So my little baby girl just got out of a full leg cast from a trampoline accident last week and now this week my poor husband is on crutches. He ruptured his Achilles several years ago and the injury flared up in a soccer game this week.
He was hobbling all around the house and we usually don’t keep ice packs on hand. They clutter up the freezer and I got annoyed and tossed them all out awhile back :). Plus I am frugal and I hate to pay the prices for the good gel ones.
So I remembered seeing this on The Doctors and I whipped it up in a minute and my husband was super impressed. He said this worked really well- far better then frozen veggies or ice in a Ziploc like you might normally use.
This literally takes a minute to make with stuff you already have on hand and pop it in the freezer and it is ready to go in about 20 minutes.
It stays frozen for about 30 minutes or so and it molds perfectly to the injury. My husband had this wrapped on his ankle with an Ace Bandaid.
Oh and I had a reader recently tell me she has been using these to keep food cold for lunchboxes and picnics! Smart! Again just be sure to double bag just in case of any leaks.
So here are two methods for ya depending on what you have on hand:
#1. Gel Ice Pack.
Squeeze any dish soap you have on hand into a Ziploc bag. Choose the Ziploc based on the size you need for the injury. There are no measurements here just don’t fill it too full- about halfway or 2/3 of the way. Seal tightly and you probably want to put this inside a second bag or even a third bag for small children. (to be sure there is no leaking)
Pop in the freezer. It took about 20 minutes for ours to be ready.
#2. Traditional Ice Pack.
You can add one part rubbing alcohol to two parts water and also put inside a Ziploc. Seal tightly and pop in freezer (double bag for extra assurance it won’t leak.)
The dish soap is what we used. I believe you can also add a little rubbing alcohol to the dish soap mixture to keep it cold longer but I didn’t have any on hand so I didn’t test that method.
And now you are all set for summer activities and sports!
And did you know you can also make your own homemade foaming handsoap or body wash? It is crazy easy- get the scoop here.
*Note: with any ice pack it is a good idea to keep a cloth between the ice pack and the skin to protect fragile skin. We have used ace bandages or just a plain washcloth or dish towel.
I have received good gel ice packs from freecycle. People get those Omaha steaks or medication in the mail with freezer packs in styrofoam box. I have about 5 in my freezer that I keep in a plastic box. They take up no more room than couple hamburgers and very handy. I use those in lunchboxes. I will try your ideas too. Thanks for sharing!
When you use the alcohol ones, make sure to put a towel or some cloth between the ice pack and the skin. I made one of those up for my son who has tendonitis in the elbow and we strapped it on yesterday after his baseball game and when we took it off he had a little freezer burn on his arm. I felt really bad. 🙁
Exactly Christie! My 17 yr old used one I made with the rubbing alcohol and we put directly on his skin. He also left it on too long and now has a baggie sized burn on his shoulder! I never thought about it being so cold for so long that it would burn him! Be careful when using these-they work, but almost too good!
Cynthia- we always use a little washcloth around the ice packs. If your teenager got a large burn, I am just curious why he didn’t mention the ice pack was hurting him? Wouldn’t he have felt discomfort? I have never used rubbing alcohol but with any ice pack you do want to use a small cloth or something to protect the skin. I will add that to the post. I am sorry I thought that was something that was understood.
Seamstresses/Seamers, knitters or crocheters could create a clothe packet the size of the zip baggie too.
Hello fellow friends,
I have used both as indicated above and they both work wonderful, I did find out that tho a dish towel is easy to wrap the ice pak in as well as a ace bandage I find that if you use the travel pillow cases or anything small ( doll size ) to wrap it in it helps to keep it in place as well as it’s cold on little hands. Just a tip.
Thanks for everyone’s in put.
Colleen
Due to the numbing effect of the ice pack people don’t recognize they are receiving an injury. That’s why it’s always recommended to have cloth between the pack and skin. And only use for 20 minutes at a time. Great ice pack ideas, cheaper than buying! Also, ikea ziplock bags have double zippers, which would help with the worry about leakage.
Hi Pamela- I love those Ikea bags! Super secure!
Hello,
I am going to try the dish soap one! However, I sleep nightly with an ice pack on my head/neck due to an illness. I have noticed that with the alcohol and water mixture one that it sweats extremely bad! It actually ices up all over the out side of the bad after its been out of the freezer for awhile. It does last all night long and it is super cold but almost to cold to touch. Actually… its more cold than normal ice packs so you want to be very very careful with it. I was wondering is adding more alcohol to it, if that would help it from sweating so much and help with the to cold to touch affect? Any advice?