About the only way I’ve used cheesecloth in my life is to strain the pulp from almond milk. Yeah, I’m the adventurous sort. 🙂
To branch out, I thought I would research some ideas on how to use cheesecloth beyond the obvious one of making cheese (and apparently yogurt and tofu) and as a pulp strainer when I happened upon an 2009/2010 article that briefly discussed the Ukranian government turning cheesecloth into bio-hazard masks.
I tried to find some photos of what these may have looked like but couldn’t find any. Regardless, I can’t imagine these were very effective seeing as though cheesecloth is rather porous, but it was an intriguing thought. Heck, even the N-95 masks are ONLY 95% effective against airborne pathogens and they’re difficult enough to breathe through.
My advice? Stay home and well away from others if an epidemic ever becomes THAT worrisome. And if you must go out? Wear an N-100 mask with one-way exhale valve. They’re expensive but your best bet.
As for survival alternatives for cheesecloth, here’s 10 for you to consider, some of which I found elsewhere:
- Alternative Clothing – If you have enough of the loose fabric you can makeshift a shirt for sure. I’m not sure how well it would stay together but if you’re a decent seamstress then I’d imagine you can make it work. Plus there’s the added benefit of it being very breathable.
- Mosquito Headnet – This is probably my more favorite of uses. So long as you can breathe (and see) ok then you can also keep those pesky flying bugs at bay too.
- Dry or Clean Glass – I tried this briefly and I was surprised at how well it actually worked. I’m not sure how interested you would be to keep glass clean but once/if you ran out of paper towels this might be a useful alternative to store in the back of your brain.
- Sprouting Grains (in mason jar) – My wife’s actually done this years ago. Just place the grain–usually wheat–in the mason jar, cover with water for 24-48 hours, drain and cover with cheesecloth until it sprouts… then add to salads or whatever.
- Cover Food (from bugs) – If you can cover your head from bugs you can cover food.
- Gauze Substitute – Though not sterile, cheesecloth could be good enough to keep major contaminants from getting to a susceptible wound.
- Water Sediment Strainer – If you have water that is filled with debris (such as leaves and rocks) cheesecloth would make a great first stage filter. And if you get one that’s already sewn into the shape of a bag (such as a nut milk bag) that makes this task much easier.
- Fishing Net – Just like the sediment strainer above you could quickly make a fishing net if you had to.
- Drying Herbs – You can keep various herbs all contained in the same space if you’re into herbs… and drying them.
- Tree Protection – I’d seen it mentioned that you may be able to wrap the bottoms of young trees to protect them from cicadas; if that’s true then it may stand to reason that you can also use cheesecloth to protect other plants from various bugs.
Realize too that there are different grades of cheesecloth, ranging from #10 (loose weave) to #90 (tight weave) and that cheesecloth comes in both loose rolls and bags.
The stuff won’t last forever but I can sure see it getting you through for a while. It might also be possible to utilize something like window screen material in a similar manner as cheesecloth which is significantly more durable.
If you have any other interesting or possible uses, I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts.
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