How to Make a Homemade First Aid Kit to Put in Your Purse

Having a first aid kit at the ready in your purse can come in handy for minor cuts, wounds, insect bites, sprains or other minor injuries. You can tailor your first aid kit to your own or your family’s needs. Families with children may need to add more of certain items, like adhesive bandages or antiseptic wipes, to the first aid kit than a single person. The quantity of each item should be based on how much can fit in a hard pencil case, so that the first aid kit easily fits into your purse.

Things You'll Need

• Hard pencil case or similar case, at least 6 by 10 inches, at least 3 inches deep
• 5 adhesive bandages
• 1 absorbent gauze dressing, 5 bu 9 inches
• Adhesive cloth tape
• 1 roller bandage, 3 or 4 inches wide
• 1 sterile gauze pad, 4 by 4 inches
• 1 triangular bandage
• 1 antibiotic ointment packet
• 1 antiseptic wipe packets
• 1 hydrocortisone ointment packet
• 1 packet of aspirin
• 1 disposable instant cold compress, 5 by 6 inches
• 1 pair non-latex gloves, size large
• Small pair of scissors
• Small oral thermometer (not glass or one with mercury)
• Tweezers

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Buy or find a pencil case or similar hard case that is at least 6 by 10 by 3 inches deep. This size case should fit in a medium or large purse.

• 2

  Find or buy adhesive bandages, absorbent gauze dressings, adhesive cloth tape, roller bandages, sterile gauze pads and triangular bandages at a pharmacy or in the pharmacy or health section of your local store. These items are used for cuts, scrapes or other bleeding wounds to help stop blood flow and keep further sources of infection out of the affected area. Put one of each item in the first aid kit.

• 3

  Locate or buy antibiotic ointment packets and antiseptic wipe packets at a pharmacy or similar section of your local store. Both help to clean wounds and ward off infection. Place one packet of each in the first aid kit.

• 4

  Locate or buy hydrocortisone ointment packets at your pharmacy or other store with a pharmacy section. Hydrocortisone ointment helps to reduce itching and inflammation from skin irritations due to rashes or insect bites. Put one packet in your kit.

• 5

  Find or buy aspirin packets at a pharmacy or similar section of your local store. Aspirin, as opposed to other pain relievers, is specifically recommended for use during a heart attack to reduce likelihood of death. Put one packet in your kit.

• 6

  Locate or purchase instant cold compresses at your pharmacy or other store with a health or pharmacy section. The cold compresses help to decrease swelling and pain associated with insect bites, minor burns or sprains. Place one instant cold compress in your first aid kit.

• 7

  Purchase a box of non-latex gloves, size large, at the pharmacy or pharmacy section of a larger store. Using gloves reduces contamination between you and the person you are performing first aid on. Buy non-latex to protect those who are allergic to latex and get size large to ensure that the gloves will fit the majority of people. Put one pair of the gloves in the first aid kit.

• 8

  Find or buy a small pair of scissors, used to cut bandages to the correct size or to open packets. Place them in the first aid kit.

• 9

  Locate or buy a small oral thermometer at a pharmacy or a store’s pharmacy or health section. Do not buy one that is glass, to avoid injury if it breaks, or one that contains mercury, to avoid contamination if the thermometer is shattered. Use the thermometer to check body temperatures to identify fever, or hypothermia, defined as being below 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Celsius. A fever, having a body temperature above 99 degree Fahrenheit or 37.2 degrees Celsius, is not usually hazardous until the body’s core temperature reaches 103 degrees Fahrenheit or 39.4 degrees Celsius. Place the thermometer in your kit.

• 10

  Locate or purchase a pair of tweezers at the pharmacy or other store. You may find them in the pharmacy, health or beauty section of a store. Tweezers are used to take out splinters or insect stingers. Place them in your first aid kit.

• 11

  Arrange the items in the hard pencil or other case so that everything fits and the case closes. The American Red Cross recommends all items be included in the first aid kit.