“Your priority in self-defense is to create a way to escape and get help. ”
Household Items You Can Use for Self-Defense
You’ve got to be able to think outside the box and fast! Defense Divas® has compiled a list of everyday items found in your home that can be used to defend yourself in an emergency.
Remember, your priority in a self-defense situation is always to escape and get help. Anything that opens a window of opportunity for you to escape is beneficial to your personal safety plan.
SELF-DEFENSE IN YOUR KITCHEN
Knives are the obvious “go to” self-defense weapon in your kitchen, but have you thought of any others?
Cutting board: A cutting board can be used to block an attacker as you are working your way to a door to escape. It will protect you from an attacker wielding a knife as well as put a barrier between you and the person who might be trying to grab you.
Coffee pot: If you have a hot pot of coffee on brew, throw that hot liquid in the face of your attacker.
Kitchen cleaning products: Most kitchen cleaning products contain chemicals that are extremely irritable to the eyes. Spray or splash cleaning products in the face of an attacker.
Vinegar: Most of us have vinegar in our kitchen because it’s often required in recipes. Grab the bottle and douse your attacker’s face with vinegar. The acidity is an extreme irritant to the eyes and will cause an attacker to be distracted and unable to see.
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SELF-DEFENSE IN YOUR BEDROOM
You should have a stun gun flashlight in your nightstand, but if not, you can use these items to provide an opportunity to escape.
Sock of pennies: Take an old tube sock and fill the bottom ½ with pennies! Tie a knot and leave yourself enough sock for a good, firm grip. This becomes a very effective self-defense weapon when you are hitting someone with it.
Pillows and blankets: Pillows and blankets can be used to delay and distract an attacker to possibly provide you with the opportunity to escape.
Bottled water: Use the bottle of water on your nightstand to hit and attacker. The water inside makes it weigh more and it hurts!
Magazines: If you have magazines on your nightstand, roll one up and create a billy club. What are magazines made of? Paper. What is paper made of? Wood. When you roll up a magazine you tighten all the little wood fibers back into an effective wood club.
Table lamps: Use your bedside lamp (and the cord) to defend yourself. You can hit an attacker with it. You can use it as a barrier to put distance between you and an attacker. You can even use the cord to wrap around an attacker’s neck, arm or other body part to pull them off of you.
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“Any charging cord can be wrapped around an attacker's neck or arm to pull them off and escape.”
SELF-DEFENSE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM
TV remote control: You can throw this at an attacker, but chances are slim that you will actually hit him. If all you have is the remote control, grab it and use it to hit your attacker in the face or better yet, jam it into his groin. Use this to distract him and exit the house.
Phone and laptop charging cords: Chances are you have these in several areas of your home and these can be wrapped around an attacker’s neck or arm to pull him off of you.
Shoes: If you usually kick your shoes off and curl up on the couch, don’t forget that your shoes are right at your feet. Grab them and use them to defend yourself. If they are high heels, the pointy end of a stiletto becomes a very effective self-defense weapon.
Wax melt diffuser: Wax melt diffusers have been a home trend for several years due to their wonderful scents. That hot wax can also be thrown at an attacker. The cord can be used to tangle up an attacker and provide you the vital seconds to escape.
Ballpoint pen: Grab the pen that you just used to make your grocery list and jam it into your attacker’s face, neck or other soft tissue. A pen is very similar to a kubotan self-defense weapon and this diagram will show you the best places on the body to use any pointed object in self-defense.
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SELF-DEFENSE IN YOUR BATHROOM
Hairspray: Grab a can of hairspray or any other aerosol/spray hair product that is on the bathroom counter and spray directly in an attacker’s face to temporarily blind them and escape.
Mascara wand: If you’ve ever stuck yourself in the eye with a mascara wand, you know that it hurts! Jabbing a mascara wand directly into an attacker’s eye will temporarily blind and distract him so that you can exit to safety.
Hairdryer and flat iron cords: These can be used the same way that you would uses your phone charging cord to wrap around the neck or arm of an attacker to pull them off of you. The cord becomes a tool that allows you to move more weight than your arm’s alone.
You’re not going to stick around and choke them to death. You just want to get them off of you so that you can get up and run. If your curling iron happens to be on and hot, burn your attacker with it and run like hell.
Manicure tools: Anything with a pointy end makes a great choice for improvised self-defense.
Waste bin or laundry hamper: You can use the trash bin or laundry hamper in your bathroom as a shield to put a barrier between you and someone who is trying to grab you. You may also be able to shove it over their head and temporarily blind/distract them.
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SELF-DEFENSE IN YOUR LAUNDRY ROOM
Bleach: Most people have a bottle of bleach in their laundry room to keep their whites, super white. Throw bleach directly into the face of your attacker!
Anything that burns an attacker’s eyes, lungs or mouth is a great option when your options for self-defense are limited.
Clothes iron: The iron you use for pressing out those wrinkles is heavy and hard! Use it to punch back at an attacker. If the iron happens to be on at the time, burn the attacker with it and run.
Clothes, socks and towels: These can all be used to choke or distract an attacker in an emergency.
Hangers: A regular wire coat hanger can be quickly bent and used as a self-defense weapon. Jab and stab an attacker to defend yourself! Aim for tender areas of the body such as eyes, neck, inner arms and behind the knees.
Ironing board: Just like using a cutting board in the kitchen to create a shield and block an attacker, you can use your ironing board to do the same thing.
Cleaning products and laundry detergent: Any acidic or corrosive cleaning products in your laundry room can be used to blind your attacker. Even powdered laundry detergent can be thrown in an attacker’s face.
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As you can see, the list of things that you can use to defend yourself at home is really only limited to your MacGyver creativity.
Having a true self-defense product in every room is ideal but not always realistic (with children in the house) or financially feasible. Don’t let that keep you from being prepared to defend yourself and your family.
Walk through your home and look for everyday objects that you could use for self-defense in an emergency. Doing this exercise now means that your brain will remember where those things are in an emergency. Automated memory recall is one of the biggest advantages to have in a self-defense situation and your brain will remember these things if it’s ever called to do in a crisis.
TAKE ACTION
Take 10 minutes today to walk through your living space and find at least two everyday objects in each room that you could use for self-defense.
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Visit our extensive educational resource on personal self-defense training and safety awareness to get vital information on how to protect yourself in any situation.
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