Make Your Own Gel Cold Packs

Those gel cold packs can have many more uses than perhaps people realize. Aside from being thrown into coolers and lunch bags, they can be placed on bruises and scrapes, or used to cool off from summer heat. Sunburns, headaches, bug bites, and muscle pains can also benefit from a gel cold pack since they are gentler on the skin than common quick versions such as ice cubes or bags of frozen vegetables. But rather than spending money on several, make them yourself with materials you probably already have in your house.

There are two ways to make your own gel cold packs. Both require plastic zip bags. Choose freezer bags or sandwich size depending on what you will be using them for.

One method uses rubbing alcohol and water. The amount of each will depend on how soft you want the gel pack to be. It is the water that freezes, not the rubbing alcohol, so you will need to experiment to discover what ratios you prefer. For example, to make a semi-firm large gel pack, add three cups water and one cup rubbing alcohol to a one gallon size freezer bag. Or put a half cup each of water and rubbing alcohol in a sandwich bag to make a small somewhat flexible gel pack. It's a good idea to add food coloring to each gel pack that you make so that they aren't mistaken for something edible. You can also use different colors for each family member to avoid confusion. You might also want to line the bag with another one if you're concerned about possible staining if the pack leaks. Use them over and over, or simply rinse the bags out and dry for another use.

Another way to make your own gel cold packs involves regular liquid dish soap. Place one gallon size freezer bag inside another in case of leakage, then add about three or four cups of the dish soap. Or double bag sandwich sized bags and add about a cup of soap. Food coloring shouldn't be necessary. This method can also be used for temporary cold packs. When you're finished, pour the soap back into the bottle and rinse out the bags thoroughly.

Homemade gel cold packs can be quick, easy, and economical with common household items. Use them for picnics, injuries, keeping cool during the high temperatures, and more. Year-round, they're great things to have in the freezer.