10 Incredible Survival Cheesecloth Uses

Cheesecloth is primarily designed to age cheese. However, this doesn’t limit its uses. Its uses extend not only to the farm but also in the jungle. It has been used as a survival tool for years and continues to be very reliable.

What is cheesecloth used for? Let’s review some of the survival cheesecloth uses that may save your life.

1.     Medical/First Aid

When emergencies strike, first aid serves as the first step towards saving lives. Having a piece of cheesecloth comes in handy in dressing wounds. It serves the role of a bandage and may be used to secure broken body parts. It is very effective in immobilization of broken legs and hands.

Though not sterile, cheesecloth may minimize the amount of bacteria entering the wound. Its gauzy texture makes it favorable for wound dressing as it gives one the option of leaving room for the wound to breathe.

When handling broken or dislocated arms, cheese cloth may be used as a sling. This will make it comfortable for the victim awaiting proper medical attention.

2.     Making Camo Nets

Surviving in the wild isn’t easy. There’s danger larking in every part of the jungle. One of the seamless ways of maneuvering is camouflaging. Camo nets make it easy for you to fit in the jungle environment.

Having a piece of cheesecloth makes it easy to make your camo nets at home or even in the wild. You can make different irregular patterns using mud, charcoal or camo sticks to suit different environments. The good thing about using cheesecloth is that it can be washed and painted differently to suit a different environment. This versatility may not be achieved with the camo nets sold in retail shops.

3.     Face And Head Net

Staying out in the jungle, especially at night exposes you to numerous risks. One of the major risks is the infestation by bugs and insects. One of the perfect ways of controlling these bites is having a head or face net. This will help you continue with your activities without much of a struggle.

Cheesecloth makes excellent face nets. The fine mesh will protect you from the bugs while allowing you to see clearly. You can therefore continue with your activities without having to worry about bites or blurred vision.

4.     Fire Testing

Fire hazards can’t just be wished away. This is a hazard that lurks in the day waiting for the opportune time to strike. Consumer product manufacturers embrace this fact and test their products for fire hazards.

Grade 60 cheesecloth is normally used for fire testing. The item to be tested is wrapped with the cheesecloth and put through several simulations. These simulations may include lightning or fire surges. The product will be rejected if the cheesecloth catches fire.

5.     Water Filtering

Water is life. Getting fresh water in the wild can however prove to be an uphill task. Well, you can filter any water and make it clean for use. All you need to have is a piece of cheesecloth. The fine grade cheesecloth will be best suited for this purpose.

For the water filtering to be a success, you need to couple the cheesecloth use with other materials such as charcoal and sand debris. These materials will help remove the large materials while the fine materials will be sieved by the cheesecloth.

Setting up cheesecloth for use in water filtering is quite easy. You will need to have a container. Make a hole at the bottom part of the container. Place the piece of cheesecloth and add the fine filtering materials. Finally, place the larger filtering materials. Your sieve is ready to make that dirty water human friendly.

6.     Dust/Contaminate Masks

While walking in dusty plains or working in dusty areas, you need something to help you breathe while keeping the dust out. Cheesecloth, especially the fine weave, is best suited for this purpose.

High grade cheese cloth makes excellent dust/contaminant mask. You however need to use few layers. These cheesecloths are finely woven. Using many layers may make it difficult for you to breathe.

7.     Food Preservation And Preparation

Cheesecloth was designed to prepare and preserve foods and this primary purpose extends to outdoor engagements. Though you may not be straining whey or aging cheese, you will have a number of cheesecloth uses when it comes to food preparation in the wild.

Cheesecloth may be used to sun dry game meat. This keeps insects, dusts and contaminants off the meat. It may also be used to store essential herbs. Cheesecloth uses when it comes to food preparation and preservation are limitless and you can always bring in your creativity.

8.     Polishing/ Cleaning

The luxury of ample cleaning water may not be guaranteed especially when you are out in the wild. When hit by such a challenge, even at home, you may turn to cheesecloth for cleaning solutions.

Any grade of cheesecloth may be used to make a pouch that can be filled with sand or any other abrasive material. This pouch can then be used to clean utensils, hunting tools such as bows, arrows and survival knives.

Making the abrasive tool using cheesecloth needs some skill. You need to strike the balance to ensure that the sand comes into contact you intend to clean without falling off. You therefore need to use loose weave cheesecloth and ensure that it’s very tight. This will guarantee you excellent results.

9.     Making Fishing Nets

Fishing is fun and can provide the much needed food while camping or trekking. You can make excellent fishing racks using bamboo and cheesecloth. Bend the bamboo into tennis racket shape. Fasten the cheesecloth to the frame. Ensure that it makes a sack that will be used to scoop the fish. Do not be too ambitious when making the net as making a huge one may prove to be too difficult to remove from the water especially when fine weave (high grade) cheesecloth is used.

You may attach some weights to aid in casting the net. A bobber may also be necessary. You can improvise by using a rock as the weight and an empty jerry can for the bobber.

10. Making Mosquito Nets

Mosquitoes can give you sleepless nights. Sleeping out needs not be uncomfortable simply because these insects want to have a piece of you. Carrying your cheesecloth will be the ticket to a peaceful night.

Cheesecloth isn’t bulky as most mosquito nets. It will thus be easy to carry and will serve numerous purposes.

Conclusion

Cheesecloth uses are limitless. Right from making light summer clothes to curtains and sachets, cheesecloth comes in handy in survival. It is one of the items that should always top the survival lists. Every survival kit should have a piece of this essential item.

Selecting the right cheesecloth for your survival kit is very important. The type and grade of the cheesecloth is determined by the number of threads thus the weave. These cheese cloths will range from grade 10 (20×12 threads per inch) to grade 90 (44×36 threads per inch). The lower grade cheesecloths will therefore be loose woven while high grade cheese cloths will be tight woven. Each cheesecloth grade has its unique uses as outlined here.

A single cheesecloth will only serve you the entire camping duration if you know how to clean and maintain it. Check out this guide on how to clean cheesecloth in the wild for some incredible tips. We hope that your outing will be more enjoyable, safer and memorable with that piece of cheesecloth. You can also learn more cheesecloth uses in our earlier publication. Bring in the much needed bliss with this piece of fabric.