Duct Tape

What would we do without that stuff?? When was it invented, anyway? Who invented it? Why was it invented? What was it all used for? How did it get its name? For a quick read up on duct tape, you can go here.  I am sure the makers of duct tape never imagined the variety in which this tape has been used (Red Green anyone?). I remember it being very handy when I was a teenager, as it kept my sister's old Jimmy truck together!

I am absolutely positive they never thought it would be used for..................warts.

Some of you have noticed the duct tape on Keziah's thumbs:

Many have asked me (and her) if the duct tape is on her thumbs to keep her from sucking them. Well, without meaning to, that did help her to quit.......until the tape came off. Oh well, I am not pushing her to stop sucking her thumbs as we have more surgeries/hospital stuff to get through yet. We'll deal with that once all her surgeries are done.

But no, the duct tape was on her thumbs because her thumbs were covered with warts. Ewww, gross. I know. It started out as one 2 years ago. My doctor recommended using tea tree oil and duct tape. I tried that for a number of weeks/months but instead of getting rid of it, they multiplied!!!

Seeing as 75% of my family has warts, I turned to Google to see if I could find a way to get rid of these awful looking things. I refused to have them burned off.....she's been through enough already (and she's not done). I was not about to make her go through that. Thankfully, Google gave me an answer. And it has worked like a charm!!! Right now all the big ones are gone and there are only a few teeny-tiny ones left.

How, you ask? Well, if you are stuck with these ugly things, read on. And remember, I didn't come up with this idea.....it was through some research that I found it.

What you need is the following:

apple cider vinegar
cotton ball
band aid
duct tape

Soak the warts in very warm water, for at least 5 minutes or more:

Dry off the area with a rough towel really well. Then take a tiny piece of cotton ball and roll it to the size of the wart. Dip it into the apple cider vinegar so it is well saturated:

Place saturated piece of cotton ball onto the wart:

Put a band aid over it, then cover it all with duct tape. You do not want air to get at it.

Leave it on for 24 hours, until you repeat the whole process again. The key is consistency (isn't that the case with so many things in life??). We found that to do this routine worked best before bed, that way it had 8-10 hours of "working". Within a week, you will notice the wart becoming black. Another gross factor. But that means it is working!! Once it is black, it is getting ready to be peeled off. This usually happened after soaking it for a bit and then rubbing it with that coarse towel.

Once that black layer peels off, keep repeating the process with the apple cider vinegar until there is no bump. I did take a day off here and there as the cider can sting if there is an open cut or wound.

I'll attach a link here, which is a YouTube video of the step by step process.

So there you have it.....gross but effective! It has worked for 50% of my family. The other 25% has warts on the foot.....and it is taking quite a bit longer as they are planter's warts. Hopefully by summertime, we will be 100% wart free (and by the looks of outside, we have a lot of time yet before summer comes, so we shall keep at 'em!)

So what do you use duct tape for?!