Coffee filters are an affordable survival tool that can help you in a survival situation or everyday life – beyond helping you get the much needed morning brew.

Here is how.

Keep insects away from food

When cooking or dining outdoors, cover your plates and bowls of food with coffee filters to keep the insects at bay.

Pre-filter collected water

When collecting water, you will likely find some sediment, leaves, twigs, or other undesirable matter in the water. Pre-filter collected water using a coffee filter, then process as you normally would, typically by boiling or by the use of a filtration system. This will remove the larger debris and help extend the life of your expensive filters.

Make a disposable plate or bowl

If you are bugging out or on the run, plates and bowls, even disposables, may be scarce. As well, they can be heavy and take up valuable real estate in your backpack. Dry foods can be eaten directly from a coffee filter bowl held in your hands. Heavier foods, even those that are moist, can be supported by a paper or plastic plate or bowl. When done, throw out the filter and your plate or bowl is still clean enough to use for the next meal. This saves cleanup time, and even more importantly, it saves water.

Use it as emergency toilet paper

No TP? No worries. A coffee filter will work just fine – just don’t flush it down a toilet.

Make a cold compress

Soak filters in brewed tea or even just plain water and chill. Fold them up to fashion a cold compress when you have a headache or slight fever. A cool compress made from a coffee filter will even tame puffy eyes.

Make a bandage

If you have a small cut or even a razor nick, rip a piece off of a coffee filter and slap it on with pressure to stop the bleeding. Your coffee filter will work similarly to a styptic pencil but without the stinging. Note: this is not a replacement for a decent first aid kit.

Make an instant funnel

Cut the end off of a cone-style coffee filter to make an instant funnel.

Sprout seeds for consuming

To sprout seeds, dampen the coffee filter then place seeds inside. Fold it up then place the filter and seed packet into a plastic baggie until they sprout. If you can, keep your little sprout packet in a dark spot for a few days, then move them into the light so chlorophyll develops. Some good seeds to use are mung beans, bean sprouts, and mixed broccoli and radish seeds.

Sprout garden seeds

You can also sprout garden seeds in coffee filters to give them a head start before putting them into the ground or pots.

Store garden seeds between seasons

Even without a desiccant, a coffee filter can be stored with seeds to keep them moisture-free between growing seasons.

Make a portable food wrapper

While fending for yourself, you may not have aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or other containers for storing your food. Instead, use a coffee filter as a food wrapper or storage container. You may need to split the filter and combine two or more to surround your food, but after securing your food wrapper with a bit of string, you will be all set.

Strain soup stock and broths

In a survival situation, you will not want to waste anything food-wise. After boiling up food scraps, strain the broth for a nice rich soup stock that can be consumed as is or used as a base for another meal.

Start a fire

If you use a coffee filter to soak up grease (see #14), you have created an excellent fire-starter. Any kind of grease will work, whether it is from a vehicle repair or the kitchen.

Use it as paper

In a pinch, if you have to leave a note or write something down, but have no paper, a coffee filter will do the trick. It will work best with a ballpoint pen – a marker will bleed too much to be legible.

Use a coffee filter to make a bath sachet

If you happen to be the victim of poison ivy or another type of skin rash, an oatmeal bath can give instant relief. Add dry oatmeal to the center of the coffee filter, tie it up tightly, and add it to the bathwater. All the itch relief with none of the mess.

Use it to blow your nose

A coffee filter can be used as a substitute for a Kleenex if you have the sniffles or a sneezing fit.

Make coffee!

Lest I forget, don’t forget to use your filters for making coffee. If all you have is a pot, some ground coffee, and water, boil it up and filter the resulting brew into your cup. Not exactly a Starbucks experience, but if you are a coffee addict, it will be delicious nonetheless.

As stated, none of these uses for coffee filters are necessarily life saving, but they do make life easier, whether you are in camp, on the trail or faced with a survival situation.

More importantly, having a healthy stock of coffee filters on hand is inexpensive and easy to store, so what do you have to lose?

To see more uses of coffee filters in survival and everyday situations, please visit Back Door Survival.