Bandanas
used to be popular headwear. When I was a teenager, way back in the 19__'s, actresses and singers wore them as fashion accessories. Men would make headbands out of them. Some of the grandpas I knew kept one in their back pocket to wipe the grease off their hands or blow their nose on. I
think now a lot of people equate bandanas to hippies, bikers, and cowboys but I still find them in the farm stores and Wal-Mart. I think of them as a tool and wear one on the homestead regularly!
The main reason I wear a bandana is to keep my
hair clean and in place when I go in the chicken coop, mow the grass, or visit
hubby’s garage. But there are lots of other reasons to keep bandanas on your
person and in your vehicle besides to keep your hair tidy. I’ve put together this
list of 10 of the most useful uses for them.
1. Mask
I’m sure that the more recent past events have made us all aware of how handy a bandana is to use for a mask. Whether you felt masks were helpful or not isn't the point, sometimes you couldn't get access to places without one. Masks are useful for dust and smoke. I wouldn't even think of cleaning my chicken coop without one. I keep dust masks on hand but a bandana could easily replace them if I ran out and couldn’t get more.
2. Emergencies
I learned how to fashion a sling and a makeshift bandage out of a bandana when I was a young Girl Scout. It’s a lesson I’ve kept in my mind for first aid situations. A bright bandana in your vehicle can also be hung outside to catch the attention of emergency responders if they are looking for you.
3. Container
Have you ever run across some berries or edible mushrooms while you were hiking but didn’t have a sack to put them in? They’d be smashed in your pocket! But tie up the corners of a bandana and you’ve got a carry bag. When I spot a patch of clover to pick for the rabbits, I don't have to make an extra trip to the house for a bowl to collect it, I just use my bandana.
4. Handkerchief
Although disposable paper
products are my preference for germy things, they aren't always handy when a sneeze pops up. If you have littles with runny noses, you know that a tissue isn't always available. Use a bandana, catch the "stuff" and wash it when you get back home.
5. Dipstick Wiper
Has your car ever decided to quit while you're out on the road? One of the first things to check is the fluid levels. Care to wipe those dipsticks on your good jeans? Sometimes you have to do something under the hood of your vehicle that involves oil or grease. Bandanas are cheap enough to turn into garage rags after a messy road emergency.
6. Windshield Wiper
If you’ve ever driven in
humid conditions and lost the use of your defroster, you know what this is
about! A bandana usually won’t leave as much lint on the windshield as any fast food napkin you dig up.
7. Hand protection
Think back to that roadside emergency, only now it's your radiator cap. Have you ever went camping and forgot to bring a pot holder? Wrap a bandana around your fingers or palm to keep from getting a blister when you have to twist, turn, or lift something tight or hot.
8. Water filter
If you find yourself having to sterilize your own water, you can boil it. But you shouldn't boil the leaves, bugs, and sticks that might also be in the water! Strain it through the bandana to remove the debris before you boil it.
9. Wiping Cloth
You got the perfect seats for the baseball game, but they are wet, your toddler with sticky hands picked up your cell phone, your dog walked through mud on the way to the car.... If you know, you know.
10. Trail Marker/Flag
If you aren't sure about the trail you're following and want to verify you can find your way back, tear off strips of your bandana to
tie onto branches. Or mark your spot to return to with a bandana flag.
