Home first aid kit

[Craikeybaby]

After coming off my bike on a few days ago, and losing some skin, I've realised that our first aid kit at home is pretty woeful. Just a small hiking type kit and some spray plaster. Most of it was out of date.

So I'm either looking for recommendations a fairly comprehensive kit, or ideas of what it should contain. We cycle a lot and my wife runs, so I guess some sort of provision should be made for sports injuries, but mainly general domestic stuff.

[thebraketester]

Try and get some “Yunnan Baiyao”

It’s popular in China and it’s very good at stopping bleeding from cuts and grazes.

Google it.

[RTB]

Also interested in this. A while ago my youngest lad managed to leap off a step and land bare-footed on a plastic truck. The truck punctured his foot. After we stopped the bleeding the only plasters I could find were those little round ones about the size of a penny.

Sorting out a first aid kit was on my list..... still not done.

One for the house and one for camping would be good.

[Riley Blue]

Our house is on three floors, we have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on each floor. The last thing you want to do in an emergency is run up and down stairs to fetch whatever you need to deal with it.

[Badda]

Riley Blue said:

Our house is on three floors, we have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on each floor. The last thing you want to do in an emergency is run up and down stairs to fetch whatever you need to deal with it.

Would your first aid kit cope with an emergency so severe that a flight of stairs makes the difference between life and death? If so can you tell me the inventory pls?

[Slushbox]

Apart from bandages and Band-Aids, a good selection of Melolin and HSE dressings and a couple of rolls of Micropore tape are useful when skin is missing.

They come in various sizes, the big ones are useful as they can be cut down. After that add antiseptic cream (Savlon) , pair of clean scissors, eye saline, eye pad, and Band-Aids.

Also the HSE dressings (dressing pad in a bandage) are useful for punctures/grazes holes. Various sizes. Dressings need to be changed daily, so having more than you think you need around is a good idea.

The ST John Ambulance F.A. kits are quite good, add a few dressing pads, saline for washing grazes, and a roll of Micropore.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MELOLIN-INDIVIDUAL-STERIL...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reliance-Medical-Large-Dr...

[Craikeybaby]

thebraketester said:

Try and get some “Yunnan Baiyao”

It’s popular in China and it’s very good at stopping bleeding from cuts and grazes.

Google it.

Thanks, that sounds interesting, I'll look it up.

RTB said:

Also interested in this. A while ago my youngest lad managed to leap off a step and land bare-footed on a plastic truck. The truck punctured his foot. After we stopped the bleeding the only plasters I could find were those little round ones about the size of a penny.

Sorting out a first aid kit was on my list..... still not done.

One for the house and one for camping would be good.

Yikes! I hope he is OK now, it sounds like the sort of thing that would happen here.

Riley Blue said:

Our house is on three floors, we have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on each floor. The last thing you want to do in an emergency is run up and down stairs to fetch whatever you need to deal with it.

It probably makes sense to keep a few essentials, plasters/anti septic etc in our bathroom, but as it is only a small house, I don't think we'll need a full kit. I guess it may make sense to have something in the garage too...

Slushbox said:

Apart from bandages and Band-Aids, a good selection of Melolin and HSE dressings and a couple of rolls of Micropore tape are useful when skin is missing.

They come in various sizes, the big ones are useful as they can be cut down. After that add antiseptic cream (Savlon) , pair of clean scissors, eye saline, eye pad, and Band-Aids.

Also the HSE dressings (dressing pad in a bandage) are useful for punctures/grazes holes. Various sizes. Dressings need to be changed daily, so having more than you think you need around is a good idea.

The ST John Ambulance F.A. kits are quite good, add a few dressing pads, saline for washing grazes, and a roll of Micropore.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MELOLIN-INDIVIDUAL-STERIL...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reliance-Medical-Large-Dr...

Thanks, those HSE dressings would have been perfect, instead I used melolin dressings and micropore tape - which were painful to remove! I'll certainly be getting some of those for future!

[hashtag]

I have this. Fantastic stuff


https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GLSTXGC/ref...

[Craikeybaby]

That does look like good stuff!

[Riley Blue]

Badda said:

Riley Blue said:

Our house is on three floors, we have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on each floor. The last thing you want to do in an emergency is run up and down stairs to fetch whatever you need to deal with it.

Would your first aid kit cope with an emergency so severe that a flight of stairs makes the difference between life and death? If so can you tell me the inventory pls?

As I have arthritis our arrangement is logical. I can get downstairs fairly easily but on a bad day, and I never know when those will be, climbing stairs can be painfully slow.

[Duhh]

We need to remember that a typical household "first aid kit" isn't usually the same as an emergency one such as you'd have in the car or at a workplace. Whereas the emergency one is all about keeping someone alive and or comfortable till the emergency services take over, most households have stuff for ongoing treatment of stuff you're never going to bother a doctor about.
Antihistamines, blister pads, painkillers, repeat dressings etc.
We've got emergency kits in each car and in my workshop, and one in the house which I keep telling my family is not a "medicine cabinet" for everyday ailments. We've got a separate cabinet for stuff like that.

[shirt]

Depends if you’re first aid trained. I am and have a first aid kit you’d expect to find in industrial premises, an eye wash kit and fire extinguishers. All in the basement garage/workshop where they would be most needed. In the main body of the house there’s just a fire blanket and a medicine cupboard.

[Bill]

I have kitchen roll and duck tape close to hand.

And since the last time I had to resort to it a collection of wound dressings, tape etc And Compeed which is amazing in blisters.

[redddraggon]

I have tourniquets, israeli bandages, nasal trumpets,etc and the normal boring stuff in my car and house first aid kits.

If you prepare for the worst, you'll be fine for the basic stuff. I've done plenty of first aid courses - plenty just as important as the kit you have.

[Gareth79]

Water-jel or similar burns products are useful for treating a minor burn.

For cuts I usually use superglue - works a treat!

[Badda]

Gareth79 said:

Water-jel or similar burns products are useful for treating a minor burn.

Cool running water is far more effective, is in unlimited quantities at home and is free. Seriously, 20 minutes under cool running water is MUCH better than gel based dressings.

[48Valves]

Badda said:

Gareth79 said:

Water-jel or similar burns products are useful for treating a minor burn.

Cool running water is far more effective, is in unlimited quantities at home and is free. Seriously, 20 minutes under cool running water is MUCH better than gel based dressings.

Proper burns dressings are what you want not gels or creams.

[anonymous-user]

90 Piece Premium Kit Includes Eyewash, 2 x Cold (Ice) Packs and Emergency Blanket for Home, Office, Car, Caravan, Workplace, Travel - Astroplast First aid Kit Bag https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N48DUO4/ref=cm_sw_r...

Not bad for the price.

[Badda]

Riley Blue said:

Badda said:

Riley Blue said:

Our house is on three floors, we have a first aid kit and fire extinguisher on each floor. The last thing you want to do in an emergency is run up and down stairs to fetch whatever you need to deal with it.

Would your first aid kit cope with an emergency so severe that a flight of stairs makes the difference between life and death? If so can you tell me the inventory pls?

As I have arthritis our arrangement is logical. I can get downstairs fairly easily but on a bad day, and I never know when those will be, climbing stairs can be painfully slow.

Oh OK, when you said about running up and down stairs it sounded as if you were fully mobile.

[millen]

Slushbox said:

Apart from bandages and Band-Aids, a good selection of Melolin and HSE dressings and a couple of rolls of Micropore tape are useful when skin is missing.

They come in various sizes, the big ones are useful as they can be cut down. After that add antiseptic cream (Savlon) , pair of clean scissors, eye saline, eye pad, and Band-Aids.

Also the HSE dressings (dressing pad in a bandage) are useful for punctures/grazes holes. Various sizes. Dressings need to be changed daily, so having more than you think you need around is a good idea.

The ST John Ambulance F.A. kits are quite good, add a few dressing pads, saline for washing grazes, and a roll of Micropore.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MELOLIN-INDIVIDUAL-STERIL...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reliance-Medical-Large-Dr...

St Johns Ambulance and Red Cross also do good First Aid manuals as a phone app, which can be useful if travelling. Covers CPR, strokes etc as well as the regular cuts, bites and so on.