What First Aid Essentials Should I Have In My Home

[spathiphyllum]

What are essential, potentially life saving first aid tools to have at home all the while?

What liquid is good at cleaning wounds and preventing infection?

[calmck]

A good first aid kit available at places like boots or Amazon for essentials like band aids wipes gauze etc. Also keep one in your car. Prices vary depending on contents/size. More important your knowledge if you are thinking about serious emergencies then a good first aid course

[calmck]

Also consider fire extinguisher and fire blanket

[dannyk13]

TCP for cleaning wounds.

[calmck]

Ouch Danny. I prefer dettol

[woofgang]

Life saving? If no one in your house has any chronic illness or serious allergy, you won't have life saving stuff in your first aid kit. learn CPR and the Heimlich and other emergency procedures and keep that learning up to date and keep 999 on speed dial. Tap water with a little salt in is as good as anything for cleaning, the key is to use plenty of it, if you want to push the boat out then buy some sterile saline in single use plastic ampoules and a pack of clinical wipes. some individually wrapped bandages and dressings, micropore tearable tape and you are good to go...the sterile saline I keep to hand for the tortoises is also good for flushing debris from eyes.

[dannyk13]

Both work ck.

[spathiphyllum]

I was watching a TV program yesterday. Someone got wounded and the lady opened her med cabinate and got out some clear liquid, poured it on the wound then bandaged the wound saying now, that won't get infected. It's that type of thing i'm after, if someone gets cut or harmed whilst at work / home.

[dance2trance]

Ask St John's or the Red Cross.

[Buenchico]

>>> What liquid is good at cleaning wounds and preventing infection?

Water - and nothing else! At one time first aid kits used to contain saline solution but it's now been shown that ordinary water is just as good. (What should definitely NOT be in any first aid kit is any form of antiseptic cream, such as Savlon. Its use can inhibit the growth of new tissue).

I used to be in charge of first aid in a secondary school. I've had to deal with most things, including a severed artery (of a pupil) and severed fingers (of a member of staff). As far as 'life saving' equipment is concerned (rather than the routine 'patch and mend' stuff liker sticking plasters) my priority in stocking a first aid kit would be to see plenty of large wound dressings in there, together with bandages to secure them in place.

[Hopkirk]

Soluble aspirin, to be chewed in case of suspected heart attack.

(I keep a couple in my wallet)

[waterboatman]

A standard First Aid kit available from most big stores. They are not very expensive.

[ducksie]

That clear liquid the lady got from the cabinet was probably a saline solution, salt and water

[woofgang]

looks like you and I more or less agree Chris.

[woofgang]

Spath, it looks to me as though the lady on TV was mistaken. The point of the plain water/saline thing is to flush the wound to clean out debris, not to dress it which is why you should use plenty....its to HELP to prevent infection, its best advice, but its not a magic potion and won't prevent infection. Anything like that (debris flusher) kept in a first aid box should IMO be in sterile single use containers to ensure safe longevity in the first aid kit