Adhesive bandages — or any other first aid supplies — are an awkward thing to review.  You kind of hope that someone will get hurt in a “timely” manner so you have reason to use them…except you don’t want anyone to get hurt.  We did “get to” use ours on injuries, but we also used a couple for practice, with the “apply a band aid” skill on Skill Trek.

PATCH Biodegradable Adhesive Bandages

What makes these bandages special?  They’re a better version of a product that everyone already uses on a regular basis.

BIODEGRADABLE

Every part of the bandage and its wrapper is biodegradable.  They don’t make trash to sit in the landfill for who-knows-how-many years.  The bandages themselves will break down within roughly a month.

The canisters they come in are cardboard, so they will decompose, as well, although I’m guess probably not quite so quickly.  They’re pretty sturdy, though, so you can reuse them for storing other small items.

SUSTAINABLE

PATCH adhesive bandages are made from bamboo fiber.  This is a pretty sustainable resource, which, as the PATCH website points out, “grows many times faster than trees, uses much less water, produces up to 35 more oxygen and doesn’t need pesticides or herbicides!”  (I assume that’s meant to be 35%.)

Unboxing, etc.

There are currently four varieties of PATCH bandages.  Each comes in a small cardboard canister.  The seam where the lid and canister meet is sealed with a paper seal that goes…maybe a third of of way?…around the circumference.

I slit mine with my fingernail, which is pretty hard, and this was difficult but not impossible.  I’d recommend using a blade if you’re going to open it this way.  In hindsight, I suspect the seal is intended to be peeled off.

Inside the container are several strips of bandages, folded accordian-style, which can be separated along perforations.

The four styles are intended for different purposes, and can be differentiated by the color of the bandage and the packaging.

The “basic” bandage is the “Cuts & Scratches” version.  This one is plain.  The bandages and wrappers are a beige or light tan.  (Light “traditional bandage color” is what I would call it.)

The “Burns & Blisters” version has aloe in the gauze.  It’s distinguished by the darker tan (dark “traditional bandage”) color.  (The canister features a green cross, making it the only one with a container that, visually, is not an obvious match to the bandages inside.)

The “Abrasions & Grazes” version contains coconut oil in the gauze portion.  These are white bandages featuring a panda print, and the wrappers are white with black.

The “Bites & Splinters” version contains activated charcoal, which is known for its “drawing” properties.  The entire bandage is black, and the wrappers are black-on-grey.

These product names indicate the basic uses each was designed for, but you can use your judgment to use them in whatever way makes sense to you based on their “ingredients.”

A couple of my kids accidentally banged their faces together, resulting in a spot on one’s forehead where the other one’s teeth had slightly broken the skin.  I opted for the “Bites & Splinters” bandage for this spot, in hopes that the activated charcoal would help prevent any infection from developing.   (Note: his head has healed and he’s fine.)

You can buy all four varieties from Amazon.

Final Details

For those who may be wondering, yes, they’re latex-free.

The only real downside I see to these is that they don’t have any variety of size and shape.  There are no oversized bandages for skinned knees, no smallish ones for pinky fingers, no “dot” bandages for tiny cuts,  pimples, etc.  And I don’t see an option to buy an assortment pack; you currently have to purchase each variety individually.  Hopefully both of these things will change as demand grows.  They’re fairly minor complaints.

PATCH Eco-Friendly Organic Bamboo Bandage Strips for Cuts & ScratchesPATCH Kids Eco-Friendly Organic Bamboo Bandages for Abrasions & GrazesPATCH Eco-Friendly Organic Bamboo Bandage Strips for Burns & BlistersPATCH Eco-Friendly Organic Bamboo Bandage for Bites & Splinters