Life is brimming with obstacles, and many military personnel have come up with efficient techniques to overcome them. While War History Online typically covers battles, weaponry, and cutting-edge tanks, we’re mixing things up with this list of the top 12 best military hacks for everyday life. No need to thank us…
Soften your boots in water
Service members are always active and must remain agile, ready to respond quickly when called upon. Because of this, comfortable footwear is essential.
Even if you’re not in the military, breaking in new boots can be quite uncomfortable. Fortunately, the military has a reliable method to make them more pliable for easier movement. By soaking the boots in water for approximately an hour, the material becomes less rigid, reducing the likelihood of developing blisters while walking or running.
Duct tape can prevent blisters
If your boots aren’t soft enough after an hour of soaking, you might end up with blisters on your heels. Luckily, service members have a solution for this, too: duct tape!
Surprisingly, the product can serve as a guard or pad to prevent shoes from rubbing against areas where blisters are more prone to occur. By sticking some duct tape there, you can avoid the pain.
How to properly tie boot laces
Properly tying boot laces is essential for foot comfort, in addition to the feel of the footwear. Even after soaking them and/or applying duct tape to your heels, your boots might still feel somewhat stiff while walking. If this happens, an old military trick can provide a simple and effective fix.
When lacing your boots, skip the holes near your ankles. This will allow for more natural movement around the area where the boot bends as you walk.
Powder wounds with sugar
Military personnel often deal with wounds during their service. In some cases, these injuries can be managed with sugar. Surprisingly, sugar acts as an anti-bacterial agent!
Applying sugar to wounds can temporarily halt the spread of infection. While this method shouldn’t substitute anti-bacterial medications, it can offer some sweet relief (pun intended) until standard treatments are available.
Vaseline can start fires
Who knew petroleum jelly was flammable?
This all-around moisturizer has been a first aid kit essential since the First World War, and not only can it ease burns and treat cuts, it can also start fires! All you need to do is dip a cotton ball into a pot of Vaseline and light it with a lighter or match. The soggy material will easily catch fire, and it can act as either a fire starter or provide a bit of light and warmth, if necessary.
A surefire way to keep shirt tucked in
Have you ever dressed up for a night out, only to find your shirt looking untidy halfway through the evening? Well, this military trick will make sure you always look sharp.
The key is to pinch the bottom edges of your shirt, fold them backwards, and then tuck the shirt into your pants. This way, you can be confident that your shirt will stay in place and won’t puff out.
Maxi Pads can stem blood
Despite what you may think, maxi pads are a great item to have on hand during battle. In an environment where wounds happen easily and frequently, this menstrual product is great at doing exactly what it’s meant to: absorbing blood.
This goes beyond the battlefield, as well. Maxi pads are great to have on hand while camping, in the workplace or even just at home. In case there’s a wound that needs dressing, one taped in place can actually stem blood flow.
Fix threads with fire
Service members always look well put together, as loose threads have no place on military uniforms. When a thread does come loose, they know better than to pull it. Instead, they grab their nearest lighter and burn it. Not only does the flame destroy the length of the thread, it prevents any snagging.
This is a handy hack that works for any clothing, as long as you’re careful.
Change your diet to beat jet lag
This unexpected military trick involves a surprising factor: our diet! Reports suggest that service members follow the “Argonne diet” starting four days before deployment. This regimen includes protein- and carb-rich meals on the first and third days, with lighter meals on the second and fourth.
Allegedly, it helps you feel great upon reaching your destination, despite the time change!
Make your bed every morning
Barracks are notoriously tidy, and making the bed is one of the first things ingrained in service members during training.
This military hack has less to do with the making of your bed and more to do with the actual act. By accomplishing this small task every morning, it encourages you to complete other items on your to-do list. Troops make their beds each morning to prepare for the day ahead
Making yours is quick and can motivate you to be more productive throughout the day.
Use socks to keep water cool
There’s little worse than sipping hot water on an equally hot day. Service members often struggle with this, especially when they’ve been deployed to environments with arid climates and hot temperatures.
Thankfully, there’s a military hack to keep water cool. All you have to do is take a sock and soak it in water. Then, place a bottle inside. The wet sock will act like a refrigerator and keep the water within the bottle nice and cool.
A cure for athlete’s foot
We don’t necessarily recommend this next military hack, but it is known to work. If you’re suffering from athlete’s foot, peeing in the shower can actually help cure the condition. Urine contains urea, an anti-fungal. By peeing while you’re in the shower, you’re essentially washing your feet in urea, which can reverse the infection.
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Again, we’re not saying we recommend you do this, but if push comes to shove, there’s always peeing in the shower.