On sale, this, so to speak, improved dressing material is impossible to find, it is made directly in the treatment rooms of medical institutions. But this does not mean at all that it cannot be made independently. You can easily repeat the same thing at home when you know how to starch a bandage. By analogy, you can do this with gauze and other fabrics, which is always useful when sewing children's carnival costumes and making crafts.
Use of starched bandage
First of all, use it for medical purposes. Doctors prescribe it as a reinforcing material for dressings. This is especially true for dressing weeping wounds (trophic ulcers) - then it is placed on top of ordinary, hydrophilic bandages. By setting such a task for you, the doctor, due to congestion, may not explain how to starch the bandage.
Use in creativity
Another area of application is a variety of crafts. Starting from repairing the spine of a book, to complex sculptures like papier-mâché. Craftsmen perform magnificent roses, taking advantage of the fact that the material holds its shape well and does not crumble. Not always in the manufacturer's manual there is a detailed instruction on how to starch a bandage. Rather, it is understood that you already have it ready.
Laboratory and research
Often in school for chemistry or biology classes are asked to bring this particular dressing material. He is needed to complete laboratory tasks. Regarding the cooking method, it is customary to say something like this: "Parents know how to starch the bandage." It’s good when mom has a similar experience, but if not, the student will be met at home by no less puzzled parents.
What you need to complete this task
If you decide to make a starched bandage, you will need quite a bit:
- small pan;
- water - 1 l;
- starch (potato or corn) - 1-2 tbsp. spoons;
- sterile bandage (prepare the segments that best suit your goals);
- clothes dryer;
- iron.
With the help of these simple devices and ingredients, you can easily make starched bandages in the required quantity.
Get down to business! Process description
First of all, you need to prepare boiling water. To do this, pour a liter of water into the pan and let it boil well. While the water is boiling, take up the starch. As if you were cooking regular jelly, dilute the powder with a small amount of cold water (1 cup).
Be sure to mix until smooth, and then slowly, in a thin stream, pour into boiling water. Do not stop vigorously stirring the mixture so that it does not burn and there are no lumps. Once thickened, remove from heat.
Attention! The stiffness of the finished bandage will depend on the density of the resulting solution. Do not overdo it, especially if you need material for performing dressings. Bandages are undesirable to immerse in boiling water, this will complicate the work with them. Therefore, let the solution cool to a warm state.
Prepared (cut into pieces of the required size) bandages must be deployed and lowered into the resulting mass.
After 5 minutes, they need to be removed and squeezed out a little by hand. Do not rinse in water, this will wash all the starch from the fabric.
Now you need to wait for the bandages to dry completely. The easiest way to hang them in a clothes dryer is to pre-straighten well. Only completely dry can they be removed. The final step is ironing (do not turn on the steam, otherwise they will collect excess moisture). It remains to roll up the bandages and put them in a clean plastic bag. If there is a patient in the house, and a lot of bandages are required, it makes sense to immediately harvest a large batch. The dressing must be stored in a dry place.
Useful Tips
1.
Having overdone with starch, you will get too thick gruel, in which it is difficult to soak the bandages. But even if it works out, the bandages will be too coarse, they will not be suitable for dressings.
2. Potato starch is more affordable and preferable than any other. But if you are not able to purchase potato, it can be easily made at home yourself. To do this, grate the potatoes and pour cold water. After some time, the starch will settle to the bottom of the dishes. A small clarification: if you use corn starch, you need to take it less than potato.
3. A sterile bandage may not be at hand, and this is not a problem at all. Feel free to take a regular bandage, having previously stood it in cool boiling water. And for crafts, you can use ordinary, non-sterile material.
4. Many are interested in how to make a starched gauze bandage. This is not difficult. The fabric also needs to be sterilized over steam or in boiling water, and then starched. You can immediately cut the gauze into bandages, or divide the finished sheet into ribbons. The second option is more convenient, because starched gauze will not crumble.
5. Be sure to consult your doctor, perhaps in your case there will be enough ordinary, sterile bandage, and you will not need to spend time on this procedure.
Now you know how to cook a starched bandage, and if necessary, you can easily do it. Using our instructions and tips, you can easily get the perfect result at home.