How to Treat a Cut

Here are 9 surprising yet helpful ways to treat a cut.

Keeping Finger Bandages Dry

You put a Band-Aid on your finger to cover up a scratch, but you still have to go through your day full of hand-washing, child-bathing, and dishes-doing. To keep the bandage dry while you work, cover it with a non-inflated balloon—any color will do!

Sanitizing

You just got a nasty cut on your hand, but don’t have anything to clean it out with before you put the bandage on. Luckily, there’s something in your medicine cabinet that you may not have thought of—mouthwash. The alcohol-based formula for mouthwash was originally used as an antiseptic during surgeries, so it will definitely work for your cut, too.

White Glue

Instantly ease the sting of a paper cut with a bit of white glue. Just dab a small amount onto the area. Once it dries, it creates a liquid-bandage barrier that will seal out germs and make it hurt less.

See also: 4 Surprising Facts About Cutting and Self-Harm

Tea Bag

A wet tea bag placed on a bleeding cut will help coagulate the blood. This is a great tip for hiking, camping, or any other outdoor fun.

Vodka Tonic

Similarly, a familiar tipple from your wet bar can also be used to clean a cut: vodka! Saturate a cotton ball with the liquor and apply it directly to the cut to clean and disinfect a cut or scrape.

Turmeric

Turmeric, that lovely, orange-hued spice on your spice rack, can be used on minor cuts and scrapes. It’s anti-inflammatory and will help clean out the wound.

Honey

You went to the medicine cabinet and realized you were all out of bandages. Don’t worry—head to the pantry and use some honey instead. Apply a thin layer of honey to a clean, dry wound. Not only will honey’s antibacterial properties go to work on preventing infection, but the honey will dry on the skin forming a protective layer—a sort of bee-made bandage!

Tea Tree Oil

To clean out a cut or scrape, rinse it with diluted tea tree oil. Just mix a teaspoon in a glass of water, and pour it gently over the injured area to kill nasty germs. It’s a time-tested remedy that will work for you too!

Lick It Good

As a last resort, if you cut yourself somewhere where you can’t rinse out the injury—whether that’s in the middle of a hike or the middle of an important phone call—just lick it! Saliva can help kill germs and promote healing and will serve as a salve until you can give it a proper cleaning.

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