Home first aid kit checklist: what it should contain

What it should contain and how to store it. A guide based on official advice. The same text is in the free SurvivalZone app and works without internet.

Medicines

1. Regular medicines for everyone in the household, with a reserve.
2. Painkillers and fever reducers.
3. Anti-inflammatories.
4. Remedies for diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea, plus rehydration salts.
5. Cold remedies and a nasal spray.
6. Something for sunburn and insect bites.

Dressings

1. Plasters in different sizes.
2. Sterile gauze and compresses.
3. Conforming and elastic bandages.
4. A burn dressing.
5. A tourniquet for severe bleeding.
6. A triangular bandage.

Equipment

1. Disposable gloves.
2. Wound and skin disinfectant.
3. A thermometer, scissors and tweezers.
4. A foil emergency blanket.
5. Filtering face masks (FFP2 or FFP3).
6. A cold pack.

Storage

1. Somewhere cool and dry. The bathroom is a bad place because it is warm and damp.
2. Out of children's reach: up high or in a lockable cabinet.
3. Check use-by dates every few months and return expired medicines to a pharmacy that takes them back.

Watch out

• This list is general. Choose medicines for children, pregnant women and people with long-term conditions with a doctor or pharmacist.
• Learn to use a tourniquet on a first aid course. Applied well, it saves lives.

See also

• Severe bleeding
• My medicines

Frequently asked questions

What should a home first aid kit contain?

Regular medicines, painkillers and fever reducers, plasters, gauze, bandages, a burn dressing, a tourniquet, gloves, disinfectant, a thermometer, scissors and a foil blanket.

Where should I keep the first aid kit?

Somewhere cool and dry, out of children's reach. Not in the bathroom, because heat and damp harm medicines.

What should I do with expired medicines?

Do not throw them in the bin or down the toilet. Take them back to a pharmacy that accepts them, or follow your local rules.

Keep it on your phone

SurvivalZone is a free app for every emergency, with no account and no app store. It works without internet and shows the nearest shelters and help points, local radio, a 72-hour plan and a mountain trip planner.

Thank you for reading. If this could help someone, send it to the people you care about. Getting ready takes a moment, and in a crisis every minute counts.

Coming soon: the app’s permanent address will be survivalzone.app.

Other guides

• 💧 How to make water safe
• 🍲 Food without power
• ⛺ Shelter at home and outdoors
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Protecting your family and yourself
• 💊 Run out of medicine
• 🎒 Go bag checklist
• 🔦 Prepare your home for a blackout
• ✈️ Air travel: a safe trip
• 🏜️ Desert trip

All scenarios →

Sources

• ERC Guidelines 2025 (European Resuscitation Council)
• Polish government Safety Guide 2025 (PDF, Polish): go bag p. 27–28, first aid kit p. 22, power cut p. 34
• BBK (Germany): home first aid kit

Official sources are checked automatically every day. Last check: 2026-10-22.

General guidance only; it does not replace the emergency services. If a life is in danger, call 112.