10 Homemade Ice Packs, Heaters, and Coolers from the Pre-Amazon Days
Discover the clever, resourceful world of pre-Amazon homemade ice packs, heaters, and coolers, where everyday materials were transformed into ingenious solutions for comfort and convenience.
- Alyana Aguja
- 4 min read
Prior to the convenience of online shopping, people made do with home items to create their own ice packs, heaters, and coolers. From employing rice-filled socks as makeshift portable heaters to making salt-and-ice coolers to chill drinks, homemade remedies illustrated creativity and resourcefulness. This interesting glimpse of pre-Amazon homemade remedies illustrates how necessity indeed is the mother of invention, providing functional, environmentally friendly substitutes for contemporary products.
1. Frozen Water Bottle Ice Pack
Image from X
Prior to ice packs from the store, it was common for people to freeze a plastic water bottle to use as an ice pack. The rigid form offered stability, and the frozen water could be wrapped in a towel or cloth to avoid direct contact with the skin. It would remain cold for hours, making it ideal for easing aches and bruises or cooling things down on a road trip.
2. Rice Sock Heater
Image from Instructables
A traditional homemade heat pack involved filling a sock with raw rice, tying it up, and microwaving it for a minute or two. The rice held heat for a long time, providing a convenient and soothing means of relaxing muscle spasms or keeping warm on chilly evenings. For an extra touch, some individuals would add a few drops of essential oils to the rice before heating it for a relaxing scent.
3. Frozen Gel Pack Using Dish Soap
Image from Instructables
By freezing a resealable plastic bag filled with dish soap, families made their own malleable ice packs. The gel texture enabled the pack to conform to various body parts, either on an injury or to cool down on a warm day. Recycling a plastic bag and dish soap was a great way to prevent waste.
4. Old Newspaper Wet Compress
Image from Yahoo
When a person had a fever or a headache, they’d wet an old newspaper in cold water, wring it out, and put it on their forehead. The wetness cooled the skin well, and the layers of newspaper kept it moist. It was an inexpensive and easy treatment commonly employed before more commercial treatments became widely available.
5. Salt and Ice Cooler
Image from Pelican Coolers
Long before the days of store-bought coolers, most people carried a homemade cooler by filling a bucket with ice and salt. The salt reduced the freezing point of water, making the ice last longer. This arrangement was a summer lifesaver when families went to picnics, keeping drinks cold for hours.
6. Homemade Hot Water Bottle
Image from CYCLINGABOUT.com
An old heating technique was to heat water, put it into a rubber or leather bottle, and close it tightly. This method was used to stay warm on cold nights. The bottles were usually hidden under beds or blankets to create nice, warm areas to sleep in. They were especially used in homes without central heating.
7. Soda Can Ice Pack
Image from Kona BBQ Store
One of the pre-Amazon ice pack tricks was to fill a used-up soda can with water and freeze it to act as an impromptu cold compress. Because of its cylindrical shape, it was ideal for rolling over arms or legs to cool them down. Plus, it was inexpensive because cans were readily available and recyclable.
8. Cloth-Scented Heat Pack
Image from Amazon.com
Before plastic, most people used a cloth bag full of dried beans or corn that could be heated in the oven or fire. The contents would keep warm for hours, and a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus oil turned it into a natural muscle reliever for sore muscles and stress. It was a totally natural solution to homemade heating pads.
9. Homemade Ice Box with Salt
Image from wikiHow
Families tended to build a “cool box” by stacking ice, salt, and sand in a wooden or metal box to cool food when traveling or on picnics. The salt reduced the ice’s freezing point, extending its life and cooling perishables for much longer. This worked adequately before electric refrigerators were universal.
10. Thermal Wrap with Aluminum Foil
Image from Henan Zhongzheng Trade Co., Ltd.
A simple pre-Amazon cooler was used to wrap an insulating material, such as aluminum foil, around a container to keep it cold. When wrapped around ice or cold beverages, the foil reflected the cold inward, keeping things cooler longer. It demonstrates ingenuity in making low-cost substitutes for today’s insulated coolers.