Do you need to have a first aid kit in your house? Well, the answer is a definitive yes. Accidents can happen anywhere, even at home, and it is always best to prepare for them beforehand. People can cut themselves using a knife or may even lose balance to either trip or fall due to a slippery floor.
Your home first aid kit should have all the necessary things to treat an injury for the time being until the medical help arrives or you go to the hospital to get treated. In this article, we are list down and discuss all the home first aid kit essentials and the way they can be used to treat injuries and wounds.
Band-Aids
The very first thing you need to have in your first aid box at home is band-aids. You can use them for a range of small injuries. They can cover up the injuries temporarily, protecting you from any further damage. Bandages with adhesives come in many different shapes and sizes. However, once they get wet, they won’t properly stick and become unusable. So, it is better to have waterproof bandages, they will last longer than the normal ones.
Cotton Balls
You can even have cotton balls or a whole cotton roll at home. The uses of cotton are unlimited. You can clean a wound, or even apply an antiseptic ointment using pieces of cotton. It is one of the must-have items for your first-aid kit at home.
Elastic Bandages
Elastic bandages are made with stretchy fabrics and are very different from band-aids. The most common use of elastic bandages is to treat different types of injuries including muscle sprain and strain. They work best in reducing the flow of blood to a particular area. You can even apply stable pressure using elastic bandages to restrict swelling.
Gauze
Small wounds can be easily treated using band-aids and bandages. But, what about large injuries that need proper dressing? Well, in such a situation, you will be needing gauze. It can also be used to hold cotton balls with which you have applied ointment or any other type of cream on your wound. Gauze rolls are also easily available in the market that you can cut in any shape and size as per your requirement.
Surgical Tape
Knots on bandages are usually difficult to open, this is when surgical tape comes in handy. They look very similar to paper tapes but work best when used for different types of medical treatments. They are also known as medical adhesive tapes as they are used to attach gauze, bandages, and many other types of dressings for injuries and wounds.
Scissors
Of course, you’ll be needing to cut different types of items used for medical dressing, so a pair of scissors is also one of the must-haves for your home first aid box. Make sure you properly clean, rinse or sterilize scissors every time you use them to prevent any type of infection or bacteria from spreading.
Safety Pins
Safety pins are also essential for the first aid kit in your house. The best use of safety pins in this regard is to securely hold different types of dressing wrapped around the wounded or injured part of your body. You should have safety pins of different sizes, which can necessarily be used according to the size and weight of the bandage. A lot of people prefer pinning the bandage instead of taping it as it can be opened easily.
Medicine
We recommend you get a medical prescription before keeping any medicine in your first aid box. However, in a lot of cases, people keep different types of painkillers and even medicinal drugs with aspirin formulas that can provide instant relief from pain and other types of medical conditions like fever or migraine.
Thermometer
Another very important item in our list of home first aid kit essentials is a thermometer. You can never detect fever without a thermometer, which makes this instrument extremely crucial and in some cases, even a lifesaver. If you find it hard to use an analog thermometer, consider switching to a digital one. It can give body temperature reading on an LCD screen. It is not expensive at all and you can easily get it from a supermarket near you, especially the ones that deal in medical equipment.
Antiseptic Solution
Your first aid kit would never be complete without an antiseptic solution. It can be used to treat many different types of wounds. As the name suggests, this solution has been equipped with special chemical agents that can kill or prevent bacteria from spreading. From small cuts caused by a sharp knife to large wounds that you may get from getting into little accidents like tripping or falling outdoors, an antiseptic solution in your first aid box at home can easily tend to all these injuries.
Tweezers
A lot of people may not know it but tweezers are also one of the most essential items you should have in your first aid kit at home. Young children often run around barefoot. This makes them prone to injuries. So, if they get wounded with a splinter of wood in their foot, this is when tweezers come in handy. They can help you easily pull even the smallest of particles out of your skin.
Hot and Cold Water Bottle
If you have hit your head hard with something or have a ruptured muscle, this is when you may either need hot or cold therapy. It is recommended that you consult a doctor before doing any kind of therapy using a hot and cold water bottle on your own. These bottles are easily available everywhere and are not that expensive. These products in your first aid box can also help you relax the sore muscles, allowing you to feel some relief from the pain.
Gloves
Last but not the least, don’t forget to include gloves in your home first aid kit essentials. Treating different kinds of wounds with your bare hands would be harmful to your and the patient’s health. Gloves can prevent you from catching or transmitting infection. This is why doctors always advise wearing disposable gloves even if you are treating your own injuries.
This was our list of some home first aid kid essentials. If you want to read more of our interesting and informative health-related articles, stay tuned to Openiun.com.
