As preppers we are always looking for new ways to store and gather the supplies we might need in a SHTF situation. One thing many of us may have never considered for storage is all those old medicine bottles you have in the cabinet. They can keep in real handy when packing supplies you might need. If you aren't sure how to use them, try one of these creative ways.

Creative Ways To Use Old Medicine Bottles Include: 

Bug Out Bag Organizers

If you use medicine as bug out bag organizers, you can make it very easy to find small items and keep them clean and relatively safe. Medicine bottles also make the perfect place to store away all those “mini” kits that you might want to put in an EDC bag. Here are just a few mini medicine bottle kits that you can build with stuff from around the house:

first aid kit – band aids, pain killers, alcohol swabs, and many other items can be stored in a medicine bottle and kept onhand at all times. Make a kit for your backpack, car ,and even your pockets.
sewing kit – a needle, some thread, and good quality pair of foldable scissors will go a long way for repairing clothes or even assembling fishing gear.
fishing kit – be sure to include monofilament line, paper clips and a small knife in this kit.

Fire Starters

Smaller sized plastic medicine bottles also make perfect fire starters. All you need to do is pack them with cotton balls soaked in Vaseline.

If you are dealing with rainy weather, or damp conditions, just start the fire right in the medicine bottle.

Seed Savers

Medicine bottles are also perfect for storing wild seeds that you happen to know will be of use. For example, during the spring months, you can always pick up dandelion and other seeds and keep them ready.

Essential Oil Storage

If you are serious about being healthy and living well in the post crisis world, there is a chance that you will wind up making and using essential oils. It is best to use glass medicine bottles with tight lids on them. You can also use these bottles to store away infusions that are already at therapeutic strength.

Candle Molds

Candles are going to be a mainstay early on in a disaster scenario and well into the future. While tea light molds can easily be refilled, they also only give you four hours of light or heat. If you have medicine bottles, you can make taller and wider candles that will last a bit longer. When using medicine bottles as candle molds, use only enough heat to melt the wax.

Child Proofing

As much as you may hate tamper resistant caps on medicine bottles, they are necessary if you have children in the survival group. Bottles that contain sharp objects, medications, fire starters, or chemicals should all be sealed with childproof caps.

Sharp Items Disposal

Bits of sharp glass, diabetes testing lancets, and many other sharp objects can wreak havoc at the worst possible moment. An empty medicine bottle can be used to store these items until you can dispose of them properly.

Ink and Dye Dauber

In the early days of a disaster and during the recovery period, you may have some unexpected need for ink and dyes. For example, you may need to alter some of your garments so that they are harder to spot in a woods or other setting.

Desk and Drawer Organizers

During a crisis, it is entirely normal to remember that you have some item or other, but forget where you put it. If these objects happen to be very small, the medicine bottle organizer system can be a true lifesaver.

Plastic Patch Material

Leaks in PVC pipe or other plastic containers can truly spell disaster, especially when you cannot get a hold of replacements. In these situations, you will need to be able to patch the container and continue using it. Some medicine bottles are made of softer plastic and can easily be cut into useful shapes.

It turns out that medicine bottles can be extremely useful when preparing for a SHTF situation. You can utilize them in these ten creative ways and there are still many more ways so that you will have everything you need in an emergency.

They are especially useful because they are small so they won't take up much room in your bug out bag but will be there when you need them!

To learn more about ways to use old medicine bottles when prepping, please visit Survivopedia.