What to do
Cut or scrape
- 1Stop any bleeding with gentle direct pressure — minor cuts usually stop on their own.
- 2Rinse the wound under clean running water. Wash around it with soap, but keep soap out of the wound itself.
- 3Remove dirt or debris with tweezers cleaned with alcohol. If you can't get it all out, see a healthcare professional.
- 4Don't use hydrogen peroxide or iodine in the wound — they irritate healing tissue.
- 5Apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to keep the surface moist (stop if a rash appears).
- 6Cover to keep it clean; a truly minor scrape can be left uncovered. Change the dressing daily and whenever it's wet or dirty.
Blister
- 1Catch the "hot spot" early — a warm, red, sore patch means a blister is forming. Cover it right away with tape, a blister bandage, or moleskin, before it blisters.
- 2If a blister has formed and isn't very painful, leave it intact — the skin over it protects against bacteria.
- 3Pad it with moleskin: cut a piece about an inch bigger than the blister, cut a hole its size in the center, and place it so the blister sits in the hole — the padding takes the pressure.
- 4If it's painful enough to need draining, drain the fluid but leave the skin roof in place, then cover with ointment and a nonstick bandage. Better done in camp than on the trail.
- 5Watch for infection as it heals.
When to use it
- The most common backcountry injury: foot blisters from boots on a long hike — prevention and early hot-spot care keep a scout walking.
- Scraped knees and elbows, tool and cooking cuts, rope burns — routine camp first aid.
- Why moleskin, tape, and ointment belong in every personal first-aid kit.
Common mistakes & safety
- Infection is the real risk with minor wounds. See a professional for expanding redness or color change, increasing pain, warmth, swelling, or drainage.
- Tetanus. For a deep or dirty wound, a booster is needed if it's been more than five years since the last tetanus shot (routine boosters run longer — this is the deep/dirty-wound interval, not "every wound").
- Leave a blister's roof intact whenever you can — tearing it off exposes raw skin to infection.
- Don't put soap, hydrogen peroxide, or iodine directly into a wound. Clean running water is the right tool; the harsh stuff slows healing.
- Some cuts are more than minor. One that won't stop bleeding, gapes open, is very deep, or is from a dirty/rusty object or an animal bite needs to be evaluated — it may need stitches.
Going deeper
- "Keep it moist" replaced "let it scab." Current wound care favors a thin ointment layer and a cover, which heals cleaner with less scarring — a change from older advice.
- Prevention beats treatment for blisters. Well-fitted boots, moisture-wicking socks (sometimes a thin liner sock), and stopping to fix a hot spot the moment you feel it.
- Petroleum jelly works as well as antibiotic ointment for keeping a minor wound moist, and avoids the small risk of an ointment allergy.
- Friction blister vs. burn blister. They look alike and follow the same rule: leave the roof of skin intact when you can, since it protects the raw skin underneath.
Official source
Cuts and scrapes: first aid — Mayo Clinic →This is general first-aid information, not a substitute for hands-on training. See also Mayo Clinic on blisters, and confirm skills against a certified first-aid course.