Travel

How To Use Dry In Cooler While Traveling – Precautions

June 10, 2019
Bonnot Smillmo

Compared to the regular ice, dry ice has many benefits over the contemporary counterparts. Well, all you need to know is how to use dry ice in your small cooler bags before you embark on your journey. Let us get familiar with what dry ice is. While the regular ice is made with after freezing the water, dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide. When it melts, it leaves in the form of gas, unlike the regular ice that melts and takes the form of water (liquid). Over the regular ice, it is very cold and thus, keeps your stuff frozen. Well, there are a few things that you need to follow while placing the dry ice in your cooler.

  • Well, there are two ways to keep dry ice. You can either place it in the bottom of your cooler or top of the cooler.

  • Make sure that you keep the dry ice wrapped in the newspaper and place it on the top of the food. The newspaper does not let the dry ice evaporate quickly, thus it will last longer than you think.

  • After wrapping the dry ice in the cooler, if there is some space left, make sure to cover it using the regular ice. It will increase the time period and your dry ice will stay for a longer time.

  • Another thing is that you should keep dry ice in the approved coolers only. There are many coolers that can keep the regular ice for more than a week which means that they can keep the dry ice for even a longer period. The dry-ice approved coolers won’t be impacted by the use of dry ice while the rest of coolers can be damaged when you use dry ice in them.

Precautions while using Dry Ice

Handling the dry ice can be dangerous and it can hurt if you don’t take proper precautions while handling or keeping your dry ice in the cooler. Since its temperature is so low, touching it with bare hands can give you injuries. Below, we have listed down some precautions that you must take in order to avoid getting hurt.

  • Use protective gears like gloves – Don’t touch the ice hands with bare hands. So, before you place dry ice in your cooler bags, make sure to wear protective gears like gloves and eyewear. Make sure to never let your skin come in direct contact with the dry ice. Always be careful while handling dry ice.

  • Keep it in a ventilated area – Make sure that the area is well ventilated. In case if you are keeping in a room or car, make sure to open the windows to allow the process of ventilation. This will help in the circulation of air and carbon dioxide will not get collected in one place.

  • Melt the ice when you are done – It is important that you melt the ice rather than disposing of it straight or dumping it in the house. To melt the dry ice, pour some warm water over the ice. Keep your pet and children away while you do this. Don’t let them come near you while you do the process of melting the ice.

Well, there is no doubt that dry ice has advantages over the regular ice but it is important to be cautious with every step. From storing it in the small cooler bags to disposing of it, it is vital to handle every step with utmost patience and care. Once you know how to keep the dry ice, your travelling experience will be re-defined.