Survival Uses for Ordinary Office Supplies

Preparedness is not only about buying specialized gear. It is also about recognizing how everyday items can solve urgent problems when normal systems fail. In this episode, we look at ordinary office supplies and the practical survival uses hidden in desks, break rooms, mailrooms, and supply closets. From paper, tape, binder clips, and trash bags to furniture, cardboard, cleaning supplies, and electronics, this is a guide to improvisation where people actually spend much of their time. If an emergency happens at work, the most useful tools may already be around you, if you know how to see them differently.

Mentioned In This Episode:

Financially Confident Christian Podcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You walk into work on a normal Tuesday, coffee in one hand, laptop bag in the other. Then the power goes out. Phones stop working, the elevators freeze. Nobody knows what's happening yet. You open your desk drawer, and inside there's sticky notes, binder clips, rubber bands, a half dead pen, some tape and a grandola bar you forgot about six months ago. Most people see clutter. A prepared person sees options. Today we're talking about survival uses for ordinary office supplies.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Welcome to Practical Prepping. Today is August 10th, 2026, and this is episode 565. This is the prepping podcast with no bunkers, no zombies, and no alien invasions. Just practical prepping, where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies, disasters, and crises. And we're here to help you get prepared. Hi, I'm Krista.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

And I'm Mark. And if you'd like the expanded notes for this episode, go to practicalprepping.info forward slash five six five. Now many people spend a third of their day at work.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Sure enough, maybe even more.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

And a lot of workplaces have supplies, but there's no real emergency or prepping cultures.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

True, true.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Now office supplies are cheap, they're familiar, they're widely available, and they can have many preparedness uses.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

For example, paper products. You've got printer paper, you've got notebooks, envelopes, folders, cardboard, sticky notes, even paper towels that can be used in a variety of ways. What are some of the possible uses for office paper products?

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Well, first thing comes to mind is fire starting material.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Now we're not talking arson here.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

We're not talking in the office, but if you had to outside, you could use it for fire starting material.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Obviously, you can use it for leaving notes and communicating with other people. Of course. You can map routes, exits, hazards, and meeting points. Now here's where it gets interesting. You can use paper products as insulation inside clothing or inside shoes in cold conditions.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Yeah. What if the heating system goes with that power outage? Exactly. I mean, and you're in like like 27 below zero?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Exactly. Now you can roll up paper or cardboard and make makeshift splints if you layer it together. I see. You can use it as a window covering for privacy. I've seen that done. You can use it for light diffusion over a flashlight or a lamp, as long as it's not a flashlight that generates a lot of heat.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

You can use it for recording symptoms, inventory, times, radio frequencies or instructions, and for packaging small items for organization.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

So you can see that office paper becomes a whole lot more valuable when that electronic communication can fail on you. You know, a notebook and a pen can become your new command center.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Yes, it can. Number two, binder clips and paper clips.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

They're small, they're strong, and they are surprisingly useful.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Yeah, I know one of the things we use them around the house for is clipping chip bags together.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

Yeah, we can do that. Yeah. Like with one of those binder bulldog clips.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

But you can also use it for clipping fabric, tarps, or plastic sheeting. Sure enough. You can use it for holding curtains back, blankets or cardboard over the windows.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

You can use it to secure bandages in a pinch. Organizing cords and smaller gear.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Yeah, I've seen them where they make a kind of like they loop the cable together and then they clip the like a bulldog clip around it.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

Holding maps or papers in windy conditions. Very smart. Creating improvised hooks.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Yeah. Because some of them have a loop or an opening in such a way that you could hook something onto it.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Sure. You can fix broken zippers temporarily.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

You sure could.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Especially with the pull on the zipper.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

You can join lightweight materials. You can also with paper clips straighten those things out and use it for probing or unclogging or hanging or retrieving small items.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

You know those binder clips, I call them a bulldog clip. They're so underrated because they actually combine a gripping function, they have spring tension, and they're reusable. So they're very versatile.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

And I keep several here. And one thing I do with one of those, now I'm on the security team at church and we are radioed. My cord goes over my shoulder. And if I'm wearing a vest, sometimes that gets outside the vest and is showing. So I use one of the small bulldog clips that I have the cable for my radio mic and earphone that I clip to my shirt and it holds it in place. Smart. There's just all kinds of uses for those things.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

I like it. You know, here's another one. Good old tape. Office tape, the packing tape, shipping tape, masking tape, label tape, even duct tape if you've got it.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

These are great for making temporary repairs. You can seal cracks around windows or doors.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

You sure can. People do that at their houses too.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

You can secure plastic sheeting over windows or wherever you need it. You can even use it for blister prevention on feet, depending on the skin sensitivity.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

You can use it for labeling supplies, creating a pull tab.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

I've seen that done with duct tape.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Marking hazards, quieting rattling objects, reinforcing cardboard, or even improvised waterproofing for paper labels or instructions.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Let me tell you another way I've seen it used. I have seen a large message taped out onto like a large door, like a shipping door, and they just made letters with strips of duct tape like all accounted for or no one left inside or something like that in large lettering so somebody didn't have to be too awfully close to that. So you could actually create a message.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Especially if you're having to search that area after some type of a disaster.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

All accounted for on the door means we don't have to check behind that door.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

But tape is not just for repair, it's also for containment, for organization, and even speed.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Number four is rubber bands.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

You know, they're compact and they're versatile, but you've got to be a little careful with rubber bands because they have a tendency to get dry rotted after so many months or years in a drawer.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Especially in heat.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Some of the things that you can use rubber bands for is bundling supplies. Sure. Securing rolled up clothing, papers or bags.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

You can use it as an improvised grip on slippery handles.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

Yeah. You can just loop some loops around and it does create a bit of a grip, especially if there's like a wet, rainy situation or a floody situation.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

And you can use it to help keep containers closed. Of course. I remember going to work and seeing people take their lunch out of their bag, and there was even these snap top containers, and they'd have rubber bands around them to make sure that they did not come open.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

Well, you know, that's pretty smart. I probably should have done that myself a time or two.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

You can use it to hold a flashlight to an object.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

Right. You can.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

You can create tension for small repairs. In other words, you can use it for compression.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

Yeah, like holding two pieces together if you're trying to tape something or put a screw in.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

You can mark similar items by wrapping bands around them.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Of course.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

You can keep your gloves together. Okay. That's something that I tend to lose one of my gloves and I have to go hunting for it. You can also use it as an improvised phone mount or a note holder. Think about that.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

How would you use it as a phone mount?

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Use a gym clip or a couple of gem clips, put the rubber bands around your telephone, attach the gem clips to that, and then attach it to your air conditioner vent, and it would hold it in place. Interesting. A lot of ways you could do that.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

They're for light duty, you know, little temporary fixes, and they're not very structural, but they could solve your problems if you've got some and you could solve it very quickly.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Now we'll get to number five in just a minute. But first, today's cup of coffee comes from Ralph, our very good friend, who is a longtime supporter of our podcast. Ralph, we really do appreciate your support. Tell us a little bit more about Ralph.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Ralph is an accountant with 30 years experience. He is also a podcaster.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

And a good one, too.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

He's a very good podcaster. And one of his shows that he does is Financially Confident Christian. And if you are not listening, you need to be.

unknown 9:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

It's a wealth of advice that he is able to give there. Again, that's Financially Confident Christian. And we'll put a link to that in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

You know, Ralph, we do really appreciate their support. Hey, friends, you too can go to practicalprepping.info slash support. And you could show us a little bit of love by buying us a few cups of coffee also. Or you might even go with a coffee membership. It's only five dollars a month, but it really helps us offset the expenses of our show. So please consider doing that at practical prepping dot info slash support. Now let's get back to the show.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

Number five, pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

You know, writing tools really are more important than they may seem.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

They really do. They come in very handy for leaving messages, for taking notes, for making signs, for tracking rationing, okay, for recording medical information, writing down times and dosages of medications that need to be taken.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

You can mark evacuation routes. You can label clean versus dirty water containers.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Oh, that's smart.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

Marking doors, rooms, or searched areas like you were mentioning a while ago. Sure. You can draw maps with them, writing contact info on skin or tape if necessary.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

I've seen that done like i in the aftermath or the anticipation of a large disaster, storm or something, to write down, you know, next of kin their name and their phone number on the inside of your forearm. Right. I know it sounds a little macabre, but actually it doesn't mean, you know, that you're going to die, but it it may be just a way to be able to help remember if you don't have that piece of paper in your hand, but you have something to write with.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Or if you're injured.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

That that they can be able to identify you through that.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Smart.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

You can use a pencil as a small dowel. You can use it to splint fingers or toes. And in a chaotic situation, clear written communications prevents repeated questions and bad assumptions.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

Well, that's kind of a smart way to go. Hey, next up would be your trash bags or trash liners. Most offices have a supply closet, and in that closet there's going to be boxes and boxes of trash bags. And they are among the most versatile and useful emergency items you can put your hands on. I mean, possible uses could be you could cut a hole in the center and a couple of holes on the side, and you can have a water-resistant poncho. If you're dealing with a rain situation that won't stop, or you just want to kind of keep your clothes covered and protected.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Or if you're trying to get home on foot, you can use it as a ground cover. You can make temporary shelter out of it. You can use it for waste containment.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

Use it as a toilet liner for an emergency sanitation.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Yeah, because you may have a non-flushable toilet now.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

So you can use it to keep clothes dry.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Covering broken windows, separating contaminated items. You can also use it for collecting rainwater in some situations.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

And improvise storage, carrying lightweight supplies. Trash bags are not glamorous, but they're one of the highest value, low-cost supplies in any building.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

That's for sure. Also think about this. Next up on the list would be those big copy paper boxes and large cardboard. Offices often have some of these boxes with reams of printer paper, things that are shipped, things that are stored, and so the possible uses for some of this cardboard would be to insulate against a cold floor. If the heat's not working and it's a cold floor situation, at least walking on some cardboard might be more comfortable.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Or sleeping on it.

SPEAKER_00 13:20

And these larger, heavier duty boxes can be done to organize supplies to carry items from one spot to another. They can be broken down and separated to make window coverings and sometimes even taken apart to create a temporary privacy screen. And where it's safe, and usually in an outdoor setting, if possible, you can use that as kindling when you're building that fire with that paper product we mentioned before.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Of course, you can make makeshift signs with it. Certainly. You see them on the side of the road with somebody standing there, says hungry, need money.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

Anything will help.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

You can use it as splint material when you combine it with padding and tape.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Yeah, being a larger piece of cardboard may be great for setting like a longer bone, an arm or a thigh or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

You can use it to protect items from dust or sorting clean and dirty supplies.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Yeah. Now, cardboard's not going to be very helpful against like water and fire, obviously. But it is excellent for its structure, its organization possibilities, the way that it can insulate, and some visual control as well.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

And number eight is computers, monitors, phones, and electronics.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Even when the power's out?

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Yep. Even when the internet access is down, some of these devices may still have value.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Of course.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

One, and this is on all of our phones as a flashlight.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Yeah, and pretty good one, too.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Or using the screen as a flashlight.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Mm-hmm. Or lighting, yeah, just kind of a way to light the way.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

You can use it for offline documents and maps. Good way to do that. Saved contacts.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

You can use laptops to charge batteries in your phone.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

You can use phones as cameras to document damage. Very important. You can create time-stamped records.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

Yeah, because your camera will automatically download the date and your location. You don't even have to record it yourself. It'll be on your camera's information.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

And you can use old cables for tying or organizing or for repairs. Use it like cordage. But the most useful emergency feature of a computer may be the information already stored on it.

SPEAKER_00 15:35

Right, exactly. Also think about this. This is number nine on our list, and that would be the items that you're going to find in your break room. A lot of these larger offices, well, even small offices often have a kitchen or a break room. And there's a lot of overlooked supplies in there. For example, coffee filters. We've talked about this before, but if you needed to pre-filter some chunky water, you can pour it through a coffee filter into a clean container before you do the purification, at least to remove, as you have often said, the chunky stuff. Also things like plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can cover food containers. You can make a container out of foil if you needed to, as long as you're not microwaving, if you do have power. You can make a makeshift bowl or a little pot or something and actually put it on the indirect on a grill if you have that capability. Of course, there's napkins and paper towels for cleaning if necessary. A lot of times you're also going to find a curing machine. There may be some coffee, some tea, some salt, some sugar. Those types of things could be for good morale or just to give you an energy boost. And there's often some utensils that could be used for food prep in your break room. And if your power is still available, you might have a microwave or a stovetop kettle or a coffee maker or something like that. Also think about using a cooler or your insulated lunch bag because it may be able to help keep some of your food cool if you're in a power outage, and that way you're not going to risk, you know, a foodborne illness if it gets too warm. And there's usually a vending machine. And so, hey, you know, sometimes the boss, if they've got the key, I know I did this a time or two. You could they can open the vending machine and at least allow you to uh reach in and get what you want. And so sometimes that break room is often the closest thing an office has to a survival supply cache.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Number 10 is cleaning supplies. These are found around most offices. You need careful handling with these and some of the chemicals.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:39

But they can be very important, especially when it comes to surface sanitation.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Oh, that's smart.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Or odor control.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Waste area maintenance, gloves for hygiene tasks. They're often stored in there with boxes of gloves for the cleaning crew or for you. Buckets for water carrying or for cleaning.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

Oh, good one.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

Spray bottles for controlled application of water or the cleaners.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

Mops and towels for leaks or flooding.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

But cleaning supplies can prevent a bad situation from becoming a medical condition.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Oh, very good. How about the mailroom and any of those shipping supplies? You know, a mailroom could be a treasure trove in the middle of an emergency. For example, you know, we talked about packing tape, and that could be used for some repairs. If items are broken, if doorways or windows have some chipped or cracked glass, putting some of that packing tape over those cracks can prevent it from getting worse. Exactly, because they do a lot of shipping out.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

As you will bubble wrap.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Oh, we call that therapy cloth.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Yeah, the popping of it. But you can use that bubble wrap for insulation or for padding.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

I suppose you certainly could.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

If you had to sleep on the floor, you could put down cardboard for thermal insulation. Uh-huh. You could put down the bubble wrap. You're gonna have to be careful how you get on it because you're gonna pop some of it when you get on it. Right. But it would actually offer you some additional insulation and possibly padding. You can find boxes in the mailroom for organization and transporting items.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

You can find those padded envelopes that you can put in, maybe some fragile items or items that need protection, like thumb drives or documents or something like that that need a little extra TLC.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

And you can use the shipping labels that you can find in there for identifying things that are in boxes. Sure. You can use scales for rationing or measuring food if you had to.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

You'll often find utility knives that in the mailroom. Those are very handy in survival type situations. You can also find twine or strapping material in there.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Yeah, bunches of uses for that.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

But shipping supplies are designed to protect, label, seal, and move things. And these are all survival functions.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

Well, now this begs the question. Somebody might be listening to us and going, you know, I'm not sure that I've ever even thought about an emergency action plan in my office or my place of work. So if they wanted to build a small office preparedness drawer, what would you suggest to go in it?

SPEAKER_01 20:28

Well, here's a long list really of things that we could potentially put in there. Flashlight or a headlamp.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

Spare batteries or a power bank. Definitely a power bank. With the cords that go with it.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

A small first aid kit inside your file cabinet that you wanted to make your emergency cabinet. Some N ninety five mask or some type of similar respirators.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

If you had to evacuate from a large building, a tall building, and there's smoke in the stairwells. Oh, yeah. That N ninety five mask would come in handy. I see. Might put some work gloves in there. Okay. Definitely put some trash bags in there. Okay. Put a water bottle and some water purification tablets, and then use that coffee filter to pre-filter your water if you needed to before you use your purification tablets. I'd put some food bars in there, emergency food, power bars, things like that.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

I'd also have a permanent marker and a notebook in there. Something I can make notes with. Maybe a lighter or matches.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

If your office permits.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

Well good point. Good point. There's some of these things may not be allowed in your office, and one of those might be a small multi-tool. But it'd be good to have that in there if you can as well. The phone charging cables to go along with your power bank. Printed emergency contacts. Yeah, because your phone may not, you know, be powered up and you may not have self-service, but you may be able to use the company phone there. It may be operable. Just some things to look at there. Maybe a local map.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

Maybe a whistle. If there's some type of collapse.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Maybe an earthquake, sometimes with those buildings.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

And that whistle would help rescuers get to you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

It can carry a sound farther than your weakened voice might be able to.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

A compact radio to receive information with. If you're a ham radio operator, maybe you put an extra walkie-talkie or handy talkie in your hand.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

And they're really not big at all. I mean they'll fit your computer bag.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

And some of them have really gotten to where they're not expensive at all.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

I would keep hand sanitizer in mine. I would keep a three-day supply of my regular medications.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

And I would rotate those every now and then.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

Because you've got to think about this. What if you had to camp out in your workplace for three or four or five days?

SPEAKER_01 23:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Think about it.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

I'd put spare socks in there. Smart. And I would definitely have a lightweight rain poncho in there.

SPEAKER_00 23:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

So you can build a small office emergency drawer, but improvisation is not about being clever for its own sake. It's about seeing function instead of labels.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

Like you've just decided here.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

A binder clip's not just a binder clip. It's a clamp, a fastener, a hanger, a repair part, and it's an organizer.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Yeah, gotta think outside the box. So friends, are you learning from the podcast? Do you get new ideas for your prepping journey? In other words, are you receiving value from our show? And would you help us out by giving back just a little? You can go to practicalprepping.info slash support and you'll find several ways you can support our show.

SPEAKER_01 24:01

And we do appreciate you being here today. We appreciate you taking your time and inviting us into your day. And as Krista always says, Stuff happens.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

Stay prepared.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

And we'll see you next time.