Prepare to have your mind blown! Even if you look back and say: “I knew that.” You may not have considered it, in a SHTF scenario, until reading it here on this page! Many of these dental floss uses are very clever and could get you out of a bind or two post-collapse!

Sewing – It is hard to beat the durability of dental floss, especially when it comes to making emergency repairs to clothing and equipment. Unwaxed dental floss is typically the best option for sewing.

Replace A Shoelace – This is pretty straight forward but doubling or tripling the thickness of the floss will work best.

Clothesline – Fall in the lake? No big deal, just tie up some floss between two trees and hang your clothes up to dry.

Trip Wire – A nice tight length of dental floss is a great trip wire for an early warning device. Just make sure to rub some dirt on the floss to keep it from standing out like…well, a piece of white dental floss tied between two trees.

Fishing Line – It is estimated that dental floss is equivalent to about 20 lb test line which makes it great for almost all survival fishing.

Start A Fire – Wax dental floss burns well! Wrap dental floss around a match to significantly increase the burn time.

Make A Snare or Trap – Dental floss will not hold its form as well as wire but it can definitely be used to make a snare or trap in a survival scenario.

Make A Bow String – I don’t know that a single strand of dental floss would work well as a bow string but a braid of three strands would likely work well as a backup or improvised solution.

First Aid – Floss can be used as a substitute for sutures as well as for tying off a severed artery or the umbilical cord of a newborn baby. (It is not a great substitute for a tourniquet because it can just cut into the skin instead of effectively stopping bleeding.)

Treasure Hunting – This was a surprise to me but there has been successful treasure hunts using dental floss as the key component of the treasure recovery system!

Just remember, on your next trip to the store pick up some dental floss – maybe a few – and have them ready and waiting. You may never know when you will need them during a survival situation.

To read more on the best uses of dental floss in a survival situation go to The Prepared Ninja. Who knew that tiny length of floss could do so much?