How To Make a Homemade Ice Pack With Dawn Dish Soap & Rubbing Alcohol

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4 Materials

Gel ice packs offer a comfortable and flexible alternative to those traditional rigid ones.


Today, we'll explore the straightforward process of creating your own homemade ice packs, with dish soap and rubbing alcohol playing the lead roles in this clever project.

Orange Dawn dish soap

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Tools and Materials:

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1. Gather Your Materials

Begin by grabbing your preferred liquid dish soap. I used the orange Dawn antibacterial dishwashing liquid, and it worked perfectly.


Ensure you have rubbing alcohol, ziplock bags, and duct tape on hand.

Step-by-step guide for DIY ice pack

2. Cut Bags to Size

For added fun and convenience, consider creating different-sized ice packs.


To achieve this, cut larger ziplock bags down to your desired sizes.

How to size down Ziplock bags

Heat the blade of a knife over a gas stove, then run it down the plastic bag to separate and seal it simultaneously.


This process creates smaller bags.

DIY gel ice pack with dish soap and alcohol

3. Mix the Solution

Achieve the optimal gel-like consistency by mixing 2 parts dish soap with 1 part rubbing alcohol. Adjust the quantities based on the size of the bags you're filling.


Pour the dish soap and rubbing alcohol into a container, thoroughly mixing the solution.

Creative use of Dawn dish soap and rubbing alcohol

4. Fill and Seal

Fill each ziplock bag about ¾ full with the mixture.


Tip: If you are concerned about leaks use duct tape to seal the sides and double-bag the ice pack.

Frozen relief for body aches

5. Freeze and Enjoy

Place your DIY gel ice pack in the freezer.


More Brilliant Hacks

Read this Rubbing Alcohol tutorial for other genius ways to use alcohol around your home.

Dish soap ice pack

Homemade Ice Pack With Dawn Dish Soap and Rubbing Alcohol

And there you have it – your very own DIY ice pack.


Thanks to the lower freezing points of dish soap and rubbing alcohol compared to water, the mixture maintains a slushy state, achieving that perfect gel-like consistency. This delightful feature ensures your dawn and alcohol ice pack effortlessly molds to your body for optimum comfort.


Have you dabbled in other DIY ice pack concoctions? We're all ears for your freezing innovations!

Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  2 questions
  • Gill Gill on Feb 13, 2024
    Can you use any kind of dish soap?
  • Denise Ferguson Denise Ferguson on Jul 26, 2024
    Why not just use a smaller ziplock instead of having to cut and seal the bag?
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2 of 16 comments
  • Gig69451122 Gig69451122 on Jul 26, 2024
    This also works easily, using zip lock large freezer bags. Just add mixture & freeze. Duct tape across zip lock too 😉 👍
  • Lane Lane on Jul 26, 2024
    I just winged it based on an article I found on the internet by a scientist.For a 1 quart bag. Estimates. You can add more of each ingredient to be safe.I used 1-quart zip lock bags and then sealed the ziplock bags in my vacuum sealer.About 1/3 C. of rubbing alcohol - I used 93% alcohol.About 1-2 Tablespoons of Salt - I used sea salt, but you can use refined salt too.Filled with warm water, which helps to dissolve the salt. Freeze for 24 hours (at least) before using.For me they are working very well. I just made some more this morning as we are traveling with perishables soon.
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