How to restock a first aid kit without wasting money
Check dates twice a year, replace what you used, and stop buying whole new kits.
Buying a fresh kit every time it runs low means paying again for the scissors, the box and the items you never touch. Restocking the consumables is far cheaper.
A twice-yearly routine
- Tip everything out.
- Check expiry dates on every sterile item and bin anything out of date.
- Check packaging integrity — any torn or opened sachet is no longer sterile, whatever the date says.
- Note what has run low.
- Restock and write the next check date on the lid.
What runs out first
Almost always small adhesive dressings and gauze swabs. Buying those in a deeper pack and refilling from it is the cheapest approach.
Rotate rather than stack
Put new stock behind old so the oldest gets used first. It sounds fussy for a household and it is the single reason people find out-of-date dressings in a drawer.
See a pharmacist, GP or urgent care if a wound will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, is deep or gaping, was caused by something dirty or rusty, contains anything you cannot flush out, or shows spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus or a fever. Get help urgently for animal or human bites, wounds over a joint, and any wound in someone with diabetes or poor circulation.
Shop the range
FitMedix products are CE-marked medical devices intended for the care of minor wounds. This site does not provide medical advice — seek professional help for deep, dirty or non-healing wounds, or if signs of infection appear. Always read the instructions on the pack.