First Aid in the Kitchen

[Darienne]

Following the above posts on duct tape..., I wonder how much better Gorilla tape would work? I have given up duct tape for all kinds of household emergencies and repairs (until the DH 'really' repairs it in a true manly fashion, of course) for Gorilla tape which is SOOO much better, heavier, stickier, stronger, etc.

[Special K]

I have duct tape (but I'm buying some Gorilla tape today - thanks, Darienne) and gauze for cuts, and mustard for burns. And alcohol. And red wine!

Really large second degree burns (and of course third degree ones)and cuts that spurt warrant a trip to the E.R.

[Mjx]

I'm curious: How many of you keep your first aid kits in the kitchen? I actually keep (well, kept) mine just outside the kitchen, in the hall closet, where it seemed less likely to be knocked about, or have muck spilled on it.

[Darcie B]

I don't have a separate kitchen first aid kit. For minor annoying cuts I just use Scotch tape (which I keep in one of the utensil drawers). It pinches the skin together quite well and also lets you easily monitor the cut.

More severe cuts call for grabbing a kitchen towel, stomping (and cursing) my way to the bathroom, washing out the wound, adding peroxide (more cursing), slapping on an appropriate Band-Aid from the multi-size box, and trudging back into the kitchen (and more cursing). I am not much of a bleeder so even deep cuts usually stop in a few minutes. I like the Flexible-Fabric Band-Aids - they seem to stay on better than the plastic kind.

I've had a couple of cuts that could have used stitches (lumpy scars). Several burns have been pretty ugly but none requiring treatment other than ice and aloe. I guess I'm a little like the Black Knight - it's just a scratch! I hope never to have any wounds that send me to the ER.

We do have a fire extinguisher handy because I've caused more than one kitchen fire.

We also have some of that super clotting powder (military issue) - although I guess if you use it you can't give blood anymore so it's reserved for deadly serious injuries (we keep it near the circular saw).

[ScoopKW]

I'm curious: How many of you keep your first aid kits in the kitchen? I actually keep (well, kept) mine just outside the kitchen, in the hall closet, where it seemed less likely to be knocked about, or have muck spilled on it.

Mine is in my bag, which is kept close enough where I can see it -- after all, that's where the bulk of my knives are at any given time, too. At home, the kit is in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom closest to the kitchen. If I have to bleed all over everything, I'd rather do it standing in the tub, for clean-up purposes.

[Jenni]

Feel like I need to get a first aid kit together for my kitchen...when I was trying to do some mid-cooking clean up tonight I had a knife fall of the side, bounce once and stab me in the toe! Lucky it was no longer moving at full speed but my toe is looking a bit worse for wear nevertheless. And do I have any plasters in the house? No!

[heidih]

Following the above posts on duct tape..., I wonder how much better Gorilla tape would work? I have given up duct tape for all kinds of household emergencies and repairs (until the DH 'really' repairs it in a true manly fashion, of course) for Gorilla tape which is SOOO much better, heavier, stickier, stronger, etc.

I have never used Gorilla tape. I do have the stronger red duct tape but it requires scissors. Can you tear the Gorilla stuff with one hand in case the other is wounded? That is what I like about the standard gray stuff (though there are different grades). The beauty of well sharpened knives is that the cuts are so clean

[KatieLoeb]

One of the smartest tricks I've ever learned was to keep a tube/bottle of aloe gel with anesthetic in the refrigerator at all times. It goes on cold and soothing both for minor kitchen burns (like bumping your hand on the hot oven rack) or for mild sunburns. Fabulous and instant relief.

[Darienne]

Following the above posts on duct tape..., I wonder how much better Gorilla tape would work? I have given up duct tape for all kinds of household emergencies and repairs (until the DH 'really' repairs it in a true manly fashion, of course) for Gorilla tape which is SOOO much better, heavier, stickier, stronger, etc.

I have never used Gorilla tape. I do have the stronger red duct tape but it requires scissors. Can you tear the Gorilla stuff with one hand in case the other is wounded? That is what I like about the standard gray stuff (though there are different grades).

Nope. And it's not all that easy to cut either. For me, I anchor/stick one end of the tape on something, like a counter, and then get really good scissors to cut through the length I want. But still, having lived with it for over a year, I'd never be without it again in my arsenal.