How To Make Your Own Ice Pack

I recently have had some physical therapy on my shoulder. The therapist gave me a recipe for making your own ice pack. I am very happy because using someone else's ice pack kind of grosses me out. My husband kept the ice pack he used on his knee after surgery in the freezer. I don't know why, but it made me uncomfortable with it in the freezer with the food. I am really talking way too much...here is the recipe.

This is the ice pack after being in the freezer overnight.

You will need:

Use a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag (double or triple bag for added strength)

3 cups of water

1 cup of rubbing alcohol

Place the above contents in the bag and freeze them. The contents should turn into a gel-like substance once frozen. Place the bag inside a pillowcase or thin dish towel and place on desired area for 15 minutes only! Do not ice more than once an hour.

This is how the bag looks when filled with water and rubbing alcohol.

And this is how the gel-like substance looks when entirely frozen.

I was going to post this yesterday, but the water and alcohol took longer to freeze than I thought. Last night when I went to use the ice pack on my shoulder, after several minutes, the ice pack must not have been totally zip locked together and leaked on my shirt. So you will need to use 3 bags to make sure nothing leaks from the first bag. 

Other than those words of warning, I prefer the ice pack to just using a bag of plain ice cubes. And definitely use an old pillowcase or dish towel, just in case.

I do like this recipe because you can change the outer Ziploc bag and replace with a new one, for people who are squeamish of used ice packs in the freezer.

What other recipes do you know for making your own ice packs?

Everyone, thank you for reading

Have a blessed day!

~Kathy~