Quick & Easy Homemade Ice Packs: How To
Posted By TipNut On December 13, 2006 @ 1:20 pm In DIY Projects, Popular Tips | 7 Comments
Handy Tips - Tipnut.comA few different options for having ice packs and ice bags on hand as well as frugal ideas for keeping your lunchbags and camping coolers nice and chilled.
Reuseable gel type ice packs:
Method #1
2 cups water
1/3 cup vodka (80 proof)
Food coloring (any color you like)
Ziploc Freezer Bag
* Pour liquids into ziploc freezer bag, add food coloring (you’ll know at a glance that it’s your ice pack and not something to consume) and freeze. Makes a nice gel type icepack.
Method #2
1 cup rubbing alcohol
2 cups water
Ziploc Freezer Bag (1 quart size)
* Pour liquids into freezer bag, remove air and seal bag. Place bag seal side down into another ziploc freezer bag, remove air and seal that bag. Place in freezer and use (and reuse) when needed (nice and slushy!).
Method #3
Liquid Dish Detergent
Ziploc Freezer Bag
* Squirt liquid dish detergent in a ziploc bag until the bag is about 3/4 full, seal and then freeze.
Tips:
When taking ice packs from freezer to use, wrap in towel first before applying to body. If ice packs freeze too hard and aren’t slushy, simply allow the ice to melt in bag then add more alcohol.
Single use method:
* Prepare jello as usual, pour liquid into ziploc freezer bag and put in freezer. Wait till the jello gets really cold and gels, then use.
Lunchbox ice pack ideas:
* Just freeze juice boxes the night before and toss in the lunch bag, or buy reuseable plastic drink boxes, fill with juice and freeze overnight (make sure to leave room when frozen juice expands).
* Fill small ziploc freezer bags with water, freeze and use as needed (solid ice block).
Camping cooler ice pack ideas:
* Clean empty plastic pop bottles, fill 3/4 full with water, twist cap back on and place in freezer. Take out and use as needed.
* Large ziploc freezer bags, fill with water and seal. Freeze til needed (this will be a solid ice block).
* Wash empty milk cartons, fill with water, close carton and freeze (leave room for ice expansion).
Ice packs and bags in a jiffy:
* You can use a bag of frozen vegetables (bags of peas or corn work best)
* Fill a ziploc freezer bag with some ice (crushed or cubed), add cold water, seal bag, insert seal side down in another ziploc bag, seal that bag, then apply.
Also, don’t forget about this great tip: Homemade Microwave Heating Pad [1], they can also be easily frozen and used in place of ice packs.
Also See These Tips:
* How To Make Ice Cream In A Bag [2]
* Ice Cube Ideas for Punch & Recipes [3]
* Party Punch Ice Ring Directions [4]
Article printed from TipNut.com: http://tipnut.com
URL to article: http://tipnut.com/quick-easy-homemade-ice-packs/
URLs in this post:
[1] Homemade Microwave Heating Pad: http://tipnut.com/make-your-own-microwave-heating-pad/
[2] How To Make Ice Cream In A Bag: http://tipnut.com/how-to-make-ice-cream-in-a-bag/
[3] Ice Cube Ideas for Punch & Recipes: http://tipnut.com/ice-cube-ideas-for-punch-recipes/
[4] Party Punch Ice Ring Directions: http://tipnut.com/party-punch-ice-ring/
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I've got another great ice pack to keep around. I have accident related injuries that require me to keep ice packs available in the freezer for occasional swelling. But, I also like to make better use of my freezer space than just having one of those gel packs in there. The thing about the gel as opposed to ice is that it conforms to the curves of you body... so what I do is fill a gallon ziplock bag with RICE and keep it in the freezer. I actually keep 2 gallon ziplocks of rice in the freezer in case I need to rotate. These stay cold for a good while and conform to the curve of my leg. And the bonus is, I have 2 gallons of rice in my freezer, just in case.
I do rotate the rice, exchanging the old rice into my rice canister and putting fresh bought ride into ziplock ice packs. We all need to practice rotating stock and it's a hard habit to remember.