5 Essential Home Wound Care Supplies

Wound and minor traumas are amongst the most frequent medical occurrences that usually do not require the attention of a medical professional or a nurse, unless the symptoms worsen or some complications appear. A properly treated wound prevents contamination and infection development within the affected area. In order to effectively care for a wound at home, you need some basic wound care supplies. 1) Adhesive strips and band aids. These are ideal for minor wounds that affect a small portion of your skin, are superficial and do not involve important bleeding. They come in many styles and designs. Most of them work the same. Please be sure to select an adhesive that will not lead to any allergic reaction. Before application make sure to clean the wound with water and soap and then disinfect the wound with an antiseptic like providone-iodine, also known as Beta dine. 2) Alcohol wipes. Frequently the wound area needs to be thoroughly cleaned due to possible contamination or dirt. Alcohol wipes are ideal for this purpose. It is important to note that in this case alcohol wipes are to be regarded more as a cleaning agent rather than an antiseptic. However, alcohol wipes are also used when disinfecting the site of an injection. Alcohol wipes can also be used to clean the hands when running water and soap are not available. 3) Gauze packing strips and dressings. If a wound is deeper and more extensive, adhesive strips are not enough to effectively treat it. One needs to clean the wound, disinfect it and use wound filler material such as gauze packing strips to block any potential contact with bacteria and dirt. 4) Bandages and tape. Once a gauze packing strip has been used as a wound filler, external bandage or tape needs to be applied to hold it in place and prevent contamination and displacement. 5) Last but not least, an antiseptic is a very important wound care supply. Once the wound was cleaned with water and soap or alcohol wipes, you need to use an antiseptic to disinfect the area and prevent an infection. A providone-iodine solution, also known as Beta dine, is the perfect choice due to its broad anti-bacterial action. These items can be purchased at just about any department store or grocery store. Some items may be found near the Pharmacy. Keep these 5 essential home wound care supplies in a safe convenient place in your household. Some places will sell these items together in one first aid kit which makes it very simple to keep together in one place. You don’t want to be caught searching for these items when you need them most in an emergency. Also, make sure that your family is trained in how to use these items as it can be necessary sometimes that someone else may need to administer the first aid in any emergency situation. It can also be very handy to keep these items in a vehicle as emergency situations can appear at any time and you want to be prepared for them.