Personal safety and survival: How to defend yourself using random items in your home

By zoeysky // 2022-11-08

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Unless you are combat trained, you might experience an internal conflict when you think of actually causing harm to another person even in self-defense or in defense of someone you care about. But when SHTF, you need to remember that you may have to do things that are contrary to your beliefs, personality and your daily mindset. If someone threatens your safety, you must act quickly and forcefully. You should also learn about the laws governing self-defense in your state, both at home and out on the streets. (h/t to PreppersWill.com) Ideally, you should be able to quickly retrieve your gun or other chosen weapon if someone breaks into your home. But if you don't have access to your preferred self-defense weapon, you should be able to think fast and use random items in your home as alternative defensive options. If fighting isn't a safe option, don't hesitate to escape as fast as you can to avoid getting hurt. You can use random objects in your home to defend yourself against a burglar or a trespasser. (Related: Self-defense basics: 4 Tips that will improve your situational awareness.)

Living room

The living room or family room is usually the largest room in the house. Use the space to your advantage so you have some breathing room if you are facing an attacker. An unplugged table lamp can be thrown or swung at someone. Note that not unplugging the lamp before using it as a weapon will significantly limit its usefulness. Other small corded electronics can be swung by the cord and used as a weapon. If you are desperate, wrap the cord around your attacker's throat to choke them. Photo frames around your living room could be thrown like a Frisbee. Alternatively, you can use a frame to stab a home invader in the throat. While the glass in photo frames is often very thin, a shard of it can be used to cut an attacker. Protect your hand by wrapping a glass shard in a towel or other piece of material. A fireplace poker or other tool from a fireplace or wood stove is a great melee weapon. While rather soft, a small couch cushion or a pillow can be used as an improvised shield to deflect blows. If you can reach keys from your key bowl somewhere in the living room, grab a keyring and keep the keys deep into your fist until only a bit of them is sticking out. This makes the keys stable so you can use them to gouge an attacker’s eyes if you have to. A long and sturdy umbrella is one of the best improvised self-defense weapons to use because it allows you to defend yourself from a distance. Umbrellas also have pointed ends so you can use them as non-lethal "swords." A heavy umbrella can also be used as a club to hit your attacker. While an umbrella isn't heavy enough to knock anyone out, you can use it to buy some time or scare away a burglar. Since typical umbrellas are cheaply made and won’t be too useful in a life-or-death situation, you might want to get an unbreakable self-defense umbrella.

Bedroom

If you find a burglar rummaging in your bedroom, use a wire hanger as a weapon. Straighten the hook and use it to stab the burglar’s throat or face. Make sure you hold the hanger so the hook protrudes from between your fingers. Another option is to open the hanger's body and loop it around the burglar's neck and drag him or her down to the floor or against a wall. If you have a flashlight beside your bed, you can use it as a bludgeon if it is heavy enough. Lastly, you can put a thick-walled perfume bottle or another similarly small but heavy object into a sock to make a DIY slingshot. Swing the weighted end of the sock at the burglar's head while holding the open end.

Kitchen

The kitchen is full of potential self-defense weapons. A sharp knife and other utensils designed for slicing and stabbing are great options. You can also use scissors and letter openers to defend yourself if you find yourself in the kitchen when someone breaks into your home. A frying pan or heavy cast-iron skillet can be used to hit your attacker. A sturdy mop or broom can be used to keep the attacker at bay. Another option is to throw heavy plates, bowls and other items at the attacker. You can also throw an old pot of coffee in the face of your attacker to disorient them. Alternatively, you can hit them with the carafe. A heavy coffee mug can be used to hit a burglar in the head, face or hand. If your kitchen has a fire extinguisher, spray the intruder in the face or hit him or her with it. If you need a shield, protect yourself with a wooden cutting board. Note that the cutting board may be difficult to hold if it doesn't have a handle.

Bathroom

If someone tries to break into your home, you might find them hiding in your bathroom. If you need a weapon, squirt them in the eyes with hairspray or another product in an aerosol spray can. This might be enough to incapacitate them so you can escape. As a teenager, you might have tried playing with a lighter and hairspray to make a DIY flamethrower, but this weapon isn't enough to make an attacker collapse and remain on the floor. If a burglar catches on fire, they might run around, which can set other things in your house on fire, like curtains and blankets. Alternatively, you can wrap a full bar of soap in a towel and use it as a makeshift weapon. Aim for the head. A toilet tank lid is also heavy enough to cause damage. If you have a shower curtain rod, use it to strike from above and hit an intruder's solar plexus or groin. Make sure you don't trip over the shower curtain while you use it to defend against an attacker. When out of options in the bathroom, use a hairbrush or comb to hit your attacker's throat or face to cause serious injury or enough pain to distract them so you can escape the room and get to a safer location.

How to restrain a home invader

Legalities aside, attempting to restrain a home invader until the police arrive isn't always a good idea. It sounds great on paper, but it's hard to properly tie up an aggressive person without injuring or killing them. If you do it incorrectly, your attacker might even be able to escape their improvised restraints. Here are some tips if you have no choice but to restrain a burglar until the police arrive:

Only use rope if you are confident in your knot-tying skills. Many ropes, like clotheslines, can and will stretch, making them easy to escape from.
Heavy-duty zip ties are best for tying someone's wrists and ankles. But regular zip ties may work if the person you're restraining hasn’t videos online that show how to break them. If you only have regular zip ties, use two or three to restrain someone.
Duct tape isn't the best choice for restraints, but it's the best option if you don't have something sturdier like a pair of handcuffs.

If you're worried about self-defense and home protection, your main focus should be to use whatever means necessary to escape alive. A firearm and extra ammo are ideal during a home invasion, but you need to think outside the box when SHTF and you don't have access to your regular weapons. Stay calm and use objects around your home to defend yourself and your family if someone breaks into your home. Watch the video below to learn about critical self-defense tips to use when SHTF. This video is from the Logan Righter channel on Brighteon.com.

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Living room

Bedroom

Kitchen

Bathroom

How to restrain a home invader

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