Unfortunately with the help of TV programming, many people have the misconception that prepping has to be an expensive undertaking. This is simply not true. Especially when you consider all the dirt-cheap “gems” we find in emergency prepping such as garbage bags. Check out the 40 uses for garbage bags I’ve found to be most useful in an emergency situation:
- Set Up as a Rain Catcher
- Use as a Poncho
- Waterproof Shoes by Covering with Bag and Tying Around the Ankle
- Emergency Shelter (with multiples)
- Fill with Leaves and Climb In for Emergency Sleeping Bag (or sleep on top to use as mattress – keeping the cold ground from sucking the heat out of you)
- Store Food In
- Use as a Sling
- Use as a Swimming Suit so You Keep Clothing Dry (how stylish)
- Store Garbage (duh)
- Store Toilet Paper and other Paper Supplies to Keep Dry
- Use as a Windbreaker
- Use as a Sun Jacket
- Cut a Strip with Two Slits for Your Eyes and Tie Around Your Face Like Zorro for Make-Shift Sunglasses (it worked for the Inuits, it’ll work for you)
- Use as Compression Bandage
- Fill with Water for Storage (short term)
- Use as Tent Floor/Ground Cloth
- Tape Edges of Bag to the Edges of Your Window Frame to Blackout Windows (must be heavy duty to shield light)
- Use as a Backpack
- Use to Create Shade from Sun
- Use as Porta-Sink
- Use to Wash Clothes In
- Mix Ingredients for Cooking In It
- Seal Off Room with Multiple Bags and Tape to Quarantine an Ill Person
- Turn Off Water and Line Toilets with Bags (or line 5 gallon buckets)
- Store Newspaper for Future Use as Fire Starter (keeping it dry)
- Use for Concealment by Wearing Over Clothes at Night (black garbage bags)
- Cover Wounds with Gauze and Wrap with Strips of Garbage Bag
- Fill with Water, Tie to a Tree Branch and Poke Small Holes into the Bottom – You’ve Got an Emergency Shower
- Use as Disposable Gloves for Cleaning
- Use as a Tourniquet
- Wrap Around Cloth Gloves to Make Waterproof
- Fill with Water, Place in a Ditch then Add Hot Stones to Sterilize Water for Drinking (stones need to be hot enough to boil the water)
- Great Bartering Item
- Use them as Sterile Surface to Prepare Food
- Use as Emergency Signal
- Fill with Cold Water and Use as Cold Compress for Injuries (same can be said with hot water)
- Use as Ties for Splints
- While Wearing Socks, Step Into Two Layers of Bags to Use as Shoes
- Use as Diapers (line with toilet paper)
- Stuff Inside Your Clothing for Insulation
So there you have it. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Garbage bags are no exception. Many of these uses go for plastic grocery bags as well. So start hoarding and stock up on those garbage bags. You never know when one of these 40 will be applicable to you. Have more uses for your garbage bags? Leave them in the comments below.
Intuit is a financial/tax software. You most likely meant ‘Inuit.’
Darn autocorrect…
I do have a question. Suggestion about boiling water with hot rocks in a hollow lined with the bags, won’t the heat melt the plastic?
I will admit I’ve tested all of these with construction grade garbage bags. Those bags held strong with the rocks. To be fair though, I’m sure regular kitchen bags wouldn’t stand up to the test.
I would be careful about using trash bags for food storage or mixing as some have been treated with pesticides from what I have read.
They’re also not optimal for food storage because they aren’t completely airtight and won’t protect your food from rodents or other pests. But for people with very limited funds it’s better than not being able to store food at all.
Ah! Ok. That makes sense. No way would the flimsy black trash bags make it. Great ideas. Thanks.
I backpacked across America twice On Foot. I found so many uses for trash bags along my trek. In the extreme cold I used clean trash bags from closed parks to sleep inside while in my sleeping bag and then placed another bag over the outside of my down bag. The inner bag stopped my insenseable sweat from compromising my down bag night after night. The outer bag kept condensation off my sleeping bag as it brushed against my tent walls while sleeping. Of course there is the use as solar stills, and cleaning a rabbit on when you need to keep camp clean. The bags can also be stretched into long strings, that once braided, can be cordage or used in a snare. The list is a long one.
Hi Jessica.
Did you really try all of those? and they worked?
I have some concerns about #:
8, 12, 14, 28, 30, 32. They sound a little unpractical. Also some “put things in to keep them dry” are redundant.
All the rest are extremelly good and valuable. Also make a good point: use your fantasy and think out of the box to find many solutions to any problem.
+1
Hello – I have tried these with construction grade garbage bags and they all worked well. The swimsuit is really a lot easier than it sounds. Just cut two holes in the bottom of the bag for your legs and tie the excess tightly around your waste. If you’re a woman cut off some of that excess and tie it like a tube top around your chest. It’s not comfortable or water tight but it keeps you covered so that you can get wet without being naked or wetting your clothing. Making a sun jacket requires a similar process as making a poncho. It can definitely be used as an emergency replacement for a compression bandage. The garbage bag shower won’t have hardly any pressure to it but it’s usable. If left in the sun prior to showering it will warm up the water nicely for you as well. It can be used as a tourniquet. And finally – the water sterilization worked with the heavy-duty garbage bag material I used. I still need to test this out, but the solution I’ve thought of for using a regular kitchen garbage bag with this one would be to line the bottom with a towel. That way the towel would keep the thin bag from melting. Just an idea. I appreciate your comment and hope my reply helped straighten out any confusion.
Stephen Hawking is recently in the news for saying (if I have this right) that the universe could have come into being without the assistance of God. Given his own lamentable condition, I can’t help wondering if he feels he could similarly get by without the assistance of God himself…
Black garbage bags can be used to cover a dog house or cat shelter to generate solar heat inside the house during the cold winter months. This is more economical solution than purchasing a solar swimming pool cover.