Homemade 'gel' ice pack

[2ski2moro]

I've been having some thumb pain and needed an ice pack. I Googled for the ratio for alcohol/water in a ziplock and came across a new-to-me recipe for making a gel ice pack. Pardon me if you all know this, but it changed my life and I thought I would share.

Put dish soap in a ziplok baggie and remove as much air as you can. I double-bagged just to make sure. Freeze flat.

When you take the bag out of the freezer, the liquid soap is really firm, but still pliable. As it thaws a bit, it is exactly like the large $40 gel pack I bought at PT years ago. It molded to my hand and stayed cold for hours. I also made one with a large (gallon) ziplock bag and keep it in the freezer, just in case.

 

[ride_ski]

I'll have to try this.

 

[jellyflake]

Can't you buy soap refill packs in kind of ziplook baggies? Makes it even easier ;)

Thanks for the idea! I often use just anything out of the freezer...

 

[Jilly]

Wow, need to make some for next summer's paddling season. Thanks 2ski!!

 

[2ski2moro]

I have tried the frozen peas method (didn't have any when I needed them on Friday). I made some of the alcohol/water mix bags and the liquid soap won hands down. I like the way is molds so well. And there are no voids in the pack because the viscosity of the soap doesn't allow it to move around like ice/water. So amazing, I had to share.

 

[artistinsuburbia]

have you tried the diaper one yet? pour water (you can dye with food coloring if you like) into a clean diaper. open the diaper and carefully remove all the gel that has formed by absorbing the liquid. Put that gel into a Ziploc and freeze.

 

[2ski2moro]

have you tried the diaper one yet? pour water (you can dye with food coloring if you like) into a clean diaper. open the diaper and carefully remove all the gel that has formed by absorbing the liquid. Put that gel into a Ziploc and freeze.

I haven't tried that either. Does it work well? When I was looking for ideas, I did think about the Soil Moist pellets, but they are so expensive.

 

[artistinsuburbia]

I haven't personally, friends told me it works great. I don't have any diapers lying around anymore. I don't really need an entire pack of them. I'll have to use one of my great niece's when she's visiting next month and let you know!

 

[Jenny]

Timely post, thank you very much. I made a teeny tiny one to ice a spot kind of on the ball of my foot, but a little closer to the toes, and it's working great.

Not sure what the problem is - I walked on the treadmill for the first time in years on Tuesday, had a sore foot Wednesday (it's the one with plantar fasciitis), bought new walking/running shoes Thursday, foot still sore Friday, had a great full-body message Friday afternoon, and my foot felt a lot better, but woke up this morning and it still hurt, and this part was swollen. Maybe it's where he was pushing everything bad out of the rest of my foot and it got stuck there!

At any rate, going to push back my new fitness schedule be a few more days to allow it to recover.

 

[mustski]

Timely post, thank you very much. I made a teeny tiny one to ice a spot kind of on the ball of my foot, but a little closer to the toes, and it's working great.

Not sure what the problem is - I walked on the treadmill for the first time in years on Tuesday, had a sore foot Wednesday (it's the one with plantar fasciitis), bought new walking/running shoes Thursday, foot still sore Friday, had a great full-body message Friday afternoon, and my foot felt a lot better, but woke up this morning and it still hurt, and this part was swollen. Maybe it's where he was pushing everything bad out of the rest of my foot and it got stuck there!

At any rate, going to push back my new fitness schedule be a few more days to allow it to recover.

That sounds like it could be a developing Morton's Neuroma. I have a full blown one in my right foot and a "developer" in my left. If that is what it is going on a "neuroma bump" on an footbed or insole will help and keep it from getting irritated and worsening.

 

[Serafina]

I haven't tried that either. Does it work well? When I was looking for ideas, I did think about the Soil Moist pellets, but they are so expensive.

Actually, I've seen it suggested that you use the diaper stuff in your potted plants as a cheap alternative to the pellets like that.

 

[Jenny]

I googled that right away, because I remembered threads about it, but I thought it developed over time, at least I hope so. This is so far a one-time occurrence. And it seems to be better now, so I'm hopeful it was the shoes.