8 survival uses for cheesecloth
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. Cheesecloth is not a cloth you can eat. Not even up in Wisconsin where cheese reigns supreme.
But you can use it for a variety of purposes, including during a crisis. The original usage for this thin, woven cloth of cotton was making and wrapping cheese.
When you purchase cheesecloth, usually for a low price, you can choose between grades, which are determined by the number of threads in each direction. A #10 grade (20 vertical and 12 horizontal threads per inch) is loosely woven, while a #90 grade (44 vertical and 36 horizontal threads per inch) is tightly woven.
Let’s take a look at some emergency uses for cheesecloth when you might find yourself without other items you would normally use for these purposes.
First-Aid/Medical
Cheesecloth can be wrapped around wounds or other injuries as an emergency bandage, thanks to its gauze-like texture. It’s not sterile, of course, but it could help limit the amount of bacteria and debris that gets into a wound. Depending on how much you want the wound to “breathe,” you can determine which grade you want to use and how tightly you want to wrap the cheesecloth.
This item can also be used to form a sling for an arm or shoulder injury, as well as to tie off splints in order to keep injured limbs from moving around too much.
Food and Drinks
If you’re outdoors and wish to sun-dry meat or other foods, wrapping them first in cheesecloth will help keep insects, dust and other contaminants off. The same would be true with herbs. A loose covering is best in order to allow those foods to dry more completely.
Another food suggestion is using cheesecloth as a filter when making hot drinks. You can pour some ground coffee or tealeaves onto the cheesecloth, then form the cloth into a sack and tie it off. Let it simmer in hot water for a nice cup of coffee or tea.
Head/Face Net
If you are out in the wild following a disaster, you’re going to want to protect yourself from mosquitos and other biting insects. Keep bugs away from your face with netting made of cheesecloth. A lighter weave, which will help you see better, is appropriate while you’re on the move. A heavier weave would be better for when you’re sleeping outdoors.
Dust Mask
Some of your outdoor movements may be in areas where there is considerable dust in the air. You can avoid breathing in at least some of those contaminants by using cheesecloth as a mask. A high-grade cloth may keep out more dust, but it also could make it more difficult to breathe. Too low of a grade may not keep out enough dust. Trail and error is the way to go here.
Filtering Water
Any grade of cheesecloth will work to filter some contaminants out of water, but the higher the grade, the more effective it will be. Place the cloth and any other filtering items you have in a container with a hole at the bottom, with the finer material going in first. Coarser filtering materials will handle larger debris, while finer materials will work better against micro particles.
Cleaning/Polishing
Fill a small pouch of cheesecloth with sand to make a ball-shaped abrasive you can use for cleaning and polishing metal objects including your silverware, survival knife, bows, arrows, etc.
The particular weave grade you choose for this needs to be high (tight) enough so that the sand doesn’t fall through, yet low (loose) enough so that the sand can come into contact with whatever you are cleaning or polishing. You can also clean lenses with your cheesecloth, including eyeglasses and binoculars.
Other
You can actually make light, breathable shirts out of cheesecloth to wear during summer months, not to mention curtains. You could also use cheesecloth to form a fishing net if you have enough of it.
Nice info on cheesecloth. I never knew there weee two different “weaves” I hadn’t thought about using it for drying foods or herbs . (Though I often thought about the creepy crawlies that would walk all over them). It’s light and easy to carry and definitely inexpensive. That Kanye!
Best thing cheese clouth is used for is straining the juices from your home grown grapes, paires, apples, or any other fruits you might have handy for wine.
I make soup with leftover chicken. I debone the chicken and wrap the bones in cheesecloth and tie it closed. Then I put the meat, vegetables and water or broth in the cooking pot together with the cheesecloth bag of bones. When the soup is done, I just remove the cheesecloth bag of bones and discard it before serving the soup.
Do Not Cover a wound without using honey as a antibacterial healing agent..
I use it during canning season to strain seeds out of berries to make seedless jellies. . I put the berries. in a large square cloth then squeeze and let the juice run out in a pan to cook the juice and ready to make jelly/jam.
In Lake Michigan we used medium grade cheese cloth to net up small minnows for larger fish (bait).Just laid it down flat way below the surface then waited ’till the minnow school passed over it , the suddenly lifted it up for the live bait.