Antibiotic ointment helps prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns. It is a vital part of a first-aid kit when professional care is hours or days away.
Antibiotic ointment helps keep minor cuts, scrapes and burns clean while they heal. That matters when a clinic visit may be days away. Choose with your household and your kit in mind.
- Active ingredients: Pick a triple-antibiotic formula, or a bacitracin-only ointment if anyone in the family reacts to neomycin.
- Single-use packets: Stock foil packets for the grab bag so each wound gets a clean dose without sharing a tube.
- Household quantity: Lay in one full tube plus ten to twenty packets for a family of four.
- Shelf life: Mark the expiration date on the kit and rotate your stock every year or two.
- Storage: Keep it in a cool, dry spot, because heat in a car or attic thins the ointment and shortens its life.
