Improvise an adhesive bandage by moistening a ball of cotton wool with antiseptic and holding it in place with adhesive tape, masking tape or clear plastic tape. If you need an emergency dressing for a serious wound, use the cleanest material available: a sanitary towel, a clean handkerchief, a shirt, a T-shirt, a folded sheet or towel, or a washcloth. Fold the material to make a pad that covers the entire wound. Hold the dressing in place with wide strips torn from a shirt or a sheet, or with a tie or folded scarf. Get medical treatment as soon as possible. Where there may be some delay in treating a deep cut, make a butterfly strip from adhesive (not plastic) tape. Hold the cut closed while applying the strip and cover loosely. If anything, such as grass or gravel, is stuck in the wound, use a raised pad to avoid pressure on the object.