Making an ice pack using dish soap and a ziplock bag.
If you are a patient of ours, you know that after your first appointment we give you a couple of gel ice packs to use at home. Ice helps reduce swelling and inflammation as well as help decrease any pain and soreness. We find that many of our patients end up giving their ice packs away to friends and family for temporary relief before sending them in to see us. So a lot of our patients often ask for extra ice packs which we are more than happy to give them. But what if you find yourself without an ice pack when you really need it? Some people just throw some ice cubes in a bag while others sometimes use a frozen bag of peas or something similar. But a bag of ice is not always that comfortable and not everybody has a bag of frozen vegetables sitting in their freezer. So I thought I’d share a fun and easy way to make your own ice pack at home that is similar to the gel packs we give you here at the office. Remember, any time you use ice an ice pack, it is best to wrap it with something like a paper towel or dish towel as opposed to applying it directly to the skin. And only apply 20 to 30 minutes at a time.
One of the easiest ways I have found to make an ice pack at home is to use dish soap. But not just any soap, apparently the original green Palmolive dish soap works best. The process is very simple.
- Take a ziplock freezer bag and tape the three closed sides with packing tape. This is just a precautionary measure to make sure it doesn’t leak.
- Fill the bag with the bottle of dish soap.
- Making sure all the air is out, seal the bag and tape the sealed edge.
- Now place the sealed bag into a second freezer bag with the sealed edge going in first. Make sure all of the air is out of the second bag and seal it as well. (Some people may want to put these into a third bag just to be safe.)
- Place the bag in the freezer and wait, it will end up looking like a bag of green ice cream or toothpaste. The bag should be moldable and will form to any part of your body like ours.
You can use any size bag you would like. I think the bigger freezer bags use the 50 oz. bottle of dish soap to fill up. Another option that can work well is using 2 parts water to 1 part rubbing alcohol instead of the dish soap. If you have any questions about when it is best to use ice, ask us, we’ll be happy to help you.
Dr. Jason Schluter is a Chiropractor in Tulsa, OK at Schluter Chiropractic.
Schluter Chiropractic is conveniently located off Memorial Drive in Tulsa, Oklahoma and provides quality chiropractic care to Tulsa and the surrounding areas.
To schedule an appointment, call (918) 664-3571 or visit www.DrSchluter.com.
