10 Best Ways To Make DIY Ice Packs At Home

If you only need ice packs for the odd camping trip or perhaps you have an injury to ice, spending money on ice packs can be avoided.   

You can make DIY ice packs by filling a plastic bag with your choice of rice, salt, alcohol, dish soap, corn syrup, and hand sanitizer. Ice packs can be from PVC pipes, bottles, wine box bladders, and even a frozen sponge. 

I have researched some of the best ways to make DIY ice packs at home for you to try by using items you already have at home. 

You will be surprised at how easy it is to make your own ice packs at home.

1. DIY Salt Ice Pack

A salt ice pack is one of the most commonly used types of ice packs for keeping food frozen in a cooler.

This is because salt can lower the freezing point of the ice and this causes the ice to stay colder for longer.

You can make these using a ziploc bag (like you can see above) or you can just use a regular water bottle too.

To keep the temperature of the ice pack even lower just increase the salt:water ratio. The more salt you have the lower the freezing temperature will be.

What you need:

  • 2 tablespoons of salt; any salt will work (even kosher salt)
  • 2 cups of water 
  • Bowl 
  • Freezer-friendly plastic bag

How to make the ice pack: 

  • Add the 2 cups of water into the bowl (warm water will help the salt dissolve easier)
  • Add the 2 tablespoons of salt to the bowl 
  • Mix the solution until the salt has dissolved in the water
  • Pour the mixture into the plastic bag 
  • Place in freezer until frozen solid 

2. DIY Dish Soap Ice Pack

If you want to make a gel ice pack, then this one's for you. 

What you need:

  • 1 – 2 cups of dish soap; any brand will work 
  • Freezer-friendly plastic bag

How to make the ice pack:

  • Simply pour the cups of dish soap into the plastic bag 
  • Place in freezer until frozen 

A handy tip to remember is to double-bag the ice pack to prevent the gel from leaking when it melts. Check out my guide on how long gel ice packs last for

3. DIY Hand Sanitizer Ice Packs 

This is a great way of using all those bottles of hand sanitizer bought during the pandemic. 

What you need:

  • 1 part hand sanitizer
  • 3 parts water 
  • Bowl 
  • Freezer-friendly plastic bag 

How to make the ice pack: 

  • Mix the hand sanitizer and water solution in a bowl using the provided ratio
  • Pour the solution into a plastic bag
  • Place in freezer until frozen 

4. DIY Corn Syrup Ice Packs 

I know you’re probably wondering why on earth I would use corn syrup as an ice pack, but trust me, it works. This is because when frozen corn syrup has a gel like texture and it doesn't freeze completely hard, which is exactly what you want in a DIY gel pack.

What you need: 

  • 1 – 2 cups of corn syrup 
  • Freezer-friendly plastic bag 

How to make the ice packs:

  • Pour the cups of corn syrup into the plastic bag 
  • Place the bag into the freezer until frozen completely  

5. DIY Alcohol Ice Pack

Using alcohol as the filling of your ice pack is great if you want a more flexible ice pack. You have two options when making this ice pack, either use vodka or rubbing alcohol. 

Rubbing Alcohol Ice pack

To make the ice pack, you will need:

  • 1 cup rubbing alcohol 
  • 2 cups water 
  • Bowl 
  • Freezer-friendly plastic bag 

How to make the ice pack: 

  • In a bowl, mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with 2 cups of water 
  • Pour the solution into the plastic bag 
  • Place the plastic bag into the freezer until frozen 

Vodka Ice Pack

Vodka can be used to make an ice pack that will hold its temperature for longer periods of time. 

What you need: 

  • ¾ cup of vodka 
  • 3 ¼ cup of water 
  • Bowl
  • Freezer-friendly plastic bag 

How to make the ice pack: 

  • Mix the solution of vodka and water together in a bowl 
  • Pour the solution into a plastic bag
  • Place the plastic in the freezer until frozen, and it should feel slushy

6. DIY PVC Ice Packs

You can make an ice pack out of PVC pipes. These are great to fit inside the small faces of your cooler. 

What you need:

  • PVC pipe 
  • Hack saw
  • 2 PVC end caps 
  • PVC glue 
  • 1 -2 tablespoons of salt 
  • Water 

How to make the ice pack: 

  • Start by cutting the PVC tubes with a hack saw to your desired size 
  • Glue one PVC cap to the end of the tube 
  • Fill the tube with water, about ¾ full
  • Add the salt 
  • Glue the other cap on the end 
  • Place in freezer until frozen

You don’t have to glue the caps onto the tube; you can just twist them on to refill the tube. 

7. DIY Plastic Bottles Ice Pack

You can make use of what you’ve got lying around the house. A plastic water bottle or even a plastic milk jug will work. 

What you need:

  • Plastic bottle or jug 
  • Water 

How to make the ice pack:

  • Fill the bottle with water
  • Place the bottle in the freezer until frozen

8. DIY Wine Box Bladder Ice Pack 

If you're a boxed wine drinker, you can use the empty bladder inside to make an ice pack. 

What you need: 

  • Wine bladder 
  • Water

Simply fill the wine bladder with water and pop it into the freezer until frozen solid. 

If you want it to stay gel like or malleable then use one of the methods above like isopropyl alcohol or corn syrup in the bladder.

9. DIY Sponge Ice Pack 

Perhaps this is the simplest one if you don’t have any of the materials mentioned above. All you need is a sponge, any size of your choice. 

Soak the sponge in water until fully saturated, and then place the sponge inside a plastic bag. This will stop it from melting on your items. Place the bag with the sponge into the freezer until frozen solid. 

10. DIY Rice Ice Pack 

This one may sound a little odd, but trust me, it really works for ice packs for injuries and sore muscles.

Rice ice packs are super easy to make. This ice pack can be made in three steps. 

What you need:

  • Freezer-friendly plastic or Ziploc bag 
  • 2 – 3 cups of rice grains 

How to make the ice pack: 

  • Fill the plastic bag with the 2 -3 cups of rice
  • Put the bag of rice into the freezer for one hour or until frozen solid 
  • Use as desired. 

How To Pack Ice Packs Properly

Now that you know how to make your own DIY ice pack at home you may want to learn more about the best ways to pack them or even dispose of them. 

Check out my helpful guides on where to put your ice packs in a cooler as well as how to dispose of them when you’re done with them.