Vaseline (the most popular brand name for petroleum jelly) is surprisingly useful when it comes to disaster preparedness and survival. As Sensible Prepper demonstrates in this video, there’s at least a dozen survival uses for Vaseline.
Here’s his list:
- Moisturize dry, chapped, and sunburned skin.
- Protect small wounds, scrapes, and cuts.
- Lubricate metal parts on tools and gear.
- Clean dirt and sticky stuff off of hands.
- Lubricate old and stuck zippers.
- Keep old keys and locks working well.
- Moisturize chapped lips.
- Protect old, dried out leather.
- Protect extremeties from frostbite.
- Make a cottonball firestarter.
- Make a small candle with cotton.
- Prevent chafing when walking long distances.
Watch the video below to see these uses demonstrated.
A simple piece of cotton string immersed in the jar makes a wick for a candle that lasts for days.
Never use any oil on a lock or key including Vaseline. Locks and keys should only be lubricated with GRAPHITE. Any oil (vegetable or mineral) attracts dirt, and destroys the lock out faster. Any Locksmith will verify this.
Vaseline IS NOT a moisturizer. It forms a barrier, but it doesn’t moisturize your skin. It actually prevents your skin from repairing (yes your skin breathes). As a barrier, it has its uses, but it is not a skin care panacea.
Where did Vaseline come from? It was the gunky crap mucking up the bottom of oil rigs and was first discovered in the mid 19th century.
Because of its petroleum base, P jelly is a poor lubricant for any tools in extremes of temperature. It freezes too fast and boils off to soon to be of lasting value.
The key/lock note might be expanded, it’s also a low temperature lubricant. That means it’s still playable when other lubes freeze.
You can get petroleum jelly in tubes for a more compact kit or to avoid the possibility of a mess from leakage. Tubes are not very common but they are available. Look around at pricing because some sites charge 5 & 6 times what others do for exactly the same item.
I had a normal vaseline container fall open in a case. A terrible mess that is not very easy to clean up. Lucky it was a hard case & not a fabric bag or backpack or the clean up may have been almost impossible.
I normally pack all messy pastes & liquids inside two zip seal bags now & put them inside a wet sack or transparent waterproof travel bag. Transparent bags & sacks make inspection easier.
Most countries give condoms and live for free at health clinic’s. Both are real good survival and prepping aids.
Lube not live. Predictive text on and didn’t notice the change.
And you didn’t want to get Vaseline on a latex condom…..
Years ago I saw a Canadian out door show showing how to build a snow cave. And they use a Sucrets can with petroleum jelly and a piece of rolled up gauze as a stove to heat up the snow cave. And to melt snow for drinking water