstick always comes in handy, even in difficult situations. It can be an important part of your medical kit, but it also can be used to turn into a candle. Check out the survival uses of Chapstick in the video below.

12. Bandana

A bandana has several uses for survival—not just something that you put on your head. Survival at Home explains the emergency uses for the piece of cloth in this article.

13. Condoms

Desperate times call for desperate measures and when you need some water to survive, a condom would come in very handy. It can store water enough to sustain you for the entire day.

H/T: Survivallife