14 Ways You Never Thought To Use A Tampon

There is more to tampons than just feminine hygiene. They are used as survivalist gear, crafts, as household tools, and many people suggest keeping a few in their first aid kit for those just in case situations. Their uses are numerous and creative.

Before you start to roll your eyes, there are a lot of things you might not know about tampons. In fact, the word tampon comes from the French word that means "little plug". That is pretty fitting, don't you think? In the U.S. the tampon is a regulated Class II Medical Device. It is sterile and is used by women, medical professionals, and ingenious, round-the-house folks for all sort of things.

In fact, there is a book dedicated to different ways to use tampons. Online resources for tampons are prevalent, and, thanks to the internet, people are sharing new ideas for tampons around the home and for pet care. But that is not all. In fact, tampons were used by men in the battlefields and it is unclear as to whether tampons were first used as a medical device or for women's menstrual cycles.

Regardless of which came first, the chicken or the egg, here are some great uses for tampons in your home and in the wilderness.

14 Car Spills

We have all done it. We are in a frantic morning rush, we just got our cup of coffee, and as we quickly try and put it in the car's cup holder, we spill it in there. Of course, we always seem to run out of our supply of fast food napkins just when we absolutely need them, but no worries. Just search through the glove box and grab one of the emergency tampons you have tucked in there. Tampons are super absorbent and can be used to soak up liquid spilled in your car's cup holder in a jiffy. Just plunk an opened tampon in there and drive on. By the time you get to work, the tampon will have soaked up most of the mess.

13 Curling Hair

This trick may be something you never thought of before but yes you can actually curl your hair with tampons. Most often, buying foam curlers will help you get the job done just fine, but if you are somewhere without any access to curlers and happen to have a box of tampons around, you can use those to help you get the curls you desire. She also swears that tampon curlers give the best curls ever.

12 For Starting Fires

Camping. It happens, and after spending the night in a lumpy tent, you are ready to sit down by a nice warm fire and brew a cup of hot tea over the flames. The only problem is that the ground is damp, the dead leaves are damp, and you left the newspaper out on the picnic picnic table, so that is damp, too. No worries. You probably have a tampon somewhere in the car. Tampons can be used to start campground fires. Simply unwrap the tampon and pull the cotton apart. The cotton will easily light up and you can use it to get thin pieces of wood kindling to catch fire. With a touch of patience, you will soon have a decent fire for boiling water.

11 Nail Polish Removal

Cotton balls soaked in nail polish remover can make a mess, especially if you are just doing touch ups. On the other hand, cotton swabs work great for cleaning up a tiny nail polish mistake, but they quickly get mucked up. An even better tool to use when cleaning off your nail polish and correcting mistakes is a tampon. Dipped in a bit of nail polish remover, the tampon can clear up large areas of nail polish and this works great for toenails and fingernails. Tampons are also neater than cotton balls because the cotton in tampons is shaped into a tube, making the tampon great for correcting small mistakes or cleaning off the nail polish that has gotten onto your skin.

10 To Hide Money

Oh yes we do. Guys and thieves often cringe at the sight of a box of tampons or an unwrapped tampon applicator, and that is what makes them excellent places to hide money. In your home, you can hide money or valuables inside an open tampon box in the bathroom and the chances of someone searching through that box is pretty slim. A plastic tampon applicator can be used to hide a few dollars in your purse or car. Simply roll up a few dollars and tuck them into the applicator. Stick it inside your car or purse and to everyone else, it looks like a used tampon applicator. No one will want to touch it.

9 Weird Crafts

Type “tampon crafts” into the search engine and you will not believe what comes up. There are craft projects using tampons that range from earrings to cotton flowers to angels. There is even a website that is totally dedicated to making crafts with tampons. Let your imagination run wild. If you have a few tampons that came unravelled in your purse, don't throw them away. Instead, find a way to turn them into a craft project and give your favorite person a gag gift for the hell of it.

8 Scented

Tampons can be used for things like scenting your closet. Since tampons are so highly absorbent, you can put a few drops of your favorite perfume or essential oil onto a tampon and hang it in your closet to make your clothes smell good. Another good use for scented tampons is to put a few drops of peppermint essential oil onto them and tuck them in areas around your home where spiders can get in. The peppermint oil deters spiders and, if you add some water, can plug drafty holes in your home.

7 To Plug Leaks

I have heard of men using tampons to plug holes in everything, from boats to leaky coolers to leaky walls. It is usually used as a temporary measure to stop water from getting in or leaking out, but people report that the plugs can last for months without worry. Men are also known for using tampons to clean car parts, oily parts, and rusty parts. In fact, as soon as a guy gets over his squeamishness about tampons, he finds numerous uses for the string-things and many male survivalists recommend keeping a few in your survivalist kit (in case of a zombie attack).

6 Cleaning Dog Ears

Fido has been scratching and rubbing at his ears all day long and it is driving you nuts. You grab a flashlight and take a look inside his ears. Ugh and gross. They need a cleaning. Instead of grabbing a dinky cotton swab to clear out the mess, you should reach for a tampon instead. Tampons are easy to grasp and use to clean out Fido's ears. They will pick up any dirt and moisture in there, and afterwards you just need to toss the tampons away. No muss and no fuss.

5 Cat Toy

Cats are the craziest critters, don't you think? You buy them an expensive toy and they will snub it. Give them a paper bag and they will drive you crazy for hours at a time, but if you really want some silly fun, give kitty an unwrapped tampon. Call your girlfriends over, pop some popcorn, and let the fun begin. Kitty will not only bat the tampon around on the floor, she will probably grab it by its tail and flip it into the air, just like she would with a dead mouse. It will give her and you hours of exercise and laughter.

4 Water Filter

Tampons make great water filters in survivalist situations. While the tampon does not remove chemicals or bacteria from the water, it does remove dirt and sediment. Simply cut off the bottom of an empty water bottle and remove the cap. Open up a tampon and bunch up the cotton. Tuck the cotton into the mouth of the bottle and pour the dirty water in through the cut off bottom. Survivalists recommend this procedure as the first step to cleaning up dirty water, before putting the water through a heavy duty filter and then boiling it.

3 Ear Plugs

You are sleeping over at your beau's apartment for the very first time and, wouldn't you know it, that son-of-a-gun might just snore the roof down. It might look pretty desperate, especially if you didn't bring along a pair of earplugs, but you probably have your purse with you. Reach in and grab two tampons. Unwrap them and gently tuck them into your ears the way you would with regular ear plugs. Lie back, relax, and get some sleep. When your beau wakes up in the morning, sees the strings coming out of your ears, and breaks into laughter, you won't hear a thing.

2 Emergency Bandage

In any sort of an emergency, you need to use what you already have on hand. For example, you are out taking a walk with your beau and he decides to show off, the way men like to do for us ladies, but he stumbles and cuts open his arm. It is a long walk back to the car, so you look inside your purse. What would be the best, most sanitary item on hand to cover his wound and stop the bleeding: a scuffed up tissue or an unopened tampon? If you guessed tampon, you are right. Tampons are sterile and can be used on a wound in an emergency situation. In fact, there are instances where tampons have been used to stop bleeding from gun wounds until the victim could get professional medical attention.

1 Nose Bleeds

I can picture it. Can you? You are sitting in the office and the AC kicks on. The air gets super dry and your nose starts to bleed. Unfortunately, you ran out of tissues yesterday so you grab the next best thing: that tampon in your top desk drawer. With the handy applicator, you insert the tampon into your nose to catch the blood. Problem solved, except that now you will have to explain the string hanging out of your nose to any coworkers that enter your personal space. While this is one of the most common alternative uses for a tampon, it is probably something you should try out when you are home alone.