Thursday, May 9, 2013

DIY Ice Pack


Yes I know PAK is spelled wrong- 
the paint pen didn't want to write on the cold bag so I rushed it. :-)

Yesterday Levi fell outside and needed ice on more that one spot. Thanks to my mad scientist child (Alex) there was only one ice pack in the freezer, because he likes to use the others for 'experiments' and then forgets to put them back. In a pinch, I remembered I could make my own with alcohol and ice water. So I did!

I filled a quart size ziploc halfway with ice and crushed it quickly with the bottom of a jar which happened to be right next to the sink. I put the crushed ice in a new zip loc as the original one was mangled. I added about half a bottle of alcohol (it was a smaller bottle). I didn't measure I just dumped. I squeezed all the air out and sealed it. Then I put that ziploc into another ziploc to prevent leakage. Squeezed all that air out and sealed. It was instantly icy and cold and stayed cold for longer than I thought it would, almost longer than the gel ice pack. 

You still need to use a cloth between skin and the bag because it gets VERY cold, just like a regular ice pack would. 

The alcohol prevents the water from freezing, so you can store it in the freezer between uses and it will still be liquid or slushy depending on how much alcohol you use. This would be great for on the fly sports injuries or park boo-boos. It will keep in the freezer for about a month before you need to replace it, although you could test that for yourself, maybe yours will last longer! 





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